So who are the BTFC Pastors? What is a Pastor, why are we here and what do we do at the club?
Who and what is a Pastor?
The BTFC Pastors are made up of members of churches from around Billericay. Some are Street Pastors, Church ministers, Youth workers and Schools Workers. All have a passion and heart to help people in times of need and guidance.
Between us, we have years of experience and training in supporting people through some of the darkest moments in life, young or old, rich or poor, male or female.
A Pastor is a name given mainly to church leaders who care for a group of people, helping them to live life in a Christian way. However, as BTFC Pastors we are not here to judge or force our faith upon anyone, but are here to help anyone in our community who is or becomes vulnerable, through care, help and listening.
Why are we here?
Back in March 2017 one of our team contacted Glenn Tamplin as he had read his story of having a troubled past and wanting to help those that had similar issues surrounding mental health. It was at a time where many young people in the town were grieving over the untimely loss of a young lady, who was a good friend to many, but had been struggling with life and the issues it can challenge us with.
Glenn agreed to meet with a few of us and we quickly realised we all had the same heart, to care for those who struggle in life and to try to be a support in times of trouble.
What do they do at the club?
During the meeting with Glenn, it was agreed that a number of Pastors would start (mainly at home games) to be available to chat with people who were having some struggles in life. As mentioned before, it’s not about forcing our faith upon anyone, it’s an initiative, like Street Pastors in the high street, to be a listening ear or a helpful sign post to areas where people may be able to get professional help for different kinds of problems.
So far we have been present at all home games, getting to know key members of staff and talking to people in the community. We have been increasing our presence when available for ladies games too and have been able to transport some of the team to away matches in the Street Pastor minibus. The club have been very generous and we now have our own ‘Shed’ that we can operate out of. The intention is to use this as our base whilst at the games, to be able to chat with people that may need a more private chat. We are also looking at how the shed could be used midweek for meeting with those in need.
For future development we are talking to an organisation that utilises sheds to help people within the community that need an extra bit of help, it would be great to see this grow and would be looking for volunteers to help in this, watch this space…
For now, we are committed to supporting the community that we are part of at BTFC. We are loving the football, loving the crowd and loving the foresight and commitment from Glenn and the club to encourage this initiative.
We now have a mobile number where people can get in contact with us to arrange to meet up. This number won’t have somebody at the end of it 24/7 but do text or WhattsApp to get in contact – 07930 056 942
Gary Bot
#TogetherWeSailAsOne
BTFC Pastors – Contacts of support groups
They offer a range of one-stop-shop services to meet the needs of those suffering from mental ill health. Their aim is to reduce the Stigma of mental ill health and support individuals through positive psychological/behaviour change, enabling them to live happier and healthier lives.
Tel: 01268 520 785
Email: admin@motivated-minds.co.uk
They offer services that support and give advice to people with mental distress. They also provide information to professionals, carers, family and friends.
Tel: 01268 289 700
Email: info@basmind.org
They offer a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever’s getting to you.
Web: https://www.samaritans.org/
If you are a young person under 35 at risk of suicide or are worried about a young person at risk of suicide:
Call 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to 10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm
Tel: 07786 209 697
Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
(CALM) – Available 5pm to Midnight for men
Call: 0800 58 58 58
