Torbay Night Shelter: Churches Working Together.
Although it's only August, you may be thinking about the term ahead, and as we anticipate temperatures dropping the needs in our communities often become even more visible.
Each winter, churches across the UK step up to support people experiencing homelessness, offering warmth, hospitality and hope during the coldest months of the year. While these practical acts of mercy meet immediate needs, they also create opportunities for relationships to grow and for people to encounter the love of Jesus.
This story from Jubilee+ Partner Church, Together Church in Torquay is a wonderful example of what can happen when churches, local authorities and volunteers work together for the good of their community. As you begin planning for the months ahead, we hope their experience encourages and inspires you to consider what might be possible in your own context.
Read on as Peter Friend shares what they learned from partnering with three other churches and Torbay Council to run a winter night shelter last year.
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Together Church is a growing church at the heart of Torquay in South Devon. We have a wonderful community - full of fun and with a passion for God. Torbay has become increasingly deprived and is now ranked the most deprived local authority in the South West, experiencing a significant homelessness and substance misuse problem.
Council budgets are under enormous pressure, and this year four local churches (led by two people with a decade of experience in running night shelters) have linked up with Torbay Council to provide support over the coldest six weeks of winter. Up to 15 people have received a warm evening meal, a safe, dry night’s sleep, and breakfast in the morning. The primary aim has been to provide respite for people living on our streets. Our guests have received good nutrition, clothes, and other donations, along with connection to our church communities.
As people who have experienced the hope that Jesus offers, we have been praying and seeking Him for our guests. We have been offering genuine, gentle love and have been privileged to see God at work both in our guests and in ourselves. For some volunteers, it has been their first experience of talking to people from such difficult backgrounds. We have been hearing people’s stories, many of them heartbreaking, and getting caught up in God’s heart for them has been both challenging and transformative.
As we have served people, we have encountered Jesus and experienced something of His heart - Matthew 25:40: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
I have heard repeated comments from our volunteers that, “This is where we are meant to be.”
How It Worked
Together Church provided around six volunteers every Saturday evening, from 6:30 pm until 10:00 pm, security was present throughout the evening and then overnight. Torbay Council provided funding, which covered the cost of security with a little left over. We provided a cook each evening and a front-of-house team to welcome our guests, make cups of tea, chat, and help them feel comfortable.
The highlight of the evenings was often sitting together and sharing the meal. Some of our guests remained quiet; others wanted to chat and joke. Our aim was not to ask uncomfortable questions, but to love, listen, and enjoy our time together.
One of our volunteers wrote:
“So often when I see people on the streets, I feel powerless to meet their needs in any meaningful way. I feel uncomfortable, so I do nothing. But I am aware that this is not how Jesus would behave. The people everyone else walked past were the very ones He came to seek and save.
I was grateful for the opportunity to help at the night shelter. I really enjoyed getting to know the guests, and it was a privilege to hear some of their stories as they shared the painful journeys that had led them there. I particularly enjoyed the mealtime, coming together to eat around the same table removed any distinction between those serving and those being served. The collaboration with other churches was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ in action.”
Please join me in this prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of being involved in this work—for the changes You have made in us, and for the support You have provided to our guests. Equip us, as a wider church family, to continue supporting and ministering to these precious people.