UCKG Spreads the Real Spirit of Christmas
Released: 11.12.06

 

As families all over Britain prepare for Christmas, Julie Tedeschi and her team of 22 part-time volunteers are approaching the festive season in a very special way.  Working in shifts around the clock seven days a week, they operate the UCKG Helpline, providing support for people troubled by loneliness, depression, and a myriad of other problems.

The UCKG Helpline - tel: 020 7686 6000 - works from a Pentecostal Christian standpoint, and believe that many people suffer due to the lack of balance between their physical and spiritual body. They offer support, guidance, and prayer according to the caller’s situation. Julie and her team are fully trained in the necessary counselling skills by UCKG, which is a world-wide church active in more than 90 countries.

“Our Help Line is for everyone in need, irrespective of their beliefs and background", said Julie. “We take calls from as far away as Devon, Blackpool, Gloucestershire and Scotland.”

The team of volunteers, who range in age from 20 to over 54, include men and women born in countries as Brazil, Uganda, Singapore, Nigeria and France, as well as those born in the UK. They are all committed to supporting the Helpline callers so that Christmas is a pleasure, not a trial for them. Importantly, their long term aim of the Helpline is to prompt change in the callers’ circumstances to achieve better lives.

“Unlike some other support services, we do not restrict our assistance to what can be done over the phone,” Julie continued. “We appreciate that many cases such as depression and emotional trauma are deep seated and need more than what can be offered in a brief conversation over the phone. Principally, because of this, appointments are made for callers to go to their nearest UCKG HelpCentre for guidance and one-to-one counseling, free of charge.” 

“If the problem is a matter of health we stress the importance of seeing a doctor, and do all we can to persuade the person to make proper use of the NHS. We do not hesitate to refer callers to Social Services or other agencies as appropriate. We also arrange for UCKG’s trained volunteers to visit people in their homes, in hospital or in prison if that is what they need,” she added.

UCKG has been serving the UK for over ten years, offering a mix of practical and prayerful support. The first services were held in Brixton in 1995 and, has since built up a network of churches across London and throughout the country. 

Julie is living proof of the beneficial results of the support UCKG gives. When she first encountered UCKG she was a single mother of two sons then aged 15 and 22, who was addicted to both alcohol and sleeping pills to help her cope with life’s stresses, suicidal thoughts, nightmares and insomnia. 

“Although many people have willpower, the severe stresses of life are sometimes stronger than their willpower, so help is given in the form of spiritual intervention (prayer) with the teaching of how to develop inner strength (willpower)”.

Her life turned around once she found UCKG. She has managed the Helpline since 2002. 

We are giving out thousands of cards inviting people to call the Helpline or to drop in at one of our HelpCentres, should they need to talk to someone. The trained volunteers at the Helpline are ready and waiting at all times.

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If you require any further information regarding the UCKG, please submit your enquiry or telephone Francessca Lewis on 0207 686 6033.