Pub church aims to reach out to all
Surrounded by friendly faces, maybe enjoying a few drinks and a little merriment. They might be curious about Christianity, but would never go anywhere near a traditional church setting.
Enter biker minister Sean Stillman, the pioneering founder of Zac's Place — a church in a pub for people who want to know more about faith, but cannot see the relevance of a mainstream church. It is also a sanctuary for the socially excluded — drug addicts, the homeless, those on the margins of society.
Originally from Berkshire, Sean moved to Swansea 12 years ago. As president of the UK chapter of God's Squad Christian Motorcycle Club, it wasn't long before he was called upon to conduct two funerals for members of the biking community. His words of comfort made quite an impression on mourners, who told him they were interested in finding out more about Christianity but would never go to church.
With the help of a musician friend, Lorraine King, Sean organised bible study and chat evenings on Sundays at the Subterranea bar in Swansea's Salubrious Passage.
"We didn't know who would turn up or whether anyone at all would turn up," said Sean.
"But we set it up, didn't restrict it to just bikers or just musicians, and people came along. We had the support of many local clergymen, although some did not approve. Nowadays a church in a pub is more commonplace, but back then, among teetotal South Wales churchgoers, it was quite a radical idea. But every good idea comes up against some opposition."
Over the following seven years, somewhere in the region of 300 events took place in four different venues, using dozens of musicians, storytellers and artists.
Eventually, Sean decided the group needed a sacred space of its own and stumbled upon the old Gospel Hall on George Street — a perfect base for the spiritual ragamuffins that made up the "congregation". Sean bought the building and the church went from strength to strength. Now, there is a "tribal gathering" on Tuesday evenings dedicated to Bible teaching, discussion and prayer, and a soup kitchen and coffee bar for the city's rough sleepers and other vulnerable adults every Thursday night.
"The gatherings aim to provide opportunity for expression of and inquiry into the Christian faith in a relaxed pub environment," said Sean.
"The reason many of our churches are closing down and struggling to connect with communities is partly because the church has said what it's said in the same way for the past 300 to 400 years.
"Churches just hold their doors open and say 'if you want to know what we believe then come in and find out', whereas actually they should be spending less time inside buildings and more time actually connecting with the wider community — the ordinary man in the street.
"Many of the people who gather at Zac's Place come from a position of relative disappointment and even disillusionment with regard to various established forms of church. Some have been let down and did not feel supported at a time when they should have been. Some just felt they did not fit in. Some folk were encouraged in their recovery from addictions. Some people are still around, but for some it was an important staging post, for travellers just passing through."
Indeed, tragic mum and rough sleeper Julie Richardson, who died on a Swansea street earlier this year, often sought refuge at Zac's Place.
"Many Zaccers are, for varied reasons, 'walking wounded'," says Sean.
"Many have tried to bridge the troubled waters with all manner of things, some with more success than others. We tell people just because they're down, doesn't meant they're out. Julie was a much-loved regular at our soup kitchen and a good friend. Her body was discovered at around the time she would have been at Zac's Place on a normal Thursday night, where she came regularly for soup and friendship. She felt accepted, taken seriously and at home.
"To some, Julie was a homeless addict, to others a statistic. But to us, Julie was someone who mattered and who will be missed."
A place where everyone is accepted, Zac's Place is named after the biblical character Zaccheus, a notorious thief who many regarded as a turncoat. When Jesus voluntarily chose to break cultural taboos by spending time with him, some onlookers were disgusted, whereas others were amazed at how Zac had changed his ways thanks to Jesus.
"At Zac's Place you are not forgotten or cast aside," said Sean.
"You are among friends, and more importantly, you are in the company of the one whom it is said does not break a bruised reed or put out a dying flame — Jesus Christ."
Prominent religious figures, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, have been vocal in their support for the project.
Speaking in a television interview, Dr Williams, who was born in Swansea, said: "The work at Zac's Place is, in every way, innovative, courageous and important for the community in general, as well as the Christian community. I have been privileged to watch the development of this initiative over several years and would want to pay the most sincere tribute to the dedication and vision of those who have been running it."
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