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Rainbow Counselling Service

Pastor Ebenezer Daniel

The Rainbow Counselling Service started in the year 2000, based at Manchester North Seventh-day Adventist church. Vinette and Leebert Hughes as qualified counsellors, started the service as a way of giving something back to the community, so they offered their services on a voluntary basis. People could access the service on Mondays and Thursday evenings between 18:00 and 20:00, by telephone, face-to-face or Skype and the service is free to those using the service. Virey Clarke from Manchester North Adventist church, later became a valuable member of the team.

As the service became more established, Pastor Cyril Sweeney who was the Family Ministries director for the North England Conference (NEC) heard about the service and asked if they could offer the service to the NEC if they sponsor the service. This was agreed, and the Rainbow Counselling Service team visited various churches over the years to promote its programme. They began to receive calls from the Missions, the South and North England Conference and Europe.

This service offered premarital counselling, individual, family and couple's counselling covering a range of issues, such as bereavement, anxiety, depression, sexuality, anger, dysfunctional marriages, abuse in its various forms, spiritual issues and other mental health issues. For the past six years this service has provided a counselling service for the NEC Camp Meeting.

On Sabbath 7 April 2018, Manchester North district of churches which includes Salford, Manchester North, Manchester North East and Moss Side, had their first District Day of Fellowship. NEC President Pastor District-Day-of-Fellowship-2Richard Jackson was the guest speaker. During the day, the service of Rainbow Counselling Service was recognised and appreciated by the wider church. Our sincere appreciation goes to Leebert Hughes, Vinette Hughes and Virey Clarke for their valuable contribution to the North England Conference.

The counselling service needs to be developed further to meet the demands of the membership and have more satellite stations across the NEC and an injection of finance and support. The service is temporarily closed due to the fact that all three of the counsellors have now retired from the counselling service.

The counselling service has been a blessing to many of our members and non-Adventists in the local community in the Manchester districts. It has tremendous relevance in society and the present climate in which we are living; it would be a shame to lose it altogether.