Bristol Evangelical Alliance - Secretary’s Report 2013

 

This year has been a year of change for Bristol Evangelical Alliance. Our chairperson, Keith Hagon, left us in December after being at the helm for many years. Dave Francis, also, having served on the executive for numerous years left at this time. We want to thank both Keith and Dave for faithfully serving on the executive of Bristol EA.

So, as we often say, constant change is here to stay! At that time Philip Nott readily agreed to act as chairperson, and there was a DSCN0456resounding ‘yes’ from the executive that Philip should take this on. We are very grateful to Philip for heading up EA work in Bristol.

Over the past year Evangelical Alliance has been keen to serve the ‘bigger vision’ within the city. For us, this has meant engaging with others where we can and sometimes serving their vision. Bristol Evangelical Alliance is about working with the local church and seeing churches (who maybe have never worked together) coming together for the good of the Kingdom of God in our city. We believe that Bristol EA exists to see ‘united church changing society’. Change will materialise by people encountering Jesus and seeing practical demonstrations of what we do. Jesus, when talking to His Father, said: That they may be one as we are one.

 

  • Last September BEA supported National Day of Prayer that took place at Wembley Stadium. Bristol Prayer Network (arm of BEA) organized this, and several coaches left Bristol on a bright and sunny Saturday morning for Wembley. It was a wonderful day of Praise and Worship and since that occasion Paul Thompson - who administers Bristol Prayer Network - reported numbers had greatly increased at city ‘prayer times’. Jonathan Oloyede (Director of NDOP) visited Bristol in January of this year to bring further encouragement.

  • In January of this year we also supported CRE – first ever such exhibition held at UWE, Bristol, and along with Forum for Change (also an arm of Bristol Evangelical Alliance and excellently facilitated by Roger Allen) we had a stall for the few days that it ran. This was an event where spheres, missions, church leaders and prayer all came together.

  • Pentecost in the Park was held on Pentecost Sunday, and was wholeheartedly supported by EA. It was a celebratory event with a walk of witness and party activities. It was a diverse and fun afternoon where all the spheres of Forum for Change took part and where around 5,000 people were present. Free food (hot dogs and ice cream) was given to all who wanted it. We were there to display both love and fun that so depicts what Jesus is all about. The event concluded with a short address by the Bishop of Bristol, Mike Hill.

  • Colston Hall – Going Deeper Conference. Churches Together in Greater Bristol linked with: Arise Bristol, Bristol Evangelical Alliance and Bristol Networks, under the banner ‘Together for Bristol’ and connected to organise and present this. The event was to showcase the amazing work that different churches and Christian organisations around the city are doing. There were 16 seminars held and 58 exhibitions that took part, showing life and work of the church in Bristol. It proved an opportunity, also, to link with the greater Christian community, and Forum for Change and the spheres were much in evidence. This is a quote that came in from the business sector/sphere the following week: Remarkable move of the Spirit this week. There have been an amazing number of emails that have impossibly linked people and situations. I am in awe of His work – the business world seems such a difficult context and this is a significant breakthrough for us.

  • (This event – including our AGM - took place on 1 October at Trinity Tabernacle.) And now, today, Bristol EA is hosting this ‘notable event’ for the benefit of leaders across the spectrum of churches in the city. We are so very pleased to have with us, Sue Mountstevens, Police and Crime Commissioner of Avon and Somerset, and Andy Paget, Senior Chaplain for the police, along with a representative from Street Pastors.

Your membership is enormously important to us and we’re greatly appreciative of that. Please keep in touch and be very blessed.

Of course, if you’re not a member, we’d very much like you to be.

Joan Johnson Secretary BEA