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Drinkers Ministry

‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city
to which I have carried you for exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers,
you too will prosper.

Jeremiah 29:7

These words from Jeremiah became extremely relevant when we decided to give out free non-alcoholic drinks with no strings attached, to late night clubbers and drinkers in the town centre.

After extensive research which included consultation with the police, town centre manager and many of the other churches in Walsall, we set up a pilot project which ran for May, June and July of 2006.

This was so successful that in September 2006 we rolled it out permanently and now are a presence in the town centre each Friday night between 9pm and 12midnight.

This is how it works:

Volunteers are in 4 teams, one for each week of the month, so people are only ‘on duty’ once a month. There is an extra team for the fifth Friday.

Teams consist of a leader and a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 10.

We meet in the car-park of The Crossing at 8.30 and set up a gazebo with tables, chairs, water heaters, drinks of tea, coffee, chocolate, squash and cup-a -soup.

We meet together and pray before starting at 9pm. A sign is put up which says: FREE DRINKS - PLACE TO SIT - LISTENING EAR

We just chat with people who are drinking and visiting the pubs in the town centre. We do no preaching, we are there simply to hand out drinks and talk to those who wish to talk.

People do ask us why we are there and of course we tell them, so the conversation often comes round to Jesus though that is not the primary reason why we are there. We have had many significant conversations and one person we know of, has come to know Jesus.

We are becoming increasingly well known in the town centre and by the pub door people. Recently we have had encouragement from the pub door staff who say that the town centre has a more positive feeling about it now we are here. We end about 12 midnight as the pub area around the church becomes quieter then.

Volunteers have come from many churches and denominations and it is great that we have all made some good new friends and we feel we are pooling our resources by working together. It’s good fun too!

The project has gained interest from the media and I have been interviewed by BBC Radio WM for their breakfast show, and featured in the local papers. The project also featured in the BBC programme ‘What the World Needs Now’ in the weeks before Christmas. It has certainly sparked a lot of support from Christians and non-Christians. We have also gained recognition and interest from the Church’s governing body who are looking to promote the project to other Churches as a positive input into their own local community.

We have also gained a reputation as a place of safety for people and have helped the occasional person in trouble late at night. We have radio communication with the police and are covered by CCTV. People who pass often insist on donating money and it is re-invested in the project or, occasionally, used straight away to buy food for people in dire need late at night.

As I mentioned in a radio interview: if Jesus was here in Walsall in the 21st century, he would be down in the centre of Walsall on a Friday night talking to people rather than expecting them to come to Church on Sunday!

If you want to know more about this project please use the contact details for Sue Howles on the left of this page. Thank you.

Drinkers Ministry Co-ordinator - Pat Stone

Secretary - Sue Howles

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Teams/House Groups

Information coming soon!

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