Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy Newsletter

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1 Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy Newsletter Summer It has finally arrived! The news sheet and the hot weather! SHINE - An Inspirational Day On Saturday 22 nd June, we hosted a very special day for Street Angels and Street Pastors from around the region at St Saviour s church in Guildford. Projects from all around the area, and beyond, joined us for a day to be remembered. Paul Blakey MBE, founder of Street Angels, Lynne Owens, Chief Constable of Surrey, and Debra Green, founder of Redeeming our Communities (ROC) shared with us from their perspective on the work that we are all doing in partnership in our communities. Lynne Owens caught our attention on a number of issues, not least that, with all the changes the Police Service is having to contemplate at the moment, Street Angels could also be a valuable support to Police Officers they meet out on the streets. This was also an opportunity for all present to hear what is happening around the region and to understand more clearly the different avenues the work is taking e.g. Fleet Angels visit their local army barracks to support the military personnel there. Altogether, it was an inspirational day and most people agreed that an annual event of this nature would be definitely very worthwhile. Stories from the streets Here are some stories from different Street Angels teams out and about in Guildford: Following a request, two Street Angels provided assistance to an inebriated young woman outside Legion until her friends (eventually!) came out to help her and escort her home.... my thoughts have returned several times to a young man who was trying to talk to me about his family problems and how he coped with the frustrations of his life by cutting. (His arms were badly scarred) Unfortunately, his friend was determined not to allow him to talk and persuaded him that more alcohol was the answer. Please pray that he finds the help and support he needs....we had a lot of chat with VT over a young man who was sitting on a bench near Legion and was pretty unresponsive. In the end Street Angels called an ambulance which was happy to take the young man inside to warm up as he was hypothermic by that stage.

2 The saddest encounter of the night was with L (19) whose father had committed suicide on Tuesday and he was understandably deeply distressed. Street Angels were able to talk with him and his friends later came out of Flares and took care of him. Please pray for him. A young man alone in the deserted bus station, also homeless and with nowhere to go. He seemed to be aware of all the usual options for temporary accommodation but thought he would take up our suggestion of the entrance to the car park by the snooker hall. He didn't want food or drink. A young woman who for the past five nights has been sleeping in the foyer of Lloyds bank due to a relationship break up. We met a guy who had become homeless following a job loss and, particularly concerning, were called to assist a young lady being sick. Only to find a 16 year old distressed she had been thrown out of her hostel and the worse for drink. She and her friends didn't want to talk and were keen to move on. We can only wonder at the difficulties in her life and pray. Open Day at University Street Angels were invited by Surrey University to have a stand at their Open Day for prospective students and their families. It was an early start, but people turned up in their droves from the outset. It was an excellent opportunity over two days to let people know (especially parents), that their offspring would be looked after while they were in Guildford, and many expressed their thanks for what we do, and some even commented That s made my mind up about the choice of University, now that I know about Street Angels here in Guildford. We finished the day tired and a little hoarse, but considered it a profitable day and so worthwhile that we will be returning in September to do it all over again! Fresher s Fairs In September we will also be having a stand at the Fresher s Fairs being held at Guildford College and Merrist Wood. This will be an opportunity to engage with all the new bright eyed students arriving at these educational establishments. Many have never heard of Street Angels, but they might just remember meeting us when, at some point in the future, they are in a situation where they need care and support. That s not an untypical response. Whenever I talk to people about becoming part of our chaplaincy team, they seem to regard themselves as eminently unqualified. But we have been able to train volunteer chaplains from a wide variety of backgrounds who are now working into various parts of our town. What we do is essentially workplace chaplaincy. We visit people at their place of work, build relationships with them, befriend them, and offer a listening ear and support when they seem to need it.

3 Our volunteers are not clergy professionals, but they are excellent at what they do and are much appreciated for the time they give and the care and concern they show. They have brought real commitment to the work of the Chaplaincy and are proving very adept at building relationships with people in their workplace. However, we need more! You do not have to be ordained to be a volunteer chaplain, but some kind of experience of pastoral type work would be helpful. Would you like to be a part of this caring ministry to the people who work in Guildford? Find out more by contacting Lin Haynes on or at lin.haynes@gtcc.org.uk CHATUCCINO Chatuccino, as the name implies, is designed to blend the drinking of cappuccino with having an opportunity to chat with a friendly person. This is an initiative of the Town Centre Chaplaincy in Guildford to offer support to anyone who feels lonely and/or burdened by the cares of life. Our aim is to open up a hospitable space in our thriving café culture where anyone can purchase a drink (it doesn t have to be cappuccino!) and come and sit with a member of the team who will offer a listening ear with no other agenda than to be a caring presence. We hope to launch this initiative in the Autumn, and have been given permission by the Continental Cafe in Tunsgate Square to begin Chatuccino on their premises. Members of the team will have had training in Christian listening and team members have a wealth of experience of coping with life s struggles themselves. Look out for more details in the near future. You too can be a Street Angel - Your town needs you! In spite of the ongoing success of our work, we are constantly needing to find new volunteers and yes, we are recruiting again for Street Angels. Have you considered working in your community in this very special way. We are looking to add more people to our existing teams working on Friday and Saturday night and on one-off special occasions as well. Would you like to be part of a team of Street Angels on one of these nights each month? Teams of volunteers provide a listening ear as well as practical support for anyone in need in Guildford town centre This may be the result of homelessness, excessive drinking, drug abuse or any other issue which has caused personal distress or the potential for physical harm.

4 If you share our values of selflessness and being nonjudgmental, integrity, honesty, professionalism, collaboration and excellence, and want to make a difference to our town, we would like to meet you. Street Angels commit to volunteer for 1 night per month and to 6 training sessions before they start. Training and support are ongoing. If you are interested in joining the Street Angels team, an application pack is available from: Lin Haynes, Street Angels Coordinator or at lin.haynes@gtcc.org.uk How You Can Support GTCC If you would like to support the work of Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy, you can do so in a variety of ways. You can sign up for our newsletter and/or commit to pray for our work. You can make a cash donation either by post to the address at the end of this newsletter - please let us know if you want us to claim Gift Aid. Or you can donate online at It s Easy on ebay You can now donate some or all of the proceeds of your ebay sales to Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy. Selling things you no longer need is easy, simple and fun on ebay, and also a great way to ensure they go to good use with someone who wants them. And now when you sell on ebay, you can donate between 10% and 100% of the proceeds to Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy. All you have to do is find us when you list items through ebay s sell for charity function. So why not give it a try? You can help GTCC and the environment at the same time. Help Save Our Environment and Raise Money by Recycling! We are still raising funds for Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy by recycling old mobile phones, inkjet cartridges and laser/toner cartridges and your help would be greatly appreciated. The Chaplaincy will receive 50% of the recycling value for any mobile phones, 1 for each original empty inkjet cartridge or up to 5 per empty laser/toner cartridge donated kindly by your business/organisation, friends, family or colleagues. If you would like to donate these kind of items to us, please contact Lin Haynes, Street Angels Coordinator or at lin.haynes@gtcc.org.uk If you want to help promote our recycling campaign further why not forward this information to anyone you know. Thanks for taking the time to help us and the environment, your support is always appreciated. Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy in association with

5 Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy Unit 4 Tunsgate Management Centre High Street Guildford GU1 3HE