“Empowering individuals and communities to encounter God in everyday life and connect faith with action”

Evangelism

This programme conducts Christian worship in buildings and in the open-air. The programme organises training/ seminars and Bible studies to build the capacity of faith groups by identifying, demonstrating and promoting good practice at the image of Christ.

During the year, this programme delivers workshops and seminars on "The Teaching of The Way" as described in John 14:6 every Sunday to understand God's Word and His ways. The teaching of the way preaches and teaches the wisdom of God and responds in faith to the call of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and the proclamation of God's word of wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

These workshops and seminars are delivered on Sundays to help the participants to come to understand God's language. Participants do hear God speaking to them through a spirit filled message, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness. Additionally, the evangelism programme organises prayer sessions every Wednesday from 18:00pm to 21:00pm to explore the authority God has granted us in Scripture through God's Word and His laws.

Equally, the evangelism programme conducts Christian worship in buildings and in the open-air across the UK (Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester (Rochdale, Bolton, Berry), Norwich and Scotland) as well as sharing good practices across the different faiths in a way that is consistent

Community Development

This is a multi-purpose programme working to address poverty and provide a range of enablement services. It is a programme which seeks the relief of poverty and the advancement of education which takes a holistic approach, engaging with people's physical, emotional and spiritual needs, offering its services without discrimination.

During the year, this programme runs a drop-In advice centre at Hurst Road Community Centre and in the office at 1st Floor, 130 Cape Hill, in Smethwick for local residents. The programme reaches out diverse group of people including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in many different communities.

The programme provides intensive support services to adults and economically inactive single moms settled in Sandwell who experience disadvantages in accessing these services.  This programme offers 1-2-1 support in accessing information and advice on housing matters, debts counselling, fuel debts and energy efficiency advice (keep warm in winter), filling in necessary forms including welfare benefits, employment, etc. In some complex circumstances, the programme would act as a gateway to accessing other local support services available and would signpost service users to most appropriate schemes for example those specialising in housing people with additional needs, such as people with severe mental health problems, a lifelong alcohol addiction or very challenging behaviour.

Children & Young People

This programme works with both children and young people from local communities mainly from the refugee and asylum seeking families to ensure that our christian essence and ethos contribute towards the delivery of the following outcomes: to support their economic well being, help them to enjoy and achieve, support them to be healthy, ensure their safety and security and promote their social and civic partnership in the light of the Gospel.

Refugee children and young people are desperate to rebuild their lives in the UK. But far too often they are hampered by an inability to access English lessons. That's why the Universal Church of Jesus Christ launched the 'Read to Succeed' campaign to support poorly performing refugee children aged 3-13 years in Smethwick, Sandwell/West Midlands to improve their reading performance and call for the Government to ensure all refugee children and young people have the opportunity to learn English. Over the past year, our campaign has gone from strength to strength. We used this moment to highlight that inability to speak English was the single most important cause of isolation and loneliness amongst refugee children and young people and were able to lobby our local MP and local educational authority about the campaign.

Much of the work carried out under this programme is to provide support services to children who have been identified being in need of support with their homework in Maths, Literacy and Science. Activities of the project are carried out at Hurst Road Community Centre located on Hurst Road, Smethwick, B67 6ND on Fridays and Saturdays.

Family Support

This programme supports families living in the areas where the church is active on educational issues, to engage with vulnerable families with complex difficulties, encourage parents to participate in family learning with their children as well as access adult learning such as skills for life.

An absolutely integral part of our work at UCJC during the year is supporting refugees to rebuild their lives in the UK. We've been working with refugees arriving through resettlement programmes ever since we were established in 2011. With the help of our members and the support of our incredible team of volunteers, trustees and local communities, we resettled more refugees through the Family Support programme. Many refugees arriving through resettlement programmes face enormous challenges. Our focus is on empowering them to set and achieve their personal goals, and on enabling them to access language classes, health services, education for children, and other services that are vital to them establishing themselves successfully in a new country.

A core focus of our work under this programme is to provide a helping hand to refugees who have resettled in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) through a programme of support geared towards alleviating poverty and debt and and hardship. Since its inception in 2011, the UCJC has worked with local authorities, the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions to improve the condition of life of refugees who have migrated to West Midlands by finding decent housing, jobs, schools for children and accessing benefits.

A second issue we have been working on is the hate crime. We've seen an increase in the number of crimes motivated by hatred committed against the refugees we work with. This had a devastating impact on families and communities.

People like Tilisa (not her real name), who was walking along a pavement near her home with her two daughters when a man pulled up in a car and threw liquid in her face - Tilisa was terrified - she thought it was acid. Thankfully it was water. No refugee should have to experience hate crime. Every incident needs to be fully investigated by the police and appropriate action taken. The resettlement of refugees is about so much more than ensuring that they have a new home. It is about helping people to feel safe again, and to reach their goals free of the threat of war, torture or hunger.