May 18, 2018, 2:29 PMIan Sabadin
Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter
"Brrrr. Bit of a cold one!" This was the understated response from one of the volunteers as they arrived at the Homeless Night Shelter held at Bristol Central, earlier this year.
During the coldest nights experienced in many years, the Bristol churches, supported by Bristol Joint Evangelism Committee, provided warm meals and a safe place to sleep for up to 12 homeless persons over a period of six weeks from 20 February to 28 March. With temperatures regularly well below zero, it was a much-welcomed place of safety, warmth and refuge.
The initiative was part of the Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter project, which is a partnership between Christian churches and homeless charities in Bristol, and which is now in its second year. Local Councillor Dr Carole Johnson first asked Pastor Royston Smith whether the church would be interested in becoming involved in the project, and after taking it to the Bristol Central church board, it was soon eagerly taken up. The church was put on the rota, which meant that it would host the 'guests' each Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for the entire period.
Local Treasurer Beverley Thompson-Taylor volunteered to take the project on, and worked closely with the project organisers, arranging training sessions, organising rotas for the volunteers, and overseeing the church's involvement. Having worked with the homeless previously, Beverley had experience as a social worker, and she was keen to get involved. Concerning her involvement said, "Missionary work is very important to me, I believe I have a duty to share my beliefs and the word of God with others and to express God's love in a practical way wherever and whenever I can."
The guests ranged in age from young to old and were made up from various nationalities. They had previously been vetted and referred to the project, by St Mungo's, another homeless charity in Bristol, which meant that the churches did not have to be concerned about drug or alcohol related problems, which they were not experienced or equipped to deal with. Instead, individuals with more complex needs would be helped by other agencies in Bristol, as part of a joined-up approach, championed and supported by Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees.
Each week, the guests were invited to arrive in the evening, where they were cooked a hot, tasty meal, which they then sat and ate with the volunteers. Afterwards, they were free to socialise, chat, play games, watch DVDs, or just rest, which gave a great opportunity to get to know each other, and share experiences. One of the things which brought both guests and volunteers together in shared interest, was watching the BBC series Blue Planet I and II, which everyone found fascinating.
At night, two volunteers stayed with the guests, with one awake at all times. This meant that the guests could relax and feel safe. A co-ordinator was always on hand to deal with any situations, which may arise. The volunteers worked in teams for the evening, night and morning shifts. In all, 25 volunteers from the Adventist churches took part. It was a very rewarding experience for all the volunteers as it made them feel that they were doing something worthwhile to help the homeless, and making a difference, however small.
In addition, 17 volunteers from other Bristol churches came and helped, which provided a great opportunity to meet other like-minded Christians, and get to know them, and find out about the work they were doing. In turn, they were finding out about Seventh-day Adventists. Several interesting conversations took place about Adventism and what we believed. The volunteers ranged from 17 to 75 and were mostly from Baptist, Trinity Tabernacle and Methodist churches. They also came from a variety of backgrounds such as a medical student, builder, nurse, retired college lecturer, and nurses.
At the end of the project the guests were asked for their feedback, and some of the comments included, that they enjoyed their stay, due to the smiles of the people and their kindness. One guest also said he enjoyed the physical and psychological warmness and appreciated how helpful people were.
The project to provide a night shelter for the homeless is not an end in itself, and so the organisers were pleased to report that 3 of the guests found accommodation with the support of St Mungo's, and 2 guests re-established relationships with their family, 1 guest found employment, and 1 guest was able to keep his job because he had a safe place to sleep at nights, was able to get a good night's sleep and wake up fresh the next morning.
The churches and the project were both delighted with how it went, and are keen to participate again next year, partnering with other churches and organisations to offer shelter for homeless people, and meeting the needs of the vulnerable in our community.
"Brrrr. Bit of a cold one!" This was the understated response from one of the volunteers as they arrived at the Homeless Night Shelter held at Bristol Central, earlier this year.
During the coldest nights experienced in many years, the Bristol churches, supported by Bristol Joint Evangelism Committee, provided warm meals and a safe place to sleep for up to 12 homeless persons over a period of six weeks from 20 February to 28 March. With temperatures regularly well below zero, it was a much-welcomed place of safety, warmth and refuge.
The initiative was part of the Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter project, which is a partnership between Christian churches and homeless charities in Bristol, and which is now in its second year. Local Councillor Dr Carole Johnson first asked Pastor Royston Smith whether the church would be interested in becoming involved in the project, and after taking it to the Bristol Central church board, it was soon eagerly taken up. The church was put on the rota, which meant that it would host the 'guests' each Tuesday night into Wednesday morning for the entire period.
Local Treasurer Beverley Thompson-Taylor volunteered to take the project on, and worked closely with the project organisers, arranging training sessions, organising rotas for the volunteers, and overseeing the church's involvement. Having worked with the homeless previously, Beverley had experience as a social worker, and she was keen to get involved. Concerning her involvement said, "Missionary work is very important to me, I believe I have a duty to share my beliefs and the word of God with others and to express God's love in a practical way wherever and whenever I can."
The guests ranged in age from young to old and were made up from various nationalities. They had previously been vetted and referred to the project, by St Mungo's, another homeless charity in Bristol, which meant that the churches did not have to be concerned about drug or alcohol related problems, which they were not experienced or equipped to deal with. Instead, individuals with more complex needs would be helped by other agencies in Bristol, as part of a joined-up approach, championed and supported by Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees.
Each week, the guests were invited to arrive in the evening, where they were cooked a hot, tasty meal, which they then sat and ate with the volunteers. Afterwards, they were free to socialise, chat, play games, watch DVDs, or just rest, which gave a great opportunity to get to know each other, and share experiences. One of the things which brought both guests and volunteers together in shared interest, was watching the BBC series Blue Planet I and II, which everyone found fascinating.
At night, two volunteers stayed with the guests, with one awake at all times. This meant that the guests could relax and feel safe. A co-ordinator was always on hand to deal with any situations, which may arise. The volunteers worked in teams for the evening, night and morning shifts. In all, 25 volunteers from the Adventist churches took part. It was a very rewarding experience for all the volunteers as it made them feel that they were doing something worthwhile to help the homeless, and making a difference, however small.
In addition, 17 volunteers from other Bristol churches came and helped, which provided a great opportunity to meet other like-minded Christians, and get to know them, and find out about the work they were doing. In turn, they were finding out about Seventh-day Adventists. Several interesting conversations took place about Adventism and what we believed. The volunteers ranged from 17 to 75 and were mostly from Baptist, Trinity Tabernacle and Methodist churches. They also came from a variety of backgrounds such as a medical student, builder, nurse, retired college lecturer, and nurses.
At the end of the project the guests were asked for their feedback, and some of the comments included, that they enjoyed their stay, due to the smiles of the people and their kindness. One guest also said he enjoyed the physical and psychological warmness and appreciated how helpful people were.
The project to provide a night shelter for the homeless is not an end in itself, and so the organisers were pleased to report that 3 of the guests found accommodation with the support of St Mungo's, and 2 guests re-established relationships with their family, 1 guest found employment, and 1 guest was able to keep his job because he had a safe place to sleep at nights, was able to get a good night's sleep and wake up fresh the next morning.
The churches and the project were both delighted with how it went, and are keen to participate again next year, partnering with other churches and organisations to offer shelter for homeless people, and meeting the needs of the vulnerable in our community.