Here are a few examples of the Christian community working together across the Bristol region in the last few months, with Praise for what has happened recently and Prayer and Action for the rest of 2022!
Please pass these on to your contacts, to encourage them and for prayer! PRAISE POINTS
We thank God for:
1. The Silent Vigil for Ukraine on College Green in April and for a good response to the Ukrainian crisis, for example through Transform Europe Network's Crisis Fund, which has raised over £135,000, to assist TEN's partners on the frontline of support for refugees.
2. The Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter which ran for 5 months from November 2021 to March 2022. It provided support for 16 people with lower level needs, so they could concentrate on finding a job and so on. There were 150 volunteers, from 34 different churches, with nearly 500 getting prayer updates. To find out about this winter's shelter, contact Amanda Munday: BristolChurchesWinterShelter@gmail.com
3. The Politics and Social Action sphere, called Christian Action Bristol (CAB), led by Andy Street. For the launch, with over 40 church leaders, of the Good Faith Partnership’s Bristol Churches Recovery Renewal Report. Pray for CAB, leading the Christian community's contribution to the Recovery and Renewal of Bristol over the next few years.
4. CAB as it works with the Good Faith Partnership and Love Bristol (in Poland), to lead the Bristol churches’ response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Alongside hosts providing temporary accommodation for over 800 refugees (mainly women and children), 15 ‘Welcome Hubs’ have been set up by churches, commissioned by Bristol City Council and supported by Bridges for Communities and Bristol Hospitality Network. LoveBristol and a Ukrainian charity called Oxycamp jointly ran residential camps for Ukranian young people.
5. The Noise 2022 (May Bank Holiday), which showed God's love in practical ways. Over 700 volunteers from 45 churches and groups took part in 60 practical community projects in 19 neighbourhoods of Bristol. See a video for more details. Also for Noise 365 which takes this vision into every day of the year.
6. The launch of Spear Bristol (linked to th Business and Workplace sphere) in January 2022 and the support so far of 43 young people aged 16 – 24, empowering them back into work or education. See here or contact Isabel.thompson@spearbristol.co.uk
7. The Keyboard Trust networker, Carmen Carrol, who connects with over 40 Pentecostal churches and raises issues of mental health and racial justice. For the “Racism and the Church” website and private Facebook group, which has over 440 members. Contact keyboardnetworker@gmail.com
8. For prayer gatherings for the Business, Education, Health, Family and Sport spheres. For the Arts sphere's activities, including the new Kingdom Creatives website. For Stu Dendy (Home for Good), joining Sarah Abell as co-facilitator of the Love Family sphere.
PRAYER and ACTION POINTS
We pray for:
1. The gathering on 13 October at 7.30pm, called "Imagine if every Christian lived their whole life as Jesus would", to celebrate LICC's 40th anniversary. T4B partners with LICC, to release the WHOLE Christian community to help bring transformation to the WHOLE of life across the Bristol region. To register, click here. 2. People needing help because of the cost of living crisis, with over 30,000 foodbank parcels sent out by the three Trussell Trust foodbanks in Bristol last year. Unfortunately, food donations have decreased. Click here to see how you can help. Pray for CAB's response to a request from the council to set up a network of churches to be "Welcoming Spaces" over the winter, to help people who cannot afford both eating and heating. 3. The Bristol Churches City Fund, which focuses on Child Welfare, to raise funds for fostering and adoption (though Home for Good), supporting troubled children at primary school age (through Transforming Lives for Good) and supporting struggling teenagers (through Kintsugi Hope). Donations can be given here. 4. The Education sphere and Bristol Schools Connection, working with CAB and the Council, to help churches connect with Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) to provide mentors in 20 schools, with ten in place so far.
5. The church leaders' prayer breakfast with the Mayor, in person, at 6.45 for 7am on Thursday, September 15th. If you are a church leader, contact Ian Taylor (see below).
6. The Bristol Housing Festival team's growing partnerships with the Christian community to steward land and assets with renewed purpose for the good of the city. For a Prayer Breakfast for Housing on Thursday 3rd November from 8:30am - 10am at Bristol Cathedral with Marvin Rees. Register here.
7. Homes not Houses, a partnership between inHope and ‘Hope into Action’, helping 3 churches on the journey to providing homes (move-on housing) for those affected by homelessness. Pray for more homes to be established. For more information contact homesnothousesteam@gmail.com and/or bristol@hopeintoaction.org.uk
8. The Health sphere's weekly Zooms for encouraging creativity, for healing and for the growing Healing Centre Project. For Bristol Healing Rooms' sessions in person and on Zoom. To find out details contact: bristolhealingrooms@gmail.com
9. The growth of the Media sphere, as it re-emerges from the pandemic, with a Zoom gathering (October 27, 7 to 8pm) with Christians in Media. If interested, register here.
10. The AGM of Together4Bristol / Churches Together in Greater Bristol on Wednesday, 23 November, at Salvation Army, Hassell Drive, BS2 0AN. For more details, contact Ian Taylor
Please email us if you no longer wish to receive these prayer bulletins.
Roger Allen, Spheres Facilitator, Together4Bristol (roger.allen91@gmail.com
Derick Mulubwa, Prayer Facilitator, Together4Bristol, Arise (prayer.t4b@gmail.com)
Ian Taylor, Enabler of Mission and Unity, Churches Together in Greater Bristol / Together4Bristol (enabler.t4b@gmail.com)
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