All about PSALMS
PSALMS started in 2005 in Painswick. Realising that many young people, especially boys, spent their Sundays on the football pitch or engaging in other active pursuits, a group of Christians decided to rise to the challenge of engaging young people with fresh expressions of church and an emphasis on Sports Ministry.
"Only 1 in 6 young Christian males feel comfortable in Church" (Christian Vision for Men Research May 2010)
Today we work with hundreds of children and young people across Stroud, Painswick, Nailsworth, Minchinhampton, Chalford, Bisley, Oakridge, Stonehouse and smaller villages such as Kemble and Sapperton. PSALMS has partnerships with many churches including Anglican, Baptist, Free Churches, Methodist and Roman Catholic.
We work to engage both churched and non-churched young people. We recruit, train and equip adult volunteers to deliver a network of youth clubs known as The Pulse which take place in schools, collages, local youth community bulidings and churches. The team's areas of specialism still include sport but we are beginning aswell to use artistic and creative specialisms, so we can maximise the number of young people we can reach.
In each area the work is directed by community steering groups who work closely with a Strategic Youth Minister to ensure the work is relevant to the local communities.
"78% of Britons agree that Christians and the Churches are doing a poor job in reaching out to young people (Le Croix Research Apr 2010)
PSALMS is an associate trust of Scripture Union and has close links with Christians in Sport,