trinity harbourside 003a

trinity:harbourside A New Anglican Church Planting Initiative to Serve Bristol City Centre

BETA COPY - not for general release

trinity:harbourside

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To create accessible church environments in Bristol City Centre where irreligious people and Christians can meet God together ...

trinity:harbourside Although the centre of Bristol is one of the busiest and liveliest places in the city it is served by only a handful of churches. Yet the centre of Bristol is a place of great need.

Thousands of people pass through the centre each week. people of all ages and races, of all religions and none, who visit the city centre for business, education or pleasure.

The Harbourside is a particularly significant area. It is the focus of Bristol city’s regeneration, and has become a popular meeting place for teenagers, families, young people and adults. In a city in love with festivals, the Harbourside is the location of some of the most vibrant fesitvals each year.

The centre of Bristol is a location within which the church can explore new ways of reaching the people it serves with the Gospel. Quite simply, there should be more vibrant and varied churches reaching out to the city centre population.

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INTRODUCTION

trinity:harbourside

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To create a church in Bristol City Centre where irreligious people and Christians can flourish as they meet God together ...

trinity:harbourside The vision for trinity:harbourside is to create a church which works across existing church boundaries in the difficult area of cross-cultural mission and evangelism.

The church is ‘Organic’, that is, flexible and innovative, supported by and supporting existing churches but working without the bind of history.

It will help build a ‘Network’ of churches and expressions of church in the area, each remaining independently viable, but interdependent in ministries, which together form a strong spiritual force within the area.

Foreseeing future growth in all churches in the Network, the churches form a Christian ‘Campus’ in the city centre. The word Campus encapulates the desire for a learning, discipleship community of Christians.

Finally, this structure thrives on reproduction, and trinity:harbourside will be a ‘Planting’ church. Perhaps not every church can be a church planting church, but at the heart of the development of Organic, Network, Campus churches has to be a church planting strategy promoting the cultivation of new communities. trinity:harbourside has alreaady identified a number of places for future church plants.

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VISION

trinity:harbourside ... an organic church ... grows within an existing group of churches, where it uses its freedom to explore new methods of ministry ...

trinity:harbourside ... a network church ... connected to a number of expressions of church, some of which are historic, some of which it has established ...

MODELS of CHURCH

trinity:harbourside a campus church ... ... bringing together a new and old churches to create a shared learning environment to promote discipleship ...

trinity:harbourside a planting church ... ... has within its structure the abiltiy to reproduce. The church becomes a training church for future leaders ...

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MODELS of CHURCH

trinity:harbourside

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Quite simply, there should be more vibrant and varied churches reaching out to the city centre population ...

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WATERSHED

FERRY STATION This map shows the general area for the proposed new church. The area has a small residential community, which is increasing as Cannons Marsh is developed. The housing covers a mix of student, single person flats and houses.

Leisure dominates the area - bars, restaurants, the main casino, and shopping. The buildings identified are the initial meeting places for trinity:harbourside

JACKS BRASSERIE

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LOCATION

trinity:harbourside

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The Harbourside is a popular meeting place for teenagers, families, young people and adults ...

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THE FERRY STATION, NARROW QUAY, HARBOURSIDE

JACKS BRASSERIE, HANNOVER QUAY, HARBOURSIDE

THE WATERSHED, CANNONS ROAD, HARBOURSIDE

The Ferry Station Cafe holds about 50 people in the hold of a permanently moored boat.

Jacks Brasserie can accommodate about 100 people in its first floor function room owned by the Harbour authorities.

The Watershed is one of the premier meeting and conference venues in the city centre. It can hold up to 200 people

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VENUES

OPINIONS ALOUD sharing your views on faith ...

Opinions Aloud is a discussion group open to anyone to come and discuss issues of faith. It will meet on the the Ferry Station bi-weekly at weekends, and occasionally over lunch time for people working in the area.

URBAN OUTDOORS taking youth work outside ... in the city Urban Outdoors makes use of the environment around trinity:harbourside for its youth work. It uses climbing, sailing, canoeing, as well as challenging mountain treks in the nearby Brecons as mission opportunities for reaching teenagers from different backgrounds

MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

THE MATTHEW sharing our common heritage ...

The Matthew is a Bristol landmark - a replica ship moored alonside the SS Great Britain. By working with the operators, trinity:harbourside will be able to share the use of this historic ship as a popular venue for mission evenings, making it widely available to other churches in the city.

COLLEGE GREEN building on what has gone before ...

Trinity College has been working outside the cathedral for two years. trinity:harbourside will be able to offer support to the ministry team already placed there, offereing places for coffee, discussion and discipleship as the young people develop their interest in faith.

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MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

trinity:initiatives

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To create a culture which values and encourages grass roots innovation in mission, ministry and service ...

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Creating a church which empowers the creativity of its members trinity:harbourside encourages outwardlooking aspirations in its members. It dispels the notion that to be successful in ministry is to be highly placed in church.

Instead, it will promote the idea that the church will express its purpose best when it is effectively engaged with the community it serves.

This is an essential part of the vision of trinity:harbourside. In resposne to this key value trinity:initiatives has been formed. It enables partners and members of the church to bring talents and gifts into effective ministry in the community.

Through trinity:initiatives the church will collect and critique new ideas for mission, and determine the most practical ways these ideas can be implemented. Through trinity:initiatives the church will assess and support future church planting initiatives.

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trinity:initiatives

trinity:harbourside Diocese of Bristol trinity:harbourside is conceived first and foremost as an Anglican church in the Diocese of Bristol. The support of the Bristol Diocese is a key compenent in building a viable new Anglican church in the city.

Trinity College Trinity College will be a key partner. Partnership with the college offers a depth of academic, theological and ministerial experience on which the church can draw over time as trinity:harbourside itself becomes a training church.

Willow Creek Association The Willow Creek Association continues to be a major influence on church development across the world. The WCA is an ideal partner in developing a leadership team which thinks strategically and evangelistically.

Other partners trinity:harbourside will be exploring partnerships with existing parish churches in the city centre, hoping to complement existing structures and ministries in the city. We will also explore partnerships with other institutions and organisations in the city.

PARTNERSHIPS

A Struture for Church Development and Planting

What About Funding and Financial Security?

trinity:harbourside has proposed a

trinity:harbourside is a self-supporting

structure to enable current ministry and

venture, not looking for funding from the

future church planting. The aim is to bring

Diocese of Bristol

together highly competent people with specific expertise to put the church on a

We are exploring a new approach to

solid foundation.

funding. We believe that people will support a strong vision, and that planting a

1

We have started to fill four strategic

roles: vision, finance and legal, administra-

vibrant, mission based church in the centre of Bristol is a strong vision.

tion, culture and media.

2

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We have identified individuals who

We will be seeking financial support from

are capable and interested in develping

individuals and organisations across the

each of the four mission opportunities

world who wish to partner with us in this

described above - the Matthew, Urban

venture. We expect to be able to raise the

Outdoors, Opinions Aloud and College

necessary funds for the hire of venues and

Green.

equipment,

3

advertising and printing, and for paying

Finally, we will build particular future

ministries around the gifts of individual

staff salaries until the church becomes fully

members of the church.

self-supporting.

STRUCTURE & FUNDING

trinity:harbourside © COPYRIGHT

CONTACT LEIGHTON CARR

+44 7872 164 278