BS10: Bristol city
BS10, named after its postcode, is in the north-west Bristol region of Henbury and Brentry and the rural hamlet of Hallen.
The area includes large housing estates (where you will find the highest percentage of single parents in Europe), primary, secondary and special needs schools, a hospice, a dementia centre, a leisure centre, and the huge Cribbs Causeway shopping centre, the largest in south-west England
Church: St Mary, Henbury (Revd David Lloyd), the parish church, with a vision to establish fresh expressions of church in the wider community
The context group's involvement has included:
- developing partnerships in the community
- practical service through community action days (main photo and second small photo from top)
- leading groups and after-school clubs in primary school
- preaching and planning and leading worship
- leading junior church, a youth group, a toddler group
- 5-a-side football to build contacts with local people
- developing prayer
- pioneer outreach: open house, pub and cafe ministry
Community Action Days in BS10
The team and church take part in regular Community Action Days aimed at helping the local community. Activities have included litter-picking, washing cars, gardening, flower-arranging with residents of an old people's home and painting a mural at Brentry School. The mural (in the main photo) was designed by the schoolchildren who were very excited to see the finished article when they returned from summer camp.
Visit to Uganda, Easter 2011
Some of the BS10 team went to Uganda at Easter as guests of Mukono Diocese, which has links with the Bristol Diocese. . They visited Uganda Christian University and its theology faculty, Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology. and also gained first-hand experience of rural and urban parish life. Tim Lewis, one of the team, writes about their experiences: Uganda Easter 2011 (pdf).
'Working within the context team was fantastic. My family was included too, participating in both the life of the church and the college community. I learned about evangelism, mostly in the regular pattern of church life rather than planning one-off events, The biggest lesson for me was how to cope with the conflicting demands on my time - church/essays/family. This was hard but it was valuable preparation for full-time ministry. I'm so glad to have had the experience of Context Based Training with all the support of the college environment.'
David Salter, former BS10 context student (now in ordained ministry in Oxfordshire)
