Zac's Place Yass, Australia; Set To Open On Good Friday

After months of hard work by our dear friends Glenn and Ros and the God's Squad Chapter in Southern NSW, and friends, Zac's Place is set to open it's doors in Yass. Glenn and Ros's time with us in Swansea was pivotal in deepening their desire for mission on the margins. To return home to Australia and expand the vision and put into practice what they encountered whilst in the UK, is a truly precious thing indeed. Check out the links below and sign up to follow the development of this exciting venture.

Glenn and Woody at the 'bar' - with a familiar looking colour scheme going on there!

The following news article gives a helpful introduction....

Yass Tribune: Zac's Place To Open It's Doors

A direct link to the related website can be found HERE. Please take a look at it and consider supporting it in whatever way you can.

Zac's Place set to open it's doors in Australia

Glenn and Ros Stewart's time with us in Swansea had a huge impact, on them and us, while they were here. Since returning to Australia, they have been putting the experiences they had in Swansea to good use in their homeland and a new adventure now unfolds ....



The Yass Tribune begins their article with these words....

God’s Squad is riding into town to set up a place where those living on the fringes of our society can find themselves at home.
The old St Clement’s community hall/tennis clubhouse is being transformed into Zac’s Place, an outreach centre which is unashamedly Christian in ethos and completely committed to extending a hand to local people in need.

The initiative is derived from a model in Swansea, Wales, where a church for ragamuffins was founded by the European president of the God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club, Sean Stillman.

Glenn Stewart, president of the Southern NSW chapter of God’s Squad, and his wife Ros have spent some time in the UK learning the tricks of the trade and growing their passion.

They have applied this experience to establish Zac’s Place in Yass, which they define as being “all about community”.

God’s Squad, which primarily exists to minister among the biker fraternity as a relevant and accepted expression of the Christian Church, has been working in the Yass Valley for about eight years. Mr Stewart said the nondenominational group has identified a need here but is also willing to be flexible in the service it will offer the community.

The doors of Zac’s Place will be open to everyone - men, women, young adults and the elderly. You don’t have to be a member of a motorcycle club or a church to find solace at the facility, which will act as a ‘drop-in centre’.

To read the rest of the web edition of the article, go to this LINK at the Yass Tribune

To read a pdf version of the front page feature of the article, which is a little longer than the web version, go to this LINK.

THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE HEARTBEAT OF ZAC'S PLACE (Part 1) - featuring clips from Rick Elias & Rachel Taylor-Beales

Since the beginnings of Zac's Place way back in 1998 in a smokey Swansea basement bar, music has had an important role. These days we don't get chance to put on many gigs, (Barry McGuire recently), but for the first seven years much of what we did revolved around weekly sunday night gatherings in four different bars with great live music an integral part of the communal gatherings.

Coming up over the next few weeks I'll put a few posts up with video and maybe audio clips looking at some of the artists who we have had the pleasure of sharing the journey with. They'll include seasoned pro's and emerging artists who have since matured into established musos in their own right, artists from this city and overseas, genres of folk, rock, metal, dance and jazz - who do you remember, what would you like to see and hear again.

As a starting point here's two clips - one from Nashville based Rick Elias who I met, via Sam Horner, when he was gigging in the UK with A Ragamuffin Band. Rick kindly returned to play two songs on our TV shows with HTV Wales and also in the bar. Here's a recent home recording of his, of an old song 'Blink'. Enjoy.



Of all the cries that come from within the spirit of folks at Zac's Place is is, 'please don't push me away, don't forget - don't pass me by'. The following recording of Rachel Taylor Beales live at our HQ in 2008 shares the angst, frustration and the search to make sense amid the chaos. Rachel and her husband Bill continue to be great friends and inspiring artists, based in Cardiff - 'Please Don't Pass Me By' ....



Check back in the coming weeks for some more clips and don't forget to check out John Smith's podcast - where there is his message from the night with him guesting back in August ....

Our Tribal Gathering at Zac's last week was a little different to our usual, as we welcomed Barry McGuire to share some stories and songs. It was great to have the main hall packed with some folk making a journey of several hours to be there. Barry himself had travelled four hours after having flown in from California.

It was wonderful hearing his life's journey as he shared his stories of carving out his career in music alongside his mates in The Byrds, the Mamas and Papas and hanging out in small coffee house gigs with Bob Dylan. He also shared his frustrations and heartaches as he's seen so many friends die from the lifestyle excesses along the way. Eve of Destruction remains his most notable work, but he rejects the 'protest song' label for it, stating that it was a 'diagnostic song', painting a picture of what was around at the time. Many of his own stories contained his search for the answers to questions in that song.

Several decades on from 'eve' and his desire to subsequently follow Christ, now at 75 years of age he took the stage for an hour and half with charisma, energy and passion that can only be admired. Zac's Place has a long history of live music and the arts - these days live music doesn't come around too often, but when it does it's worth savouring!

Here's a YouTube link to Eve of Destruction from that night - follow the links through to Liz's additional uploads as they appear.

NEW ONLINE TICKETING FOR BARRY McGUIRE EVENT

We have a new option for online ticketing for Barry McGuire's 'Stories and Songs' event at Zac's Place on Tues 21 Sept.
You can find it at this link:
BARRY McGUIRE ZAC'S PLACE TICKETS
Advance purchase is advised to avoid disappointment on the night .....

See previous posts for poster . . .

JOHN SMITH AT ZAC'S PLACE

Tomorrow, Tues 24 Aug, sees the return of Aussie John Smith to Zac's Place. Very much a tribal elder of our community of faith, he will continue to stir the pot, challenge and encourage all who hear him........

Tues 24 Aug, from 7.30pm
Zac's Place, George Street, Swansea, SA1 4HH.

Barry McGuire Promo Poster

Print it, forward it, pass it on to others who maybe interested ......

Barry McGuire at Zac's Place

An Evening With 'Barry McGuire' - Tues 21 September, 2010.
It's many years since Barry's massive hit 'Eve Of Destruction' but he continues to be a prolific singer, songwriter, storyteller and truth-seeker.

Tickets will be available at regular Zac's Gatherings from the end of July or by post by sending an SAE with a cheque for the correct amount payable, (£12 per ticket), to 'Exousia Trust' to Zac's Place, George Street, Gospel Hall, Swansea, SA1 4HH. Online purchasing is also available via paypal at this link for £12 plus a booking fee - just print out your purchase and bring it with you.
Any profits from this event will be going back into the work at Zac's Place.

Here's a snippet of a reworked 'Eve of Destruction' recording with some updated imagery ...



Check out Barry's website and the biog particularly .......

OTHER UK & EIRE DATES ON THIS TOUR:
Swansea, WALES (21 September 2010)
Motherwell, SCOTLAND (23 September 2010)
Newton le Willows, UK (25 September 2010)
Preston, UK (26 September 2010)
Dublin 1, IRELAND (30 September 2010)
Portsmouth, UK (2 October 2010)

Partnership Working Helps Homeless People in Swansea get checked out…..

VIEW ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Thursday, 3 December 2009
A Health Day for the Homeless proved a popular place to be today.The annual event was held at Zac’s Place in Swansea with the aim of checking the health of Swansea’s homeless and providing flu jabs and other support.
During the event two dentists undertook oral health assessments, two podiatrists provided foot assessments and care, staff from the community mental health team were doing mental health assessments, and nurses were on hand to administer seasonal flu and swine flu immunisations.

In addition, staff from the Swansea Drugs Project were on hand to provide drug and alcohol advice.

In the first two hours over 30 homeless people popped in to get their check up.

Picture: Podiatrist Glen Rees



A sign of the importance of the event, two people were referred for further urgent medical care.

Janet Keauffling, Nurse for Homeless and Vulnerable Adults in Swansea, said:

“ It has been very successful both in terms of the care that it provides to people who might not otherwise access health care, but also in getting health professionals to work more effectively together to provide care for homeless people with complex needs.

“This year we are being assisted by 47 medical students from Swansea University School of Medicine. To our knowledge, this is the first time medical students have been involved in such a significant way in providing health care to homeless people in Wales. As well as their help being invaluable, it is also intended as a learning experience and an opportunity to develop their clinical skills.”

After the health assessment a welcome tea or coffee was on hand along with cakes and goodie bags full of various toiletries like toothbrush & toothpaste, socks, shampoo, soap, tissues etc,.

The data that has been collected will also provide the first ever baseline assessment of the health of a group of homeless people in Swansea and forms a vital part of work being undertaken by ABM and other agencies on improving the care of homeless people.


This event is supported by the Swansea University School of Medicine, Big Issue Cymru, Cyrenians Cymru, The Wallich & ABMU Health Board.

If you need any further information please contact Janet on 01792 470129 (9-1 weekdays) or via High Street Surgery 01792 460015.

Source: Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board

Back In Swansea . . . and Reading . . .

It was good to be able to return to familiar surroundings at Zac's Place after the recent foreign sojourn. The three week period was the longest I have been away from Zac's since it began over eleven years ago and I am so impressed with everyone there with the way it all ran - especially on the Tuesday night tribal gatherings. Contribution from a wide variety of our regulars, speaking openly and honestly about their life and faith, took relationships to another level and encouraged all involved. It's also a measure of how much the group has matured and sharing responsibilities is now a hallmark.

Today has seen a different side of activity at Zac's Place. In partnership with our friends at the Big Issue Cymru, The Cyrenians, Swansea Drugs Project and The Wallich (who manage the breakfasts for rough sleepers at our place), Zac's was used as a venue for a Health Check Up for many of our collective friends. Over fifty people came throughout the day for; flu and swine flu jabs, blood pressure checks, blood sugar level checks and benefit from the services of other health specialists such as dentists and chiropedists. What made this occasion different to other years was the involvement throughout the day of medical students from the Swansea Medical School Graduate Entry Programme who also found the experience very beneficial - and i can testify that being a guinea pig at the sharp end wasn't so bad after all!

I hit the road again this weekend returning to take part in the 24th Annual Reading Toy Run, on Sunday, which I was involved in founding with my closest of mates back home. It's an event that can attract over 2000 participants and one where I try to bring relavent Christmas message. I'll also be speaking at Sindlesham Baptist Church (near Wokingham) prior to the run. Monday sees a change of gear back in Swansea where I'll be contributing at a Remembrance Event for those lost through drug addiction; raw emotions, fragile souls and tough questions will all mark a special time, (3-5pm on Mon 7 Dec, St. Matthews Centre, High St. Swansea)

A mix of people and variety of circumstances ensure that the journey continues in it's usual colourful chaos and to a greater or lesser degree, often involves tending 'wounds' of one sort or another.

Last Call for Bryn Haworth Tickets

There will be some tickets available on the door for Bryn's visit to Zac's on Saturday night for £10 - doors at 7.30pm, Gig at 8pm.

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Profits from the gig will go towards the ongoing work at Zac's Place.

Bryn Haworth Tickets Now Available

Bryn Haworth Tickets are now available for the event on 17 October, on line via paypal at this Zac's Place link for the price of £6. Just print out the order and bring it with you.

Alternatively tickets are available in person at Zac's or by post for £5 until 13 October. Thereafter, all tickets and any door tickets will be £10.

Postal tickets should enclose an SAE and a cheque payable to 'Exousia Trust' to Zac's Place, Gospel HAll, George Street, Swansea, SA1 4HH.

Bryn Haworth Returns to Play Zac's Place

Gospel / Bluesman Bryn Haworth returns to play Zac's on Sat Oct 17th

Check his MySpace page out to have a listen and read his biog.

Tickets will be available in person at Zac's Place (07971 218644) and there will be a discount for advance purchase - check back in the next few days for details.....

The 'Winter Blues' gig will be a solo performances showcasing Bryn's exceptional guitar skills and songwriting - his reputation at one of the best slide guitarists around will only be endorsed. A sample from his last gig at Zac's is available to listen on our myspace page (see links on right).

Any profits from this event will go directly into the ongoing work of Exousia Trust at Zac's Place.

Summer Updates

Just a few news updates for Zac's through the month of August. ...

Thursday eve Coffee Bar will be on a break through August, resuming 3 Sep. Some will be providing a soup run at around 9pm in town instead.

Tuesday 'Tribal Gatherings' will be on a break on 18 & 25th August and on 4th and 11th we welcome representation from 'Fresh Expressions' (the joint Methodist and Anglican crew exploring different concepts of church community), to see what we are up to and get some stories for their monthly podcast.

Discussions also continue about the options for starting a monthly Sunday night gathering at HQ this Autumn - more to follow . . . .

Final Curtains

This past week has as usual been varied at Zac's Place. It has however been particularly marked by the final performances from JEMS Drama School here at Zac's - infact not just here, but anywhere as Jayne winds the school up after ten years of wonderful creativity. As usual the kids pulled all the stops out and last thursday's final night was not just a great performance but also very emotional; especially as some of the older kids have been involved for the whole ten years. Many of the folks that come through this building are tortured souls, so I shall miss the sound of laughter from the fifty or so drama school youngsters even more so.

As I write and prep for tonight's Tribal Gathering at Zac's - with the images of Michael Jackson's Memorial Service in the news, (but not much about the 7/7 victims), we'll ironically be looking at 'lament' and 'grief', (in the context of Old Testament geeza David in 2 Samuel 1); Lament and grief are two things I really don't think we're very good at in our culture. Tragedy is easier to deal with if it's a news story or a spectacle . . . lament is possibly what we should do with our questions and struggle when there aren't any obvious answers, but we cling to a bigger picture.

On a lighter note, it was good to welcome year ten students to Zac's this afternoon, from a local school, to come and hear some stories and look at the artwork - Doris continues to be a star attraction - based on, yup, 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted'!

Live Music at Zac's Place - some discussion....

Since Zac's Place began as, 'Zac's Place - Church in a Pub?' just over ten years ago, great quality live music was an essential part of everything that took place in the four different pubs we used; Over 300 gigs in fact, lost count of the number of artists, five TV programmes with ITV Wales, several other documentaries for TV and radio plus festival stages. Musicians such as Martyn Joseph, Phil James, Rob Ash, Lorraine King, Bill and Rachel Taylor Beales, Julia Harris have all been regulars on gig listings. Guests for TV and festival stages have included Glenn Kaiser, Rick Elias, Mike Peters, Mal Pope, The Electrics, Ben Castle and many others as well. The quirky TrifleSky and innovative Iain Hornal made their mark alongside the metal of Kosher and in more recent months it was great to run the stage and host a fundraiser with The Story's.

Since having our own venue over recent times it's been good to have the occasional gig and this past year we've had guest: Bryn Haworth, Martyn Joseph, Rob Halligan, Julia Harris, Rachel Taylor-Beales and Sir Silence and then just last week After The Fire. Swansea continues to be a frustrating place to put on gigs, especially paying ones. In the main we've managed to make this years gigs work out OK and I want to maintain some sort of momentum into next year.

One option is to introduce a regular monthly gig - something like a Sunday Night Live at Zac's. Charge a little bit on the door cover all the costs and on a busy one might even make a bit towards the charitable work we continue to be involved in among the marginalised.

Ten years on and Zac's Place has moved on - we're a 'Church for Ragamuffins' - but I still passionately believe in the importance of the voice of the artist - as unpredictable and chaotic as it may be sometimes; I still believe in giving artists a platform for their creativity. So my friends - musos, artists, fellow pilgrims - is there any mileage in some regular gigs? Is it something you'd support? Let me know - lets bat it around for a bit........

Cheers and God bless

Sean

ATF GIG

Well, After The Fire came to Zac's to play their first gig in Swansea since 1981 and what a good night it was! Thanks to all those who came out to support it. Thanks too to Pete, John and the lads for making the journey and we hope it serves as a fitting start to their Autumn tour. It was a bonus getting them an interview and live session on BBC Radio Wales on the Fri night too. Rob Halligan grew in confidence taking the lead vocal role as his first full gig with ATF, and was good to see him again. Zac's is a long way from the venues and stadiums they played in with the likes of Queen and ELO in the 80's, but it was great to hear the songs are still alive and kicking and back on the road again.

After The Fire Tour rehearsal and preview...

Only a few week to go before the After The Fire gig at Zac's - here's a snippet.

NEW WINDOW!!!

Here's a snap of our latest piece of artwork at Zac's Place - a ace stained glass window based around the God's Squad colours, (Zac's serves as the European HQ for the club and a base for our activity in South Wales).

It sits nicely above the main doors alongside a previous piece based around the Zac's Place logo, (something of beauty made from all the left over bits...). Both windows have been made by great friend Lloyd Evans.

AFTER THE FIRE - News Release

Originally well known back in the 70s and 80s, the last time After The Fire played in Swansea was in 1982. After a bit of a layoff since their monster hit 'Der Kommissar' in 1983, After The Fire (aka ATF) are now back and return to play Zac¹s Place on Saturday 22nd November for what promises to be a great show. Over the last 18 months, ATF have been enjoying their busiest period since 1982, when they toured the world with rock icons Queen, ELO and Van Halen.

Since 2004 both their early, self-financed cult LP 'Signs of Change' has finally appeared on CD, as has the full collection of CBS recordings, re-released by Sony on a double CD set. The band's energetic live set came out on both DVD and CD and a suite of material recorded back in 1982 was released on Angel Air Records.

During 2005 ATF returned to the studio to re-record their former top 40 UK hit, 'One Rule For You', re-titled 'One Rule (For Trade Justice)'. In conjunction with Christian Aid, the band immersed themselves in MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaigns and events.

Now loyal supporters are introducing their offspring to ATF's positive, high energy music! The band have re-invented their live approach with a well crafted, semi-acoustic sound. ATF's website afterthefire.co.uk and myspace.com/afterthefire continue to help build their following with a new generation of fans.

Tickets are available from the ATF website or at Zac's Place.