Church that's going to town over chaplaincy

Actions speak louder than words for the congregation at Bont Elim

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I always knew pastoral ministry was my thing. I’ve always had a heart for people and wanted to help them,” says Jo Pratt.

Jo heads up the chaplaincy department at Bont Elim Community Church and her chaplaincy team has been serving the Welsh town of Pontarddulais since 2011.

“Our team of volunteer chaplains aims to share God’s love by visiting workplaces, schools and the wider community, providing love, support and encouragement,” she says.

One of the first town chaplaincy services to launch in the UK, it has served the community by offering everything from coffee mornings and craft fairs to counselling and river clean-ups.

“When we started, we decided to get involved in community initiatives and find out what people wanted.

“We wanted to do something that would bring people into the church, but not necessarily on a Sunday, to show we’re there to love and serve them.”

The team began by launching a coffee morning to ‘open the doors and show people we didn’t have two heads’.

“At that time, we had an influx of ex-drug addicts or people with a history of alcohol addiction, so this was a good place for them to go,” says Jo.