The General Election will be a moment for the nation to ask important questions about the future. Pray Your Part is an invitation from the bishops of the Church of England to encourage prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.
This 21-day journey of prayer and reflection (from Friday, 14 June until Election Day on 4 July) is designed for use in the run-up to the UK General Election. Each day explores a different theme, with a short Bible reading, reflection and prayer for a different aspect of our common life.
Sign up for the daily election reflections via email using the form on the Church of England website, where you can also find details on ordering the prayer booklet.
Independent survey to explore attitudes towards the C of E in the Diocese
Meaningful Measures Ltd, an independent research company, is conducting a comprehensive survey to understand people’s views on the Church of England and the use of local church spaces in the community. The survey covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Wiltshire, and Swindon, which fall under the Diocese of Bristol. It aims to reach a broad audience, including those not involved with the Church, to capture diverse perspectives on this important topic.
Commissioned by the Diocese of Bristol as part of a broader strategy, the survey seeks to understand public opinions on the churches’ work and their community support efforts. This includes the provision of community groups, cafes, social action, and worship services. Additionally, the survey will explore potential new uses for church spaces and identify barriers that may prevent people from using these spaces. The gathered information will guide efforts to enhance local churches’ support and strengthen community and social action in the area.
Dr. Marie Polley, Co-founder of Meaningful Measures Ltd, highlighted the survey’s significance: “Previous surveys on attitudes towards the Church of England have not focused on the general public’s views regarding the wider use of churches for community support. This survey will provide valuable insights to inform future planning and initiatives.”
Harrison Leonard, Diocesan Director of External Relations, emphasized the research’s importance: “Understanding how people use church spaces and their views on potential community support activities is crucial for us to better support our parishes and build strong community connections. We want our parishes to reflect the diversity of the wider community and ensure everyone feels welcome and included.”
The survey is open until June 30, 2024. Participants have a chance to win a £100 voucher for a supermarket of their choice.
For more information about the survey, please contact hello@meaningfulmeasures.co.uk, or to complete the survey, follow the link below.
Thursday 9 May is our next Whole Church Prayer Gathering, and we are combining that with communion for Ascension Day.
It starts at 7.30pm in St Michael’s Church, and we will be worshipping together (worship accessible for all congregations), praying together, listening to what God is calling us too, and sharing communion.
For those who would like to, we are encouraging people to fast for the day as well.
This Lent we are looking at the practice of Fasting, as part of our teaching series, Practicing the Way, where we learn habits to help us become more like Jesus.
We will be looking at fasting from the following topic headings:
To offer ourselves to Jesus. (See Si’s talk here and Julie’s talk here)
This year’s recommended Lent reading is “Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Live as he did: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did” by John Mark Comer (Available from all good book stores ISBN 0281086672 and currently on offer on Amazon ))
This book was released in January 2024 and complements not only our Lent sermon series on Fasting but other spiritual practices such as Sabbath which we focussed on in 2023.
