The church runs several compassion ministries under the banner ‘Restore’ and currently works alongside asylum seekers, refugees, the homeless and vulnerably housed and those struggling with addiction. We also have a team who go into Cardiff Prison, working alongside the chaplaincy to lead Sunday worship. Open Door is one of Cardiff Vineyard’s Restore ministries. The project runs on Friday mornings and is aimed at the homeless and marginalised. The community gather together to have breakfast (bacon rolls and pastries!) and coffee and then have a short time to share our faith with them followed by prayer and worship.
We completed on our first house with Green Pastures at the end of June 2020. Even with the challenges of COVID, we have been excited to provide a home of safety and belonging, a place of transformation and seeing lives turn around.
As we have worked with the homeless and marginalised community in Cardiff, we have been more and more aware of the challenges this group of people face every day on the streets, whether they be homeless, or vulnerably housed. It has been frustrating to watch lives who have responded to Jesus, and in a given moment, said ‘yes’ with all of their heart to the gospel, but who then go out into the hostile spiritual environment of our cities streets and find their lives largely unchanged. Too many have found it too difficult to maintain the change that they want for their lives, and so we are running a house with a Kingdom culture and atmosphere, where people get a real chance to turn their lives around, and to see God transform their lives.
After establishing our first property, we have a desire to grow this provision and have more homes to be able to offer to more people in need in Cardiff.