Reflection on the Spheres in Bristol: Some Strengths and Weaknesses

 

Introduction

In Bristol, we set up the spheres, connecting Christians involved in different spheres of society, originally as part of Evangelical Alliance's Forum for Change from 2010. Christians gathered from the five “Change Drivers of Society” as EA called them: the Arts, Business, Education, Media and Politics. We met twice a year, with no agenda, except to build relationships. After about six gatherings, people asked if we could now become more “strategic”, “intentional” and “transformational”. Over the next nine months, we chatted and prayed, listening to the community of about 90 who were involved by then, and to God. It “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” to set up networking of Christians in eight spheres of society across the Bristol region (see the Spheres Diagram): Arts, Business and Workplace, Education, Family, Health, Media, Politics and Social Action, and Sport, These days, the spheres are part of Together4Bristol, “transforming Bristol together”. “We long to see... the WHOLE Christian community working together in unity to be good news in the WHOLE of life in the Bristol region”: to help transform Bristol from a tale of two cities into a City of Hope!

1. SPHERES DIAGRAM
 

It is important not to copy the Bristol model but to hear, obey and trust God for your own area for Godly wisdom and guidance, as to how to set up the spheres. Listening prayer, even with just a couple of minutes of silence, for Godly wisdom and encouragement has become a distinctive across most of the spheres.
For us building relationships and regular prayer are foundational. Each sphere has a facilitator, or co-facilitators ideally, though this has not always been possible, with a core group and occasional wider gatherings. A distinctive emerged: whenever we have wider gatherings across all the spheres, we have people from the prayer networks and church leaders involved too. The pattern for this was established at three city-wide gatherings for about 5,000 people, from 2012 to 2014.
All the spheres have experienced various levels of success. Some have flourished and become strong, or quite strong, with considerable impact. For more details see the Timeline on the Together4Bristol website. Others have been OK, but have never fully developed. Here are some reflections on those strengths and weaknesses.
 

2. ASHTON GATE 2012	3. CASTLE PARK 2013

Strengths

Looking back, it was a key foundation in Bristol, to go through the process described above. The clear spheres diagram which emerged has given us the confidence to stick with the original eight spheres, even when there were struggles at different times.
It has been important to have an overall spheres facilitator, even if only volunteering for a day or so a week, to envision and encourage the individual sphere facilitators and help spheres that are struggling.
The spheres which have flourished the most, such as the Politics and Social Action sphere (Christian Action Bristol, or CAB), and the Arts sphere (Kingdom Creatives) have had an experienced facilitator, with a lot of time to give, and with access to funding.
The facilitator is key. Some of the biggest impact has been achieved because of an outstanding facilitator, to help, for example, CAB engage with Bristol City Council. There have been several projects, such as Food Banks and Warm Welcome Spaces (in 33 churches) or 15 Welcome Hubs for about 600 Ukrainian refugees (partnering with the Bristol team of the Good Faith Partnership).
CAB also has networks in 14 areas of social action, such as addiction, environment, homelessness, prison and ex-offenders, refugee and asylum support and trafficking and vulnerable women. Social action projects, such as the Bristol Noise, held every May Bank holiday since 2001, involve the most volunteers, with the biggest age range (from 5 to 85 years old). For example, Hope 2018 had 1400 volunteers from 93 churches, bringing transformation to urban estates through 170 projects, 15 Family Fun afternoons, in 25 communities.

4. THE NOISE

Funding is also key. Where the facilitator, plus a paid communicator on social media, have time, the difference is remarkable. When funding is available, for example from the Bristol Churches City Fund for social action projects, then much more can be achieved. For example, in 2020, £130k was raised to help food poverty during the pandemic lockdowns.
And every winter since January 2017, there has been a Bristol Churches Shelter, with over 500 volunteers from about 50 churches during its peak year. Longer term solutions are also being explored, such as Hope into Action: Bristol, run by inHope, This helps churches provide move-on housing for those affected by homelessness, with 3 tenants in each house, who are befriended by the partner churches.
Spheres, such as the Family sphere (Love Family), have been helped by having two facilitators, so that if one has to stop, there is continuity as another co-facilitator is found.
It is important to listen to each other and the Holy Spirit to form a clear vision for the sphere: for the kingdom of God, for justice and transformation in that sphere. The City Office has a One City Plan for Bristol to 2050, and the Christian community has a Vision to 2050 to Build Bristol as a City of Hope. It is also important to agree values as well, such as the Business sphere's “Gather! Grow! Go!”
It is very helpful to set up a core group around the facilitators. Where they have the calling and time available, and a good team is established, such as with Kingdom Creatives, linking about 350 creatives, much can be achieved. For example, mentoring about 50 during the difficult pandemic lockdowns.

5. LOVE FAMILY

It can be helpful to have a core group involving Christians from key organisations and charities. For example, Love Family started with the National Parenting Initiative, and now includes Relationships Academy, Home for Good, Parent Buddies, Mullers and Safe Families, partnering together. This also helps funding, for conferences or to engage with the council.
Prayer gatherings are foundational and key. If that is all a sphere does, that is OK: it is helpful and adds value. The Sport sphere, for example, gathers two or three times a year, to “Share, Sharpen and Support” each other and each others' ministries, including in evangelism, in which they are the most active of the spheres.
The Education sphere meets termly. Christians involved in Education send in their prayer requests, a small team listens to the Holy Spirit and the facilitator emails the encouraging words and pictures given, which are gratefully received.
The Health sphere places emphasis on prayer and worship that draws the presence of God, where healings and deliverance occur. Groups gather weekly on zoom to listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance and to pray, and weekly in person for worship. There is also an interesting variety of activity, from a very active Bristol Healing Rooms, (in varying locations across the city, on zoom, and on the streets), to a network for Christians involved in inner healing, to Christian Workplace Groups in hospitals and primary care.
For example, in 2016, about 60 Healthcare professionals had training in praying for healing from Randy Clark, who was leading a gathering for about 600 attendees, where there were some significant healings.
The Business and Workplace sphere brings together a variety of Christians involved in the workplace. Weekly prayer occurs on the Upper Reaches barge in a key workplace quarter of the city. It is also a venue for gatherings, including by Bristol Chaplaincy, with about 90 chaplains, and Transform Work, which links about 30 Christian Workplace Groups. Links are also made to courses, like Transformed Working Life, through those involved in the International Chamber of Christian Commerce (ICCC).

6. UPPER REACHES BARGE

 

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