Together4Bristol Prayer Update: Christmas 2021

Hi everyone

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS YOU FOR 2022!
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 2022!
Please pass these on to your contacts, to encourage them and for prayer!

 

PRAISE POINTS

We thank God for:

1. One Church, One Day, including the 30 days of continual prayer, leading up to the Mayoral Election in May. It was wonderful to experience the comradeship of 54 churches joining to pray for the peace of our city. For more information contact the Crawleys: silasandannie a_t gmail d_o_t com

2. The Noise 2021, with over 400 volunteers serving through small practical projects across Bristol over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Also for Noise 365 which takes the vision of showing God's love in practical ways into every day of the year. Pray for The Noise 2022 (April 30 to 2 May).

3. The appointment of a new Enabler for Mission and Unity (EMU) to take over in December, from Roger Allen, who will continue with Together4Bristol (T4B), networking across the spheres of life.

3. The Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter which has started earlier this year, in November, and continues to March 2022, and for a grant, which covered the extra B&B costs.

4. The Politics and Social Action sphere, called Christian Action Bristol (CAB), which led the Christian community's response to COVID-19, including to food poverty, as this film shows.

5. And for Andy Street (CAB), who is helping lead the Christian community's contribution to the Recovery and Renewal of Bristol over the next 3 to 5 years. Pray for an excellent response again.

6. A summer gathering of over 70 church, prayer and sphere leaders, with the Presidents of T4B, and for follow-up work on the Christian Community Vision to 2050, Building Bristol as a City of Hope, to help engage with Bristol's One City Plan to 2050.

7. The amazing response from CAB and the Family sphere, to the need for emergency fostering, with over 60 households from the Christian community volunteering (see this film). To find out more about present needs, contact Stu Dendy at Home for Good.

8. The Keyboard Trust networker, Carmen Carrol, connecting with over 40 black-led churches in the region. For recent Zoom events such as: “Racism and the Church”, which has led to a Facebook group with nearly 200 members, and Refuelling for Church and Faith Leaders. Contact keyboardnetworker a_t gmail d_o_t com.

9. The Bristol Housing Festival team. And for EXPO 2021 in October, with 100s of people attending and over 70 speakers. 
 
10. Continual prayer by T4B's prayer networks (Arise Bristol!), through WhatsApp groups, Zoom calls and recently in-person again, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For the regular prayer gatherings (recently on Zoom) for the Arts, Business, Education, Health, and Family spheres.

11. The Arts sphere, or Kingdom Creatives. Since the COVID-19 crisis, Erica Bebb has connected and mentored about 50 creatives, including with regular Zoom calls. Praise God for the steering group, for leading and provision. Also for various projects, such as prayer across the region. For more background, including the concept of the “dome” and a map of projects, read here.

12. The Family sphere's (Love Family) use of online courses, such as from the National Parenting Initiative. For more information, contact t4b.family a_t gmail d_o_t com
 

PRAYER and ACTION POINTS

We pray for:

1. Even greater engagement with the council by the Christian community, led by CAB, which helps the Christian community engage with the City Office (over 40 from the Christian community were involved at a recent One City Gathering of nearly 400 people), to help Bristol move away from being a “tale of two cities” towards a One City Vision by 2050 and to help build a City of Hope.

2. Financial support to ensure there is a sustainable supply of food for the network of Foodbanks across the city and also for the work of Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) to provide mentors in schools for vulnerable pupils. Donate through the Bristol Churches City Fund. Thank God for over £130k raised in 2020!

3. 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 by early 2022.

4. Churches' online services to continue to have a wide impact across the city, as they emerge from lockdown and find out best ways of gathering again in person or as hybrid gatherings. We pray for the church leaders' prayer breakfast with the Mayor, in person at the Cathedral, on January 13th, 2022, from 7am to 8am. If you are a church leader, contact Roger Allen (see below).

5. The Bristol Housing Festival team's growing partnerships across the region, such as Homes not Houses, focused on the vital role of the local church in providing homes (move-on housing) for those affected by homelessness. InHope explain it in more detail here And the partnership with BBRC and Elim Housing Association, which hopes to work with faith groups who want to use their land for affordable housing in the city. You can read more about it here.

6. The Health sphere's weekly Zooms for encouraging creativity, for healing and for the growing Healing Centre Project. For Bristol Healing Rooms' Wednesday afternoon prayer session from 12.30pm and two healing homes on Tuesday nights from 19.30pm and Saturday mornings from 10.30am. Contact: bristolhealingrooms a_t gmail d_o_t com

7. The Family sphere (Love Family) to find a co-facilitator to replace Jane Auld, who is retiring in February, 2022, after leading the sphere and NPI, in a pioneering and inspiring way over the last few years.


Derick Mulubwa, Prayer, Together4Bristol, Arise (prayer.t4b a_t gmail d_o_t com)
Roger Allen, Enabler, Together4Bristol / Churches Together in Greater Bristol (enabler.t4b a_t gmail d_o_t com)