Together4Bristol : Gather Movement December News

Gather Movement December News

Dear friends,

It’s December already and we’ve got a lot to celebrate as we look back on the last year here at Gather Movement. The first Intercultural Church and City Transformation event, the online Learning Community Sessions, our Gather Summit 2024 in the summer and last month our Theology Day. All this was intermingled with so many incredible visits and sessions with unity movements across the country.
I’ve been personally encouraged time and time again by the incredible stories of transformation that are pouring out of our cities and towns. The Gather Movement team are honoured to be alongside you all in your work of unity, prayer, collaboration and change. I’ve also been inspired by the civic leaders and partner organisations who have responded to the church coming together in tackling the biggest needs in their communities.
In this newsletter you’ll see some of what happened at our Theology Day last month. We’ve also got more dates for our Learning Community next year which you can mark in your diaries. Lastly we’ve got 2 great articles from KICK about their Sports ministry which is a must read if you want to reach young people in your place and Ian Shelton from Movement Australia reflects on 50 years as a city builder.
We pray you have a really special Christmas wherever you are and trust that God will continue to make you a blessing to your place this season through all that you’re doing.

Blessings
Roger Sutton

Our Theology Day happened last month on 26th November. We were generously hosted by Oxford Community Church at the Kings Centre with more than 50 people participating from across the UK and beyond. The day was filled with revelation, conversation and contemplation.

Watch our Theology Day 2024 Summary Video

There were several key themes which emerged from our contributors which we just want to highlight here for you:
- PLACE -
Several of our contributors drew out from scripture the importance of place in God’s story and with that the significance of where God has chosen to place us as individuals, churches and unity groups. God frequently uses geographical places, and the people he’s chosen to place there, very specifically to bring about his grand kingdom plan.

- WISDOM -
The importance of wisdom in our work of transforming cities was also a key theme which came through in several sessions. Gerard Kelly highlighted that wisdom is truth applied in our cities and Stephen Sutton spoke about how wisdom gained through prayer and coming together in Teesside helped them see huge impact in their area.

- LISTENING-
The idea of hearing people’s stories, listening to culture and listening to the Spirit of God came through our sessions. Rachel Ho’s session with ceramics helped us immersively focus on hearing the pain of our cities through stories of scars, Piet focussed on listening to culture to understand the mindset of our cities and Steve Jones reminded us to listen to God through the word and through the Spirit as we seek His vision for our cities.

There were so many other insights from the day which gave our participants plenty to discuss and take home with them. Here are a few photos from the day.

Recordings will be live soon – here’s a taster with the recording of Stephen Sutton’s inspiring talk about unity across Teesside.

Listen to Stephen Sutton’s Inspiring Talk

For More Information

Join us for our Gather Movement Learning Community.

HERE’S THE LEARNING COMMUNITY PROGRAMME
FOR H1 2025. PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE

14 JAN 2025 • SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

Andy Frost Share Jesus International
Stephen Sutton Transform Teesside Together

11 FEB 2025 • SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

Elaine Morgan Greater Manchester Combined Authority Strategy Principal

11 MAR 2025 • SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

Peter Heywood Founder Genesis Trust
Ruth Lancey Hideaway, Greater Manchester

8 APR 2025 • SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

Dave King Gather Movement

13 MAY 2025 • CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

Osoba Otaigbe Bible Society
Tani Omideyi Liverpool Lighthouse

10 JUN 2025 • SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

Alison Dawson One Voice Social Action York

In November we had a brilliant Learning Community with Ian Rutherford discussing Community Organising. If you missed it, you can catch up here.

Watch Learning Community with Ian Ruthford

You can also catch-up on any Learning Communities that you missed by visiting our Learning Community Playlist of YouTube.

Learning Community YouTube Playlist

INTERCULTURAL CHURCH AND CITY
TRANSFORMATION ROUNDTABLE GATHERING

Date: January Registration starts from 12noon, 31st January – 1st February 4:30pm
Location: All Nations Centre, Vauxhall London
Theme: ONE BODY. Many Parts
From every nation, tribe, people and language.

Join us for engaging short talks • Panel discussions • Inspiring workshops • Roundtable discussions • Biblical insights • Practical next steps • Prayer and worship • Two delicious hot meals!

The plans for the London 2025 Intercultural Church and City Transformation Roundtable Gathering are taking shape, promising an inspiring lineup of contributors from the UK and beyond. In an era when our cities and towns face increasing division, we envision a united, intercultural church that shines as a beacon of hope-bringing people together to inspire meaningful change. This vision calls for a church that exemplifies love, unity and understanding - a family of believers embracing diversity with the shared mission of loving all neighbours as Christ taught us. However, the challenge often lies within the church itself, as internal divisions hinder our ability to embody this mission.

Ephesians reminds us that we are all part of one family in God:

"You and I have been adopted into God's family and have become God's children" (Romans 8:16).

Through the church, this family becomes visible on earth. But can we unite as one people, serving one God, with one mission and one message of love?
By promoting love, kindness, and collaboration, the church can demonstrate that people from diverse backgrounds can work together to build communities shaped by the teachings of Jesus. Leading by example, we can show that, despite our differences, we are united in our desire to do good and invite others to follow Christ, who lived and taught perfect love.

A key goal of this gathering is to create a safe space where participants can unlearn old biases, learn new perspectives, and relearn the heart of the Gospel-empowering the church to become a stronger witness for Christ.
Don’t miss this transformative two-day event. Book your place today and be part of shaping a united and impactful church for our cities and beyond!

Book Now

Our hope is that you’ll leave this catalytic gathering with:

greater awareness of the power of working interculturally
developed skills and insights for application
new friendships and connections
a fresh dose of inspiration and motivation!
a longer-term strategy

Book Now

KICK - Transforming Young Lives Through Sports and More

Last month we caught up with Joe Lowther, CEO of KICK to find out how your Unity Movement can partner to make a difference in the lives of young people through Sports, Street Dance, Mentoring and Sports Chaplaincy.