“We love being among the first to welcome people, not only to Cardiff, but to the UK.”
In September 2017, Vineyard Church Cardiff set up ‘Blend’ – a weekly coffee morning that focuses on supporting Asylum Seekers and Refugees. The team loves to welcome these individuals to the city, spending time getting to know them over a cup of tea, and helping them as they find their feet in Cardiff.
We chatted with Chloë Wyllie, Compassion Pastor to find out some more about what they do.
“We love being among the first to welcome people, not only to Cardiff, but to the UK! We give out information about different services that run, provide maps of the city and offer Bibles and Why Jesus? booklets. The team are often asked questions about their faith, and there was a growing desire by some people to go deeper, and so about a year ago we set up weekly small group where anywhere between 15-30 refugees and asylum seekers are hosted and fed. This is an incredible opportunity to build friendships, pray together and share in each others’ lives.
The Blend community continues to grow! Many individuals and families from different countries (60 so far!) and circumstances have been part of Blend’s story. As Cardiff is a dispersal city there are always new people arriving who may only be in Cardiff for a few weeks – and so we see new faces every week at Blend. “
We loved this story that captures the heart behind Blend:
A young Iranian man walked into Blend, looked around, and saw a pile of Bibles at the information desk. He came over to one of the team members and whispered that he wanted to choose to follow Jesus but didn’t know what to do. The team were able to pray with him, give him a bible and invite him to church. There was also an Alpha course starting, which he attended. After the first session, he went back to the accommodation centre in the city for asylum seekers, and knocked on every door! He gave the residents the leftover cake and invited them all to Alpha the following week! The young man was dispersed shortly after, but the Blend team were able to link him in with a local church in the city where he was moved!
As a Movement, Compassion is not just at the heart of our churches but very much part of each of us, as we embrace the calling we all have in becoming more like Jesus. Check out the stories linked below to see how other Vineyard Churches are meeting the needs of their cities.
