Gweini :: The Council of the Christian Voluntary Sector in Wales

We are looking to share success stories and would welcome an e-mail or letter to our contact address with outline details from all our friends and members.

New Life Church, Cardigan
Posted: 17 November, 2006

New Life Church, Cardigan's heart is to be relevant in the community that we live in and share Jesus' love in practical ways. Over 10 years ago we started supplying furniture to people who had needs, we would get donations and then pass them on. This has grown to the extent that we have bought a warehouse and a shop where we employ three people and have eight volunteers working there on a regular basis. Alongside helping the needy, we want to create jobs for young people, we live in an area where there is no industry and very little work.

There are many training opportunities but very few lead into employment, so we have started to produce craft items out of the unused furniture to open up opportunities for employment. This project has brought us into good relationships with the other organisations in the town and region as we share resources and support one another.

We also started a school in the church building last year, we are in the process of going through registration with the Welsh Assembly. Children start at 3 years old and finish at 18, all the curriculum is Christian and we are seeing amazing changes in young peoples lives as they start to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus and gain a Biblical understanding of the world they live in. While we are waiting for this registration we are facilitating home schooling, by supporting families in their homes.

top of page

The Gap Project
The Gap is a motivational 8-month course designed for groups of local young people in the North of Swansea who are no longer managing at school. The Gap supports young people who live with some element of disadvantage or neglect in their lives, who without intervention face joining the unemployment a round them.

The Gap employs an engaging indoor/outdoor curriculum that helps young people to learn, to gain qualifications, improve attendance and develop social skills and employability skills.

The indoor learning is an essential element, in a community where 53% of local people aged 16 - 74 yrs have no qualifications at all. The Gap provides creative courses in essential life-skills, leading to NOCN qualifications at Level One. The outdoor element effectively uses gorge-walking, coasteering, surfing, kayaking etc to promote teamwork, communication, problem-solving & negotiation skills. The young people grow in confidence and progress to local employment, apprenticeship or college. The Gap (Cornerstone Church/Project)

The Gap is run by a dedicated team from Cornerstone Church, who are passionate about their work with young people. The project is very successful at re-engaging teenagers, who achieve great results & improve their future prospects. In the last 8 years The Gap has helped over 1000 local young people.

Counseling Service
Cornerstone runs a Community Counseling Service at its Centre in Penlan. This is a free & confidential service run by qualified staff from Cornerstone in association with the local GP Surgery. Local people can ring for an appointment or are referred from the surgery. This has been beneficial to many local people, especially in the areas of anxiety & depression.

Adult Education
Over the last few years Cornerstone has hosted a variety of Adult Education Courses with Swansea College. Both First Aid & "Changing Rooms" were very popular with the local community, running for many weeks, as too was the 50+ class "I.T. for the Terrified!" a beginners guide to computers. Other topics have included Welsh, Spanish & Photography. These classes have added to the opportunity for learning in our community, as well as promote social opportunities to build relationships with each other & with the church.

“I had no idea this place was so big!” is a common exclamation from people visiting Antioch Centre for the first time, and understandably so. Since 1996 Antioch Church has gradually renovated a once derelict 17,000 square-foot factory into a multi-purpose community centre housing a variety of projects and activities designed to meet the needs of the local community.

Antioch’s mission statement is “Church alive for our neighbour, our nation and the nations.” To fulfil this the church has looked at the felt needs of the people of Llanelli, whom it seeks to serve in practical and creative ways. One of these was a desperate need for children’s and youth facilities in the area. The response was the opening of one of Antioch’s first projects, Crazy Maisies Fun Station, in 1997, a bouncy castle and soft play facility providing a fun, and affordable, place for kids to safely let off steam while accompanying parents enjoy a cup of coffee. This, plus an excellent children’s party service, have helped make Crazy Maisies famous across town, and the name to mention when asking directions to Antioch Centre!

Projects have usually been born out of a vision of someone in the congregation to meet a need of people in the area. This is especially true of Chooselife, Antioch’s drug and alcohol intervention programme, whose director was himself a former heroin addict and ex-offender. Today the Chooselife Day Centre provides a meeting place where those with drug and alcohol problems can receive support, advice and counselling, and also runs regular family days out, to build positive activities and a family support structure into the lives of those battling addictions.

Antioch’s thriving youth work is built around the Friday night Mission Music youth club, attended by over 100 young people from the area. As the name suggests, making music is a significant part of the activities on offer, with drum, guitar and bass lessons rocking the building. Recording skills are also taught in Newid Studio, another community project run from Antioch Centre, which gives local bands access to high quality rehearsal and recording facilities.

With ongoing links in Bulgaria, India and Morocco, Antioch has always had an emphasis on “the nations”, but in recent months a weekly ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) class has seen the nations coming to Antioch. Sparked by a meeting with some Nepalese Gurkhas, who were employed as bus drivers in Llanelli, the class now has 9 women from Nepal, plus two others from Turkey and Lithuania, learning English and enjoying being together.

These projects, plus countless relational links into the community, mean that Antioch is able to serve its community consistently, demonstrating the love of our wonderful God in practical, everyday ways to people who might never have considered “going to church”.

A church at the very heart of its community – that is Bethlehem Church Life Centre in Cefn Cribwr, near Bridgend. The transformation of what was then an inward looking church began in 2000 when the leaders began to discuss how they could more effectively serve their community.

The vision evolved into seeking funding for a community relevant building and was realised when the new Life Centre was opened in 2005. Within a year of that event, the church’s congregation had trebled in size to 140 (including children and young people) and, apart from these spiritual benefits, the centre’s facilities themselves are being used by hundreds every week.

There is a strong emphasis on sport and exercise, children and young people and education, with activities such as aerobics, five-a-side football and circuit training, children's and young people's clubs and computer classes on offer. Cefn Cribwr

A large conference centre is hired out by local authorities, health boards and others while the Coffee Bar underpins the commitment to being a community centre. Both contribute towards the sustainability of the project. For more information – visit www.bclc-cefn.com

At the heart of the work is the small army of volunteers, with up to 50 people (church and community) offering at least an hour of their time every month, with some much more. One of their motto's is: “God is looking for availability not ability”.

Thornhill church is a wonderful example of how God is blending His church into the community these days.

Thornhill, a suburb in the north of Cardiff, only came into existence as recently as 1978 when a large development of houses was built. Over the next few years, as people moved in, local Christians began to get a vision to see a vibrant church established in the heart of this new community.

Fast forward to 2005 and Thornhill church is just that. As well as occupying prime land right next to the local supermarket and having worship services that are full, the church is also a thriving community centre. Amongst other things, it runs a cafÃ©, a nursery school, provides events for the elderly, facilities for young people and runs antenatal classes!

The church and community centre have become so popular that, in 2002, the leadership began to pray about an expansion.

Plans were prayerfully drawn up and the news just off the press is that Cardiff council have just given them the go-ahead for a Â£5m centre, to include a 400-seat auditorium, library, two nursery areas and a youth centre!

A HOMEGROWN youth movement emerging from a Swansea church is empowering young people in needy areas with a radical style of community.

Tribe is a collection of passionate young Christians who spend time together and support each other with the guidance of established youth workers from West Cross Community Church (WCCC).

The youth work spans West Swansea and leaders are hoping to expand Tribe work into areas of St Thomas , Llansamlet and beyond.

The youth work revolves around meeting young people’s spiritual needs with relevant and accessible teaching in a non-religious setting.

Around 100 teenagers have been a part of Tribe, with 30 youngsters currently benefiting. Most come from deprived and un-churched backgrounds, invited by friends.

John Tancock, a leader at West Cross Community Church said: “The most striking thing about Tribe is that 90 percent of its young people come from un-churched backgrounds, which is very rare.

“It isn’t a typical church club or a church youth group, and it can be very hard work."

The group runs Rock Solid road shows across Swansea for newcomers and young people, with dance, drama, and music performances.

WCCC took group of young people from Tribe to Zambia last year for a project working with orphanages and local churches.

John said: “Many who have come from very difficult and challenging backgrounds have been able to grow as secure and confident individuals through Tribe.”

He added: “That is the flavour of Tribe - there is no Christian subculture or lingo for newcomers to contend with.

“It feels raw, and real compared to a church youth club, we’re dealing with real and serious issues often, like combating the effects of drug addiction in families.

"God has trusted us with these youngsters who come from really hard situations, broken families and the like.

Tribe welcomes youth workers from all over the UK as well as Swansea, and sends its youth workers out to different projects across the country too.

John said: “We want to build community across all generations, integrated and open.”

STREET youth work and a church-run drop-in centre have combined forces to become a powerful and effective tool drawing bored youngsters off the streets in Pontyclun.

Bethel Baptist church has been involved with detached youth work for a number of years, supporting young people in the community and forging relationships.

The church also had another youth service running parallel to the detached work, and up until recently both ministries operated separately.

But church leaders recently decided to try merging these important works together, introducing youngsters on the street to the drop-in.

This move has injected the café with a new lease of life, as young people are being drawn off the streets and into a secure and caring environment.

Neil Shearman, head of the youth ministry at Pontyclun Bethel Baptist said the relationships the detached youth workers had forged with groups on the streets was key in giving the young people the confidence to try out the drop in café at the church, which is now receiving about 70 youngsters every Friday night.

He said: “We were running church small groups for young people from the church for a long time, but we weren’t dealing with the problem of youngsters on the streets having nothing to do – they wouldn’t have mixed with the bible study groups.

“So we started a drop-in café bar with music, chill out zones, snacks, hot drinks, places to chat, activities like air hockey and a Playstation 2.

“Church members had been running street detached youth work for about two years by this time, building relationships with young people in the community, it wouldn’t have happened so well if it wasn’t for that.”

“We have found there are just so many different groups of young people out there, and they’re not always friends with each other.

“We ran summer barbecues and other events and started to see a core group of young people coming along.

“We now have about 40 young people on average come along to the drop in, whether to just sit and chat and drink hot chocolate, or get some basketball tutoring or play football and hockey.”

He added the church is hoping to set up further groups to provide life guidance and practical help and advice for the young people.

“We’ve also been linking up with similar groups in the Valleys to run football tournaments and musical concerts,” he added, “We hope to develop more practical life guidance small groups for the youngsters to keep them off the streets and give them good hope for the future.”

A SEX education initiative started by a Cardiff church goer has exploded into a vital schools and community service used by teachers nationwide.

Thousands of young people attended shows dealing with much-ignored issues of sexuality and self worth organised by church youth worker Paul Francis in the early 1990s, which soon developed into a charity in its own right – Going Public.

Going Public now takes its presentations looking at sex and identity from a biblical perspective to schools and youth clubs nationwide.

The charity has also grown two new functions in recent years, including a gap year for school leavers and a graphic design company.

Paul said: “We did a national theatre show and were overwhelmed by the response. “Thousands of young people came and it made us realise this was an issue.

“We did three nationwide tours with a theatre company, a video and me talking, and out of that we started doing schools work. We looked at the way the media affects how we see ourselves, STDs, self worth and value and reasons to say ‘no’.

“We’re still running 90 minute presentations to schools and also a theatre piece called ‘In Search of a Happy Ending’ which follows a couple’s relationship in different scenarios and endings after they bring sex into their relationship after four weeks; four months; and four years.

“After the show we hold a workshop with the students to work through some of the issues.

“We have created other resources including books and DVDs and we’re working with another charity called Care For The Family to put on presentations for parents of teenagers on issues of sexuality their children may be facing.

The Going Public gap year programme places high importance on developing creativity and leadership in its participants.

Paul said: “With the gap year, we do a lot of drama and creativity because it is a big part of our work.

“We are eventually hoping to place our young leaders on the gap programme in churches in the Valleys, where there is a lot of need in terms of church resource.

“We also train people throughout the year on various programmes. We have about 50 people being trained in leadership and mentoring on our various courses at the moment.

He added: “Our graphic design company, Going Public Design, supports our work by creating professional design and artwork for other churches and charities, which raises money for Going Public.”

Paul and the Going Public leadership team are working closely with Glenwood Church in Cardiff where they are based. Their desire is to support, equip and resource local churches.

A VIBRANT church in Llanelli is providing much-needed employment, help and support for the whole community through a host of projects at its recently renovated centre.

Bill Chapman and his wife Ellen have seen a dramatic change in Llanelli, South Wales, since moving to the town in March 1996 when they began leading The Elim Pentecostal Church.

Providing employment for local people is one of the key strategies at the heart of the work of the church, and the paid workers in turn provide a core of essential services to the rest of the community.

Bill said: “We started in a cold, crumbling chapel but moved to Myrtle House in 2000 because the council had compulsory purchased the old building to make way for a car park. Further Council grants covered the extension and renovation of the house.”

After gauging the immediate needs of the community through discussions with councillors, the church set about developing its vision to be a blessing to the community and meet those identified needs. As a result the church currently employs around 20 local staff.

“We opened Myrtle House Nursery which employs a number of highly qualified teachers and child care workers from the community.”

He added: “We now have a senior citizens lunch club where we provide a nice three-course lunch where folk come along and enjoy socialising. Part of the improvements we have made to the building includes the installation of a fantastic industrial size kitchen, which is well used for church events and conferencing, providing work for local cooks.”

As well as children and youth clubs, Ellen Chapman and her team run a schools ministry, visiting 30 primary schools in the area, which has helped develop strong relationships with teachers and head teachers.

Bill said: “We host head teachers meetings here – we want them to know that their work of caring for our children is so important, we have developed a good working friendship with the schools.”

Among the many groups to us Myrtle House’s conferencing facilities are the Llanelli youth offending team, who use one of the rooms for workshops.

“We have an opportunity to train our young people for a mentoring scheme set up by this team to give support to young offenders aged 8-years-old to18-years-old, the aim is to let the work of the church seep into the community,” said Bill.

“We’re looking for ways to be a good influence and effective in the community. The things we do are tools to serve because the church is called to care for the helpless and vulnerable, we have to serve them first.

“It’s about being and doing positive things, showing that the church is alive.”

The church of around 200 members is now planning to plant a church in a neighbouring town and is in the process of considering where it is most needed.
Bill said: “There are lots of areas that need a good church. I would love to be able to plant a church in every school because people see the school as the centre of the community.”

He added: “This year I want to see the number of people we employ increase. We are called to bring economic as well as spiritual transformation so every penny the church has we use to employ people.

“We have many plans, hopes and dreams for the future of our town, there are lots of business opportunities that we want to start. We are always focused on the Kingdom of God advancing There’s a lot to do!”

A Wrexham charity has touched the lives of hundreds of people for the better through its multi-cultural and diverse activities.

Charitable organisation Operation Kindness (OK) was set up by members of The Community Church to help all members of the multi-national community improve their quality of life.

Phil Arton, an elder from the Community Church has been a key figure in the charity’s work from the beginning. He said: “Operation Kindness is the vision that kindness opens the doors,” added Phil, “We run popular children’s groups, a playgroup and early learning in the church premises. The Community Church is also an active part of Mission Wrexham which seeks to promote several key projects to support community needs.

These include an asylum seekers refuge which links people from all nationalities into the community, Street Pastors, part of a national scheme to engage with people on the streets to “care, listen and dialogue” and a local centre for Christians against Poverty, a debt counselling and management scheme.

Individuals from the OK team are also part of a scheme to bring environmental health and prosperity.

Phil said: “We are part of a community regeneration group called Caia Park Environmental Group. Caia Park is one of the largest and neediest estates in town.

It works to increase environmental awareness practically and in schools, with recycling projects, window box and crafts sessions, planting schemes, and wormeries. Most schools in Caia Park now have a wormery.

“We also run painting competitions and help schools fundraise for resources.”

The group keeps a careful watch on the river which flows through Caia Park for fly tipping, and carries out weekly surveys, liaising with the council over the removal of rubbish.

It also supports ‘Walking for Health’ to encourage families to get active and healthy, as well as putting on family fun days.

One of OK’s earliest projects was called Dial a Friend and was formed with support from other churches in the area to provide a listening ear and friendship. The calls were followed up with visits to the individual and inviting them to be part of a friendship group.

Phil said: “It went one stage further than most other help lines, by actually becoming involved in that person’s life.”

About 100 people who called the helpline were visited and of those, around 25 people joined the ‘self help’ style groups. Around 250 people have been given help and support from volunteers over the phone through Dial a Friend.

OK was set up by Community Church Wrexham with the support of other denominations and local churches, to work within and for the local community.

“Our goal was not just to listen but to provide more practical service,” added Phil.

“We got a good reputation and received referrals from social services, who wanted us to give clients social interaction opportunities.” said Phil “We worked with volunteers from the church and community and received our training from other help lines in the town.

A CHRISTIAN nurse is helping bring healing and restoration to the lives of churched and unchurched people in her community thanks to a pioneering ministry.

Linda Harris, 57, from Risca, Caerphilly, has been running Parish Nursing successfully for three years and has seen lives changed through her work.

One of only two parish nurses in Wales, the grandmother-of-two has barely stopped for breath since giving up full time nursing a few years ago, and talking on Parish Nursing, devoting all her time to providing church-based health care in her local community.

She works with a number of other volunteers out of Bethany Baptist Church visiting the sick, going out to isolated parts of the community to provide health screenings, and giving essential health advice and counselling.

Linda has set up a number of support groups including one for people recovering from breast cancer, and runs exercise and nutrition classes for the over 50s.

She said: “It’s about integrating faith and health and looking after people holistically, body, mind and spirit. “It’s about educating people in the community and congregation about their health, and filling the needs in our community.

“People are feeling the benefits of the exercise classes, even people suffering from strokes, and it’s a good social event too.”

The project receives funding from medical and sports companies, as well as donations from the congregation, but volunteers are always needed.
“God has been good to us and as long as there is money for the projects that is the most important thing. We always need another pair of hands though,” Linda added.

In the deprived area of Ty Sign, where the lack of public transport and health care services leave many elderly and single parent residents without essential support, Linda and her team have been able to set up monthly health screenings,

She said: “We have picked up a lot of people who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even some with diabetes.

“We have been able to offer dietary advice and sometimes refer people to experts for treatment. We have had some really positive comments from people about the work we’re doing in Ty Sign.”

Linda is often asked to visit house-bound residents to give health care and well being advice.

“I am finding I can reach people where perhaps ministers can’t,” she said.

“People seem to open up to nurses; they want to tell you everything. It is all about building relationships.”

In a few short years, Bethany Baptist church and the community around it has been transformed into a centre where anyone can come in and use its services, whatever their beliefs.

Families, OAPs and young people come for arts and crafts classes as well as take part in lively health and exercise clubs.

Linda added: “It is a faith based ministry but we don’t push our beliefs on to people, we ask people what they believe and talk to them about it if they want to.”

But did Linda ever imagine she would be a major part in the transformation of her church and community?

“I was never one to be doing up front leading. I used to shun courses where I had to speak because I was so nervous, but now I am doing it all with God’s help.

Dorothy Dever, 78, from Risca, said the parish nursing ministry has helped her recover her confidence and good health, and has made new friends for life through the church’s special ministry.

She said: “I have a heart condition and wouldn’t go out on trips if there wasn’t a qualified nurse there. I only moved from Bridgend about four years ago and didn’t know anybody.

“But through the exercise classes and seeing Linda at health sessions I have so much more confidence now.

“I wasn’t confident enough to go back to church on my own but Linda has given me the confidence, she collects me by car and has made a tremendous difference to my life.

She added; “Parish nursing is such a benefit to the whole community because it’s about visiting people who are not in the church.”

Linda, who joined the church in 1998, is hoping other churches in Wales and beyond will begin Parish Nursing because of the many benefits it brings to the congregation and wider community.

“I am hoping it spreads. I went with six other UK Parish Nurses to visit Chicago as parish nursing has been established there for 20 years. Most churches in the US have parish nurses because it is so effective.

Hundreds of needy youngsters are being given opportunities to discover new skills at a Swansea café.

The Red Café in Mumbles has been helping local young people aged 11 to 18 develop their skills and interests in an award winning project.

The café, which sits alongside swanky coffee shops and restaurants in the desirable area of Swansea Bay, is giving pupils, including those struggling with or excluded from mainstream education, opportunities for personal development.

Chris Matthews of Linden Church based in West Cross is one of the founders the Red Café and has seen it grow from an evening drop in centre to a hub of hands-on learning with a host of courses.

It began 12 years ago when the church recognised a gaping need in the community - somewhere for young people to go rather than loiter on the streets, often cold and bored.

“There were plenty of pubs and restaurants here but there was nothing catering for 14 year olds,” he said.

“Most premises don’t want groups of young people around. After a lot of talking, praying and fundraising we managed to buy an old guest-house on the seafront. It was hard but it was born out of a group of people committed to meeting a need in our community.

“We started running a ‘drop-in’ three evenings a week for young people. It was very busy, people came to hang out, play on the Playstation, and chat.

“We set up editing and mixing decks and a recording studio where young people could learn DJ skills and how to make their own music, and started running all sorts of workshops from break dancing to urban art. If they tried something and liked it we encouraged them in it. It ran mainly with a team of local volunteers at first but soon expanded to having people on gap years volunteering their time and skills here.”

Chris said, “We have watched Mumbles change around us over the last six years, since the café has been running.

“At one point we were too popular and had to reorganise things! Now we’re open as a drop-in on Wednesday evenings and on Monday evenings we provide training opportunities mainly for 14 to 16 year olds.

“We’ve been helped by the Welsh Assembly Government and the local authority and whilst these sources of funding have been a real life-line it has also been a learning experience for us. It’s been exciting to be able to play in part in providing youth activities for the young people of the city.”

He added, “Amongst our priorities are highlighting issues of sustainability, healthy living, and Fair Trade.”

Gym and exercise activities are also part of the café’s healthy living programme with a trained fitness instructor teaching young people the health values of being active.

Chris commented, “There’s little to encourage young people to be healthy so we decided to make a contribution. We also run sexual health education, smoking and drug awareness and environmental workshops.”

The Red Café recently won a Youthwork in Wales Excellence Award for its GLIDE programme, which focuses on sustainability.

Chris said, “We have tried to create a project that is organic and flexible, something that reflects the interests and enthusiasm of volunteers and workers. In many ways what holds it all together is a commitment to the values that both underpin and run through the project, values that I think are earthed in the Bible. Although not all our volunteers are involved in church, they support what we’re trying to do.”

Creativity, particularly in music and the arts, continues to be a key element of Red Café’s work with guitar workshops and a sound studio, graffiti art, funky craft and jewellery making.

Older young people who also volunteer at the café are encouraged to train and achieve qualifications in youth work to boost their skills and some have gone on to be employed as youth workers in other parts of the city and country.

Chris said: “We’re not here to preach, we’re here to provide a service for the community. The project is an expression of church beyond the walls of a building. Linden Church is not a large church and is not part of a national denomination or network that might have helped to fund this. It’s taken a lot of hard work to access grants but we have a great sense of God being with us in it all. Red Café is now well known in Swansea, and we feel privileged to be a part of a vibrant community of voluntary sector projects.”

As for the future - sustaining the project is one of the biggest ongoing challenges but there the work of Red Café continues to develop. Chris said, “We began as a youth project but we have recently launched a community café that is open to everyone at half terms and during the longer Easter and summer school breaks. Staffed by some of the regular project workers and a great team of volunteers – young people and adults – Red Café is becoming a popular venue for people of all ages. And it continues to be a life giving place to be for all of us involved and especially the young people.”

A RHYL church is bringing life and hope to a deprived and needy multinational community in Wales.

Sussex Street Baptist church, led by Baptist minister David Cave, is forging strong friendships across the many ethnic groups in Rhyl through its vibrant and inclusive style and mission.

The town centre church, which Mr Cave started leading eight years ago, has been working hand in hand with the local council, as well as shops and businesses from the town to put on events for the entire community.

He said: “The church is based in the heart of a shopping area in West Rhyl where the area is a strange contrast between busy commercial and very needy.”

As part of its events diary, the church recently held a lively two-day street festival outside the building in the main street and the shopping centre, with music and entertainment from top national artists as well as home-grown talent form the church and local artists.

Mr Cave said: “We had everything from puppets to dance, drama, bands, and music for youngsters and older folk. We wanted to provide something for everyone. “We have people from all age groups in the church which is unusual, especially when one of the largest groups is the 19 to 35 age group.

“Rhyl is made up of many different nationalities, from Polish to Canadian, Spanish and Brazilian,” he added. “The church congregation reflects that with around 30 languages being spoken in it.

“Our style and presence in the community puts keen emphasis on making all our events inclusive, with Welsh and English translations for our services.

“We set out to do a number of things when we set the church mission, this is my home town in which I grew up, and I want Susses street Baptist to be a player in breaking down barriers between people, especially the English and welsh.

“More and more people from African nations the West Indies and other parts of the world have been moving to the community and joining the church, and we want to reflect that international feel.

As well as taking people in from all over the world, the c church send its members out into national, as well as its local, communities on mission and aid work, including being active in Rwanda.

“We have got all sorts of events going on and the reason for this is to bring church in Wales alive. We are part of the Valley Ministry Strategy which helps guide church planting in Welsh speaking communities. The church has no plans to slow down, with a host of activities lined up till Christmas and beyond.

“We run Carol Aid at Christmas, and we do street work with other local churches. As part of our community celebrations we raise money for charities for the homeless across the world,” said Mr Cave.

“The town council and shopkeepers help us to run events and are very supportive. We work with them to put on treasure trails at Easter. It’s all about creating good relationships within the community. We open the church everyday for the whole community to use, because we want to improve our relationship s with people in Rhyl.”

A pastor’s dream of moving his church from a dilapidated building due for demolition to a new state-of-the-art centre turned into reality thanks to a committed congregation and generous community.

Arnallt Morgan, minister of the recently re-housed and renamed apostolic Waterfront Community Church has seen his church blossom in the wake of its significant move to a purpose built £1.25million centre in Swansea’s growing SA1 development.

The 47-year-old leader and his congregation raised more than £360,000 towards the mammoth building project and also received help from charitable trusts and the Welsh Development Agency.

Mr Morgan, who has seen his church grow from 30 to more than 100 people since 1998, said the new building has become a real centre of community activity.

“We moved to the new building on 1st July 2006, so we’re coming up for our first year’s anniversary which we will be marking with a special celebration,” he said.

“We have been in Swansea since 1920 in various buildings, but we desperately needed to move out of our old building, the former Eddershaws on St Helen’s Road.

“If we hadn’t have been given the new premises we would have had to spend a few thousand on just bringing it up to standard.

“God wonderfully opened a door for us, and working with the WDA, who wanted a community building as part of the new SA1, we managed to raise the money selling our old building, which was then promptly demolished, and through other sources.”

He added: “Since moving in, the congregation has grown, we have good relationships with other organisations who use it for training, and through our daily coffee shop, we have been able to forge friendships with many people from the community.”

He added the leaders are now planning a summer events programme for the church and community, following some successful social events earlier in the year.

“We held a line dancing event on St David’s Day which was really popular and well attended,” he said, “And we run a number of social events as well as our Sunday services and weekday house groups.

“We’ve had different churches in town running training here, and even weddings!”

Not only regular members attend the church, but it is also an architecturally striking building which attracts tourists.

“The prominent position and beautiful design of the building has generated a lot of interest,” he added, “We find many people who come to Swansea on holidays or business find it an easy to find and accessible place to come for a Sunday service, we had a good number of visitors and tourists over the Easter holiday.”

Mr Morgan stressed that it was his committed congregation which played a huge role in funding and establishing the church in its new site.
“The congregation, which has a real mixture of ages and lots of young people as well as older, have been so generous in giving, and also very gracious and adaptable as well.

“We have quite a young, energetic style of worship and there is an amazing working together spirit between our young and older members.”

THE South East Wales branch of the Wales Equality and Diversity in Health and Social Care Research and Support Service (WEDHS) has been recognised in a national awards ceremony celebrating achievements in race equality.

George Karani, a Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), chairs the South East Wales branch of WEDHS who were awarded the Education Body Award at the Diversity Awards Wales ceremony, held at the Senedd buildings in Cardiff Bay.

The Diversity Awards were set up to celebrate the achievements of organisations and individuals who strive to promote best practice in the field of race diversity, equality and social justice in Wales.

The South East Wales branch of WEDHS is a joint collaboration between UWIC and the Universities of Swansea, Glamorgan, and Keele, as well as the North Wales Race Equality Council.

The WEDHS is made up of a group of academics, community development activists and researchers who are committed to carrying out, and supporting, high quality research on key health and social care issues facing black and ethnic minority groups in Wales.

Professor Karani, who is originally from Kenya and has worked as consultant to the World Health Organisation and the World Bank, said that he and the rest of the WEDHS team were pleasantly surprised to win the award.

“It was fantastic to get this recognition for the work universities are carrying out across Wales in this field,” he said.

“Too often, university research is considered alien to what actually goes on in the day -to-day lives of people in the community, but through this initiative we have taken what we know out in to these communities and have improved people’s quality of life.

“A recent project saw four community groups in the South East Wales area given £500 to put on an information event in their community relating to Health and Social Care - the simplicity of the project made it hugely successful with the groups involved.

“This award is testament to the hard work and contribution of everyone involved in WEDHS, and hopefully we will continue to drive forward improvement of health and social issues in these communities.”

It is with a great sense of humility that the Leaders of BCLC accepted the highly prestigious Queens Award for Voluntary Service this month. They became the first Church in Wales to be awarded this honour since it was inaugurated at the Queens golden jubilee.

BCLC is a church at the very heart of its community – that is Bethlehem Christian Life Centre in Cefn Cribwr, near Bridgend. The transformation of what was then an inward looking church began in 2000 when the leaders began to discuss how they could more effectively serve their community.

The vision evolved into seeking funding for a community centre and was realised when New Life Centre was opened in 2005. Within a year of that event, the church’s congregation had trebled in size to 140 and, apart from these spiritual benefits, the centre’s facilities themselves are being used by hundreds every week.

There is a strong emphasis on sport, with activities such as aerobics, five-a-side football and circuit training on offer. A large conference centre is hired out by local authorities, health boards and others while the Coffee Bar underpins the commitment to being a community centre. This is just a sampling of the work – visit www.bclc-cefn.com for more information.

At the heart of the work is the small army of volunteers, with 50 church members offering at least an hour of their time every month, with some much more. Their motto is that “God is not looking for ability but availability”.

Mae nifer ohonoch,yn enwedig chwi sydd yn aelodau mewn capeli bychan neu eglwysi bach,yn aml,yn pendronni a fyddai eich capel neu eich eglwys o fewn eich cymdeithas angen gweddnewidiad neu eu hadnewyddu. Mae’r gwaith a wnaed ar gapel Seion(A) Penmorfa ger Porthmadog,yn dystiolaeth amlwg fod hyn yn fwy na phosibl. Nifer fechan yw Seion ar ran aelodaeth,oddeutu 30,er hyn mae wedi llwyddo i addasu a gweddnewid yr adeilad yn ogystal a dadenni’r gymdeithas o fewn y pentref a’r ardal,trwy rannu’r newyddion da am y Brenin Iesu.

Pan sefydlwyd yr achos yn Seion ym 1832 a chodi capel ym 1840,bu i’r aelodaeth greu cyfansoddiad yn datgan “fod y tir a’r adeilad at ddefnydd addoli Duw yn ogystal a chynnal cyfarfodydd crefyddol ac unrhyw weithgaredd dyngarol arall.” Trwy ddod a’r datganiad hyn i’r 21ain ganrif,bu i Seion allu cynnig cyfleusterau i gynnal cyngerddau,arddangosfeydd a hefyd unrhyw weithgaredd arall a fyddai o fudd diwyllianol i’r pentref a’r ardal.

Llwyddiant ddaeth i ran Seion wrth godi dros £100,000.00 o fewn pedair mlynedd, trwy gysylltu a Cronfa’r Dreftadaeth, Ymddiriedolaeth Cadwraeth Eglwysi Henafol, Landfill Tax, Ymddiriedolaeth Pantyfedwen a nifer eraill o gronfeydd elusennol ynghyd ac amrywiaeth o weithgareddau a drefnwyd gan aelodau Seion. Galluogodd y swm yma o arian i drawsnewid yr adeilad a’i addasu ar gyfer gwahanol weithgareddau er budd y gymdeithas,gallant fod yn fwy na balch o’u gwrhydri. Trwy edrych i’r dyfodol,gobaith Seion yw cysylltu a’r gymdeithas mewn unrhyw ffordd bosibl i glodfori Duw.

Mae’r orchest gymeradwy hon yn ysbrydoliaeth ac yn rhywbeth y gall bawb ei gyflawni. Os mai fel eglwys heddiw,yr ydych yn edrych am filiwn o bunnoedd i adnewyddu neu addasu’ch adeilad,neu,hwyrach y byddech yn chwilio dim ond am ychydig arian i brynnu bwrdd pwl ar gyfer eich clwb ieuenctid,dengys yr engraifft a gyflawnodd Seion,ei bod yn bosibl,trwy lafur caled a thrwy geisio am gymorthdal gan amrywiol sefydliadau, hyn wedyn yn eich troi a’ch arwain at lwyddiant.

Many of you, especially the ones of you in smaller churches, must often wonder whether your church could ever acheive re-generation in your local church and community. The example of Capel Seion (A) Penmorfa near Porthmadog is evidence that this is more than possible. The church is only small with approximatley 30 members but yet has managed to re-generate the church building as well as the community which it’s located in to share the good news of Jesus

When the church started in 1832 they created a constitution stating ‘the land and building shall be used for the public worship of God as well as other religious and philanthropic purposes.’ By taking this statement and bringing it in to the 21st century the church has been able to offer a great facility to the area by hosting concerts, exhibitions and various other cultural activities.

The church has managed to raise over £100,000 in under four years from many different places like the National Heritage Fund and Historical Churches Preservation Trust as well as by fundraising. This money has allowed them to transform their building, allowing it to become a facility which is extremely accessible to the local community and of which they can be proud of. Looking to the future the church hopes to connect with its community in which ever way it can in order to bring glory to God.

This highly commendable achievement is an inspiration and something that is achievable to all. Whether as a church today you’re looking at a million pound renovation or maybe just a small grant to buy a pool table for your youth club, this example shows that it’s possible through hard work and through different available grants to achieve the goal. As Gweini we hope to be able to assist in guiding you as to how to achieve these goals so that we can see more success stories like this in the future.

Centres of Excellence

The following articles all relate to projects that are committed to be Centres of Excellence in Wales.

INDEX in alphabetical order
Name of Centre of Excellence	Description	Date
Bethlehem Church Life Centre, Cefn Cribwr,Bridgend	Church Community Projects	Nov 2007
Bethlehem Church Life Centre, Cefn Cribwr,Bridgend	Update Report	Feb 2008

Introduction

Gweini has decided to recognise and promote Centres of Excellence helping those involved in the Christian Voluntary sector to start, develop and expand their work.

There are some great examples to learn from if we only knew where to find them. Gweini is planning to make that easier.

Rob Jones is a leader of B.C.L.C. ( Bethlehem Church Life Centre) Cefn Cribwr, Bridgend and is the Gweini National Council and Board member responsible for developing this initiative. He will seek to put a new Centre of Excellence on this web site every four months.

The first centre of excellence to be featured is understandably B.C.L.C. It is highly recommended that you check out their web site (see link page in the index) and see for yourself how excellence can be achieved across a vast array of services. The leaders at B.C.L.C. are more than happy to help you and have already assisted numerous other Churches and leaders to get projects off the ground and to obtain project funding.

We are all very excited about the future Centres of Excellence that will be posted on this web and if you feel your church project should be featured then please contact us by email and your details will be forwarded to Rob Jones.