Archbishop visits church in a pub

15 December 2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, last week visited a joint Church Army and Baptist church project Solace, run by Church Army Evangelist Wendy Sanderson and Baptist minister James Karran, to speak to an audience of young people and answer questions on the theme, ‘Can God mend broken Britain?’.

Dr Williams was at the Edwards Bar on St Mary's Street in Cardiff on Saturday 13th December 2008 for the meeting with the church group that meets in pubs and clubs. He told the 20 to 30 year old audience that the UK is a "society that needs help" and that "does not seem to like itself very much". The Archbishop concluded that God can heal broken Britain but he will use ordinary men and women to do the job.

Ordinary men and women like Church Army’s Wendy Sanderson, who started Solace in 2007 along with Baptist minister James Karran. The whole idea of Solace is to make Christianity relevant and accessible to young people. "We started Solace to create a safe environment where people could meet, somewhere they are familiar with already, where they can have fun and learn about God," says Wendy. "James and I met nearly two years ago and we’ve both got a heart for people in the club scene and that kind of environment as well as people in our generation. We realised that a lot of people we came into contact with were saying they could never go to church so we started thinking about how could we tie in the club culture with church community and make church relevant to people. We want to get back to the core of what church is really all about so that this generation can feel comfortable learning about God and all they can be in Him.

The Archbishop’s visit was very relevant and timely as he spoke about and answered the questions young people in Cardiff have been asking for a while. Wendy says, "When tackling the question of 'Can God mend broken Britain?' He talked of the view that God has of his people, and that He sees us as precious and valuable and is devastated when we damage ourselves. He is prepared to do anything possible to get through to us the message that we are worth taking trouble with. This was fantastic to hear as it is precisely everything that 'Solace' stands for."

Dr Williams spoke about tolerance and respect in a multi-faith society. "He was truly inspirational and spoke to people on their level," says Wendy. "No question was avoided, apart from the one about who he thought would win The X Factor and Dr Williams replied 'Can I phone a friend?' Many people commented on the laid back atmosphere and the ease and honesty that the Archbishop spoke with, as he dealt with the issue in a way that was relevant and used language that everyone understood."

Solace meets every Saturday at Edwards Bar on St Mary's Street in the city centre at 8.30pm, Cardiff. To find out more about Solace, visit www.solace-cardiff.org.uk