29 May 2025, 18:10Sharon Platt-McDonald
Churches Excelling as Centres of Hope, Health and Healing
Wolverhampton Central Seventh-day Adventist church is shining a light in its community as members actively engage in relevant outreach, addressing the needs of diverse individuals.
Inaugurated as the fourth BUC Centre of Hope, Health and Healing (CHHH) on Sabbath, 8 September 2018, Head Elder Mark Palmer (at that time) identified the church’s purpose for being. He visualised a church that:
“…caters for various spiritual, mental and physical needs in our community and that enables participants to practice and acquire the skills, information, advice and support needed to make the change; thus, having a positive impact on their health and that of their families.”
He further described the Total Membership Involvement goal as follows:
“To work across the departments within the church, interested parties and community groups to address social needs and health inequalities within our community.”
To date, the church is living up to its stated mission and accomplishing its goal in this area.
Outreach interventions
At the time of their inauguration, Wolverhampton Central church had been successfully running the following initiatives:
* ‘Happy Monday’s’ Adventist soup kitchen
* Food parcels
* Clothing distribution
* Day Centre for elderly residents
* Journey to Wholeness support group
* Bereavement support group
The above longstanding interventions have now expanded to include:
* Food donations – distributing food donations from supermarkets to our church and local community
* A wider range of clothing distribution
* Black v Black bringing together our diverse Black church families
* Racial support group
* Day Centre relaunch and expansion
* Counselling support
Evaluating input
Evaluating the scope of the church’s interventions, Esther-Ann Douglas and Donna Palmer – Project Coordinators for outreach services, writes:
“We have been able to support many people and families who are living on the poverty line, the homeless, and those in need of emotional and social help.
“As well as providing physical food, we have also supported rough sleepers, asylum seekers, refugees, single parents, families, and young people by providing sleeping bags, shelter, signposting to services, assisting with filling out forms, providing items of clothing and working in partnership with Outreach for Wolverhampton who have provided us with information and food from supermarkets. The church has become the heart of the community through raising awareness of the high level of multiple deprivation.”
Addiction recovery
Wolverhampton Central church has been a flagship church in the area of rehabilitation from addictive substances and behaviours, running ongoing support groups for people struggling with addictions.
Reflecting on the Adventist Addiction Recovery programme – ‘Journey to Wholeness’, Douglas and Palmer continue:
“As facilitators for the ‘Journey to Wholeness’ 12 Steps Programme, we have trailblazed a project where individuals can come to a safe and confidential place, non-judgemental and honest. This safe place allows people to attend in confidence, knowing the things they share will be kept private.
“As a Christian-based support service, along with the participants, we share experiences of addictions, compulsions and obsessions and work through our feelings, thoughts and behaviour while keeping God as our focus. This 12 Steps Programme emphasises personal growth by exploring and addressing how the issues that early and general life events, like trauma, abuse and other negative experiences, affect us individually and our relationships with others.”
Organised planning of interventions
Planning each outreach initiative has been a hallmark of the church’s mission. Implementing a three-year plan, they focused on the following:
1) Programmes that promote a healthy lifestyle with a focus on the Seventh-day Adventist Health Message
2) Free sleeping bags for people experiencing homelessness throughout autumn and winter
3) Programmes that have a specific focus on trauma and recovery
4) Inter-generational programmes where young and old come together
5) Raising aspirations amongst our children and young people
6) Providing training courses on a range of issues from safeguarding to healthy relationships
7) Work in partnership with health professionals to deliver a range of workshops
8) Focus on the issues that affect children and young people in urban cities
9) Programmes that promote fun and community cohesion
10) Workshops that are practical as well as educate on issues that are relevant to the community
11) Continue to develop a safe place for individuals to feel comfortable talking about how they feel without judgement
12) Continue to create a church that is in the community and for the community
Wolverhampton Central church members continue to make a positive impact with uplifting testimonials from recipients of their service. We pray for God’s continued blessing as they reach out with compassionate service to their community.
Wolverhampton Central Seventh-day Adventist church is shining a light in its community as members actively engage in relevant outreach, addressing the needs of diverse individuals.
Inaugurated as the fourth BUC Centre of Hope, Health and Healing (CHHH) on Sabbath, 8 September 2018, Head Elder Mark Palmer (at that time) identified the church’s purpose for being. He visualised a church that:
“…caters for various spiritual, mental and physical needs in our community and that enables participants to practice and acquire the skills, information, advice and support needed to make the change; thus, having a positive impact on their health and that of their families.”
He further described the Total Membership Involvement goal as follows:
“To work across the departments within the church, interested parties and community groups to address social needs and health inequalities within our community.”
To date, the church is living up to its stated mission and accomplishing its goal in this area.
Outreach interventions
At the time of their inauguration, Wolverhampton Central church had been successfully running the following initiatives:
* ‘Happy Monday’s’ Adventist soup kitchen
* Food parcels
* Clothing distribution
* Day Centre for elderly residents
* Journey to Wholeness support group
* Bereavement support group
The above longstanding interventions have now expanded to include:
* Food donations – distributing food donations from supermarkets to our church and local community
* A wider range of clothing distribution
* Black v Black bringing together our diverse Black church families
* Racial support group
* Day Centre relaunch and expansion
* Counselling support
Evaluating input
Evaluating the scope of the church’s interventions, Esther-Ann Douglas and Donna Palmer – Project Coordinators for outreach services, writes:
“We have been able to support many people and families who are living on the poverty line, the homeless, and those in need of emotional and social help.
“As well as providing physical food, we have also supported rough sleepers, asylum seekers, refugees, single parents, families, and young people by providing sleeping bags, shelter, signposting to services, assisting with filling out forms, providing items of clothing and working in partnership with Outreach for Wolverhampton who have provided us with information and food from supermarkets. The church has become the heart of the community through raising awareness of the high level of multiple deprivation.”
Addiction recovery
Wolverhampton Central church has been a flagship church in the area of rehabilitation from addictive substances and behaviours, running ongoing support groups for people struggling with addictions.
Reflecting on the Adventist Addiction Recovery programme – ‘Journey to Wholeness’, Douglas and Palmer continue:
“As facilitators for the ‘Journey to Wholeness’ 12 Steps Programme, we have trailblazed a project where individuals can come to a safe and confidential place, non-judgemental and honest. This safe place allows people to attend in confidence, knowing the things they share will be kept private.
“As a Christian-based support service, along with the participants, we share experiences of addictions, compulsions and obsessions and work through our feelings, thoughts and behaviour while keeping God as our focus. This 12 Steps Programme emphasises personal growth by exploring and addressing how the issues that early and general life events, like trauma, abuse and other negative experiences, affect us individually and our relationships with others.”
Organised planning of interventions
Planning each outreach initiative has been a hallmark of the church’s mission. Implementing a three-year plan, they focused on the following:
1) Programmes that promote a healthy lifestyle with a focus on the Seventh-day Adventist Health Message
2) Free sleeping bags for people experiencing homelessness throughout autumn and winter
3) Programmes that have a specific focus on trauma and recovery
4) Inter-generational programmes where young and old come together
5) Raising aspirations amongst our children and young people
6) Providing training courses on a range of issues from safeguarding to healthy relationships
7) Work in partnership with health professionals to deliver a range of workshops
8) Focus on the issues that affect children and young people in urban cities
9) Programmes that promote fun and community cohesion
10) Workshops that are practical as well as educate on issues that are relevant to the community
11) Continue to develop a safe place for individuals to feel comfortable talking about how they feel without judgement
12) Continue to create a church that is in the community and for the community
Wolverhampton Central church members continue to make a positive impact with uplifting testimonials from recipients of their service. We pray for God’s continued blessing as they reach out with compassionate service to their community.
