Lead Chaplain, Rev Tim and the rest of the chaplaincy team at YMCA Cheltenham comes alongside residents, service users, staff and volunteers in the YMCA community, offering a listening ear with pastoral and spiritual support wherever possible.

Rev Tim seeks to be proactive in sharing Jesus, building a consistent presence and earning trust over time whilst sharing the Bible’s words of hope.

Just as with YMCA’s original vision when it started back in 1844, the chaplaincy team are seeking to create opportunities for hope-filled conversations and for encountering God’s love, as well as responding to requests for prayer, practical support and pastoral care, supporting residents on what can be a journey from chaos towards greater stability, confidence and independence.

With 110 paid staff, YMCA Cheltenham provides around 300 beds across its accommodation services, supporting people who have experienced homelessness or lost their housing. Depending on their circumstances, residents may stay for anything from a week to as long as two years.

Last Christmas, they provided emergency accommodation for 56 children with their parents or carers. Through the ‘Under the Tree’ campaign, small Christmas trees were provided for individual family rooms, helping to bring a sense of celebration and hope during a difficult time.

Whether people are facing homelessness, family breakdown, mental health challenges, loss, or uncertainty about the future, the chaplaincy seeks to offer hope-filled conversations and opportunities to encounter God's love.  

Tim regularly shares Lifewords resources with those he interacts with, and a copy of Finding Hope and of Daily Strength are placed in the welcome pack alongside more practical items like bedsheets, towels, food, tea and coffee, toiletries and kitchenware.

Tim continues to partner with churches encouraging congregations to support this initiative by helping to provide the contents, including Lifewords' resources, for the welcome packs that each guest receives. Tim emphasises: “Partnership is more than just two organisations working together.”

The ministry at YMCA Cheltenham is rooted in relationships. Tim and the team work alongside churches, civic authorities, schools, mental health services, and other partner organisations to create spaces where people feel valued, heard, and supported.

The chaplaincy also run the ‘Journey’ course with residents, inviting people to engage with the Bible and with their own life stories. Recently, one meeting explored the story of the Prodigal Son, and so Rev Tim decided to share copies of You Matter with everyone attending to help them dwell further on the story.

Rev Tim also shares a range of other Lifewords’ resources, including Little Book of Chaos, Little Book of Advent, Little Book of Help, Little Book of Prayer and Living with Loss. He shared: "What I really like is the design, and the fact that the resources are succinct and more visual, which is much better suited for those who struggle with reading.”

Whether through a conversation over a cup of tea, a prayer offered in difficult circumstances, a welcome pack given to a new resident, or a course helping someone reflect on their life story, the aim remains the same: to build relationships, offer practical compassion and to point people towards a deeper message of hope.