News

Tbilisi Association’s dinner with the Lord Mayor

The Tbilisi Association held an enjoyable dinner in the Bradbury Hall with the Lord Mayor in attendance. For more information about the Tbilisi Association see their website www.bristoltbilisi.com.

Afternoon Tea and Line Dancing

We held a wonderful afternoon of tea with music and line dancing which was run by the Later Life Alliance supported by the Church:

The URC Proudly Celebrated 50 years

Members, ministers and friends of the United Reformed Church gathered in London on 15 April to mark the denomination’s 50th anniversary.

Around 1,200 people attended the rail strike-postponed celebrations at Methodist Central Hall Westminster, the same place that English Congregationalists and Presbyterians gathered on 5 October 1972 to vote the URC into being.

Decorations created by members of the URC hung around the hall - including many from Trinity-Henleaze URC, a sounding trumpet heralded the beginning of the service, as in 1972, celebration of communion, and artwork from across the denomination was displayed in colourful presentation.

Led by the Revd John Bradbury, General Secretary of the URC, and the Moderator and Moderator-Elect of the URC General Assembly, the Revds Fiona Bennett and Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, the service reflected the denomination’s past, present and future, as well as its place in the world Church.

Revd. Neil Thorogood’s poem was the winning entry for the URC’s 50th Anniversary Worship Resources competition. This was sung to music.

Creating a welcoming garden space

We have been making our garden areas more welcoming and areas to relax in.
Here are some images of the cleared areas, new paving and benches:

BDAA Silver award

We are delighted to say that we have received the BDAA (Bristol Dementia Action Alliance) Silver award for our ‘Singing to Remember’ activities.

Singing to Remember is run on First, Third and Fifth Thursdays in the Bradbury Hall from 2:00 pm.

New Signs Go Up

We recently refreshed the signs on the Church Buildings:

Bristol Faith Manifesto

The Bristol Faith Manifesto is a result of work by representatives of different faiths in the city including Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish.
It highlights the significant role that faith has in the life of our city and sets out five aspirations that are common to all faiths and that the group commits to working with the Mayor to achieve. We believe the role of Mayor can unite, serve and lead our City by:

• CELEBRATING DIVERSITY Building tolerance and understanding into the fabric of society, which is key to tackling crucial issues such as hate crime.
• BUILDING COMMUNITY Encouraging common bonds across generational, ethnic and social divides, along with increased provision of affordable housing.
• STRENGTHENING FAMILIES Building resilient homes for families and households, through support for young people, relationships and parenting.
• CHALLENGING POVERTY Identifying and understanding poverty wherever it is found and developing a strategic plan to overcome gaps in provision.
• TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE Building on Bristol’s twin reputation as a city of innovation and a leader in responding to the Climate Emergency, to welcome and incentivise a greener future through a bold approach to planning, housing, transport and public procurement.

Laptops for Schools.

Can you help?

Do you have an old laptop you don’t use anymore?

DigiLocal is working with a number of partners across the region to provide re-conditioned laptops for vulnerable families. If you have a laptop that is no longer needed for your purposes, there may be a family that would greatly value it for online schooling, accessing social support, etc.

How to donate You can donate your laptop following the COVID-safe procedure below:

• Please ensure the laptop is fully turned off (not in sleep mode)
• Place the laptop in a clear plastic bag
• Place the laptop at the doorstep of the office door (located opposite the St Peter’s Hospice shop) and knock on the door
• Wait 2 meters from the door until the door is answered and the donation taken inside.

Digilocal are also collecting donations to pay for 4G connectivity. A laptop is only useful if it can access online learning materials and 12% of young people (700,000 nationally) do not have access at home. Please consider supporting a young person.

Creation tapestries produced by Janny Bennitt

One of our members has produced these beautiful and intricate tapestries of the creation story. Janny says that she is going to give these to be displayed at St Monica Trust in Cote Lane, Westbury. They are truly beautiful.