News

Faith at Home is a national campaign that builds on the work of Growing Faith and Everyday Faith to support the faith development and pastoral care of children and young people.

Her Majesty The Queen has approved the appointment of Canon Dr Mandy Ford as the new Dean of Bristol.

As lockdown continues and church services continue take place online, new services to support parishes in continuing to encourage generosity are having a significant and positive impact.

New research shows that young families with children under five could be a vital element for church growth. 

Synod report from March 2020

To support 'Life groups' in his benefice, Revd Mark Terry has produced 10 sessions titled 'Faith without walls'.

For such a time as this, Roger has successfully built on the contribution of our rich liturgy. 

Bishop Viv explores what impact Covid 19 might have on the diocese, the church and the future. This was originally written for a Bishop’s Council meeting on Thursday 7 May.

On Sunday 10 May, the Bishop of Swindon began a 120 mile cycle ride that he will complete over this Christian Aid Week 10 - 16 May 2020.

Due to Covid-19 Thy Kingdom Come is going to look slightly different this year, but we are still uniting, across the globe to pray 'Thy Kingdom Come'

If you’ve wondered what the size of your church's energy footprint might be, help is now at hand. The Church of England has launched a new, simple tool to measure the amount of carbon produced annually by heating and lighting your church buildings.

The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce the appointment of the Revd Sue Gent.

While our church buildings are closed, it's more important than ever to offer people different ways to give money to support the church. 

One aspect of Covid-19 that is in almost every news bulletin is the financial impact that it will have, what should you do?

The coronavirus outbreak has changed daily life for us all. Some of us are serving as frontline keyworkers, others are still travelling to and from work whilst maintaining social distancing.

his message from Bishop Lee was broadcast on Easter Sunday 2020 on BBC Radio Wilts.

With Easter this weekend, YourNeighbour.org wants to get the message far and wide that the Church is here for the nation.

Archdeacon of Bristol, The Venerable Neil Warwick offers a messages for Palm Sunday and a call for us all to reconnect with God.

Your church has been given a Church Fundraising Handbook, but is it gathering dust on a shelf?

Tap Twinning: A Tearfund campaign to Stop The Spread of Coronavirus

There are a range of new and existing Christian resources available for people to engage with at this difficult and challenging time in the life of the nation and the world.

Candles have been burning in windows across the Diocese as Christians pray for all those affected by the Coronavirus.

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that Revd Elveen Mead has been appointed vicar of Stratton.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, it is imperative that for the health of the nation and in order for the National Health Service itself to manage the increase in those requiring medical help.

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that Revd Canon Raymond Adams has been appointed Acting Area Dean of Swindon, effective from 1 April.

Churches are stepping up to help thousands of worshippers and the many others who looking for spiritual, practical and emotional support as they face the challenge of the coronavirus.

Church leaders in Britain and Ireland have called on Christians to take part in a National Day of Prayer and Action about Coronavirus on Sunday 22 March.

While out cycling in January, Rt Revd Lee Rayfield, Bishop of Swindon, came off his bike after hitting a patch of black ice.

Representatives of different faiths in Bristol - including the Anglican Church - have launched a Faith Manifesto that shares five goals that they believe will contribute to the future well-being of the city.

We appreciate that there has been growing concern within the Diocese about the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Five congregations in North Wiltshire have taken on a challenge to go green this Lent.

Our grateful thanks for your church gift of Parish Share in 2019

A Bristol church has been finding ways of cutting its carbon footprint with an Energy Audit of its building.

41% of practising Christians say that a spiritual experience or an experience of the love of Jesus was a key influence in their coming to faith – so if we help more people to experience God’s love and presence, more of them will come to know him for themselves.

Hosted by North Wiltshire Deanery Tuesday 24 March 10.am to 2.30pm at St Mary’s Hullavington.

At the end of January 2020, Langley Fitzurse Church of England School, near Chippenham, held a Ghana Day to raise money for the young woman they sponsor. It was bit different from the usual cake sale!

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that as part of the re-shaping of the Ministry Development Team, Revd Dr Rod Symmons is to take the role of Adviser for Curacy.

The Church of England’s General Synod has set new targets for all parts of the church to work to become carbon ‘net zero’ by 2030.

Reaching out to the community can mean different things in different contexts. Fr Charles Sutton, Vicar at All Saints Clifton, reflects on how the church is offering the Christian message to the shops and businesses in Clifton.

A Bristol church is bringing together a group of four Christians to experience a modern monastic lifestyle in the city.

St Andrews Church Castle Combe has recently started using the Goodbox Core to help it fundraise through contactless giving. Michael Constable, treasurer at the church, reflects on its impact.

On Tuesdays in Lent, the Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, will offer a series of reflections at Bristol Cathedral on the climate crisis, drawing on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2020 Saying Yes to Life by Ruth Valerio.

While out cycling in January, Rt Revd Lee Rayfield, Bishop of Swindon, came off his bike after hitting a patch of black ice, and needed a five hour operation on his leg and now faces the slow process of recovery. He shares his experience and reflects on how God is speaking to him through the accident.

In his new book ‘invitation to heal’, Michael Harvey considers the scientific links between the act of invitation and healing, drawing from Luke 9 where Jesus sends the disciples out to preach the Good News and to heal.

A day conference to support churches in taking further action to care for our shared environment.

One of the ways B+A Church in Bristol gathers together is through its Little Churches. These are communities of people that meet throughout the week on different days in the church, homes, pubs and other venues across Bristol.

We are so excited about Thy Kingdom Come 2020! Between 21 May and 31 May 2020, millions of Christians worldwide will unite in praying that more people would come to know the amazing love of Christ.

Neighbourly is an online platform connecting businesses with causes. This generally looks like donations of food surplus, volunteer teams going out for a day to join a project, and sometimes funding.

As it comes up to the end of the financial year, now is a good time to review Gift Aid, and to make sure that your congregation are making the most of this opportunity.

Safeguarding in the Church of England has changed considerably in recent years, and is likely to continue changing in the foreseeable future.

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce the appointment of Fr Toby Boutle as the priest-in-charge of the parish of Swindon New Town.

This years focus is on the Environment. Get your copy of the Archbishop of Canterburys Lent book (with accompanying videos and group questions), as well as corresponding booklets with reflections for both adults and children.

Amplify is a partnership between; Hope Together, The Message, Youth For Christ, Pais Movement, Church Of England, Scripture Union, Alpha, Luis Palau, Redeemed Christian Church Of God and the Evangelical Alliance.

Over the last two nights, BBC2 broadcast Exposed: The Church's Darkest Secret, which looked at the sexual abuse carried out by the former Bishop of Gloucester, Peter Ball, and the attempts to bring him to justice.

Please click the link below to download the latest Diocesan Board of Education newsletter for Term 3 (2019/20).The newsletter is for heads, teachers, governors, church school workers, clergy and anyone else who may benefit.

Light the Night is a beautiful and uniquely peaceful way to honour the memory of loved ones. Light the Night launched in Bristol in 2019 with thousands of candles lit up in St Pauls Graveyard, Bedminster.

This Christmas message was originally given as at the Christmas Day Eucharist at Bristol Cathedral 2019.

The Parish Giving Scheme is growing across the Diocese with 66 churches and just under 1,100 donors now using the scheme.

Happy Christmas from the Diocesan Support Services team!

Members of the Avonside Evangelism Group took to standing at a train station to invite commuters to Christmas services recently. Revd John Monaghan, vicar of St Edyth's, Sea Mills, reflects on their efforts.

AYF Uganda Choir is returning to the Diocese of Bristol in the New Year for a concert at St Barnabas Church in Swindon.

Image by Pete WilsonChurches in Swindon have been working together to put on a three-week Christmas fair.With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Old Town partnership of churches.

Christmas is a time of giving - but it can also be a time of waste. From the plastic packaging to the piles of wrapping paper and wasted food filling our dustbins, festivities can have an unseen impact on our environment. 

Case Study of Good PracticeSutton Benger and Langley Fitzurse in the Draycot Benefice, along with Kington St Michael who is part of the Chippenham Deanery, are schools which all have a school worship council.

Children will be blasting off for Christmas when an astronaut brings good news to a Swindon church service.

Children at St Helen's CE Primary School have been making their voices heard as they raised awareness of the Climate Emergency.

The Church of Englands Environmental Advisory Group has called for all parts of the Church to recognise the Climate Crisis and step up its action to safeguard God's creation.

In this stewardship update; FREE Church Fundraising Guide, an updated Diocesan grants guide, a new parish giving scheme resource and contactless giving deals.Church Fundraising Handbook.

With dragons, talking carrots, and even a surprise comeback for ET all vying for centre stage in the annual festive advertising bonanza.

Coordinated by the Bishop of Bristols OfficeAs faith leaders in the city of Bristol, we are proud of this beautiful, diverse and creative city.

Revd Dr Cathy Okoronkwo, who was appointed Vicar of All Saints and St Barnabas, Swindon in September, recently represented the Diocese at the CMEAC DLP/MEAC Officers residential conference.

Remember to update your A Church Near You pages with your Advent and Christmas services and events! A Church Near You receives more than 12 million page views each year and 81 per cent of people who come to the site are first-time visitors.

Promote Christmas services without the hassle this Christmas…Premier Digital Award winners Go Chatter have launched a new customisable video website.

Swindons newest Anglican church turned one this week. Having launched at the start of December 2018, Pattern Church celebrated its first birthday on Sunday 1 December, with two services at 10am and 4:30pm at the Platform on Faringdon Road.

Today is Black Friday that moment in the year when shops and websites offer huge savings as they attempt to tempt customers into spending their money.

Englands cathedrals have witnessed their highest Easter congregation numbers in recent years, while visitor numbers increased by a million on the previous year, statistics published today show.Bristol Cathedral has followed the trend seeing more peop

This year's Diocesan Education Conference took place in November. The day was enjoyed by school leaders: headteachers, senior leaders, clergy and church workers who engage with young people and schools.

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that Becky Waring has been appointed Area Dean of Bristol South. Becky has the been vicar of St Martins Knowle since 2016. Previous to her ministry at St Martins, Becky was a Lice

The Bishop of Bristol, Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, is pleased to announce that Will Fairbairn has been appointed vicar of Redland Church in Bristol.Will has been curate of Ascension Church in Southampton since 2017. Prior to that he spent three years at

Four churches across the Diocese have received our first Eco Church awards.

When the vote was passed unanimously, the room filled with cheers, applause and even a whistle or two.

As a head teacher, you may expect any number of questions from parents when you launch a new school uniform but does it crinkle? is a rather unusual one! Yet at The Deanery CE Academy in Swindon its a fair question to ask, as the uniforms are partly

A range of events linked to our support of Dementia Friendly Church are running this November.

And God blessed them...I wonder what you think blessing someone or something means or achieves (and Bishops do lots of blessings of people and of things, in my early experience particularly of loos)?

Prayer is an amazing gift which strengthens our relationship with God; it has the power to change us and the world around us.

In late May Pattern Church in Swindon was awarded a significant Allchurches Trust grant for which the church and the Diocese is extremely grateful.

Across the Diocese acts of remembrance took place on Remembrance Sunday as those who serve and have fallen to protect our democratic rights are remembered. Thousands joined services across at churches right across our region to participate.

Please click the link below to download the second Diocesan Board of Education newsletter of the year.

To fulfil our call to proclaim afresh the Good News in each generation, the Diocese has, through its 'Creating connections' vision prioritised reconnecting with children and teenagers, young adults and families.

The parish of Parks and Walcot, Swindon is amongst the 10% most deprived in the country and receives Lowest Income Communities Funding. This has supported them in developing a ministry amongst unchurched women on the estate.

When a much valued Rector leaves a group of 8 rural parishes to move on to be an Archdeacon there is a temptation to feel things are never going to be as good again. But of course that is not the case.When Revd Christopher Bryan left the Gauzebrook P

Who will you nominate for a 2020 DAC Award?Each year the DAC recognises a number of projects via its awards scheme.

In 2018, as part of the Statistics for Mission returns, parishes across the country were asked whether they had run any enquiry or Christian basics courses that year.

Christ Church Infants School and Christ Church Downend have been working together, welcoming each other to their premises and sharing events for many years.

Bishop Viv has chosen Saying Yes to Life by Ruth Valerio as the Diocesan Lent book for 2020. This forms part of a Church of England Lent campaign. Churches are encouraged to use the resources for their Lent courses and the spiritual and practical act

#FollowTheStar 2019Follow the Star invites you to experience the wonder and excitement of the Wise Mens journey as they travel towards Jesus.

One of the glories of the Church of England is its liturgical worship and the patterns, forms and words through which public worship is conducted.

Mothers Union has gone into partnership with The Clewer Initiative to support the tackling of Modern Day Slavery. (The Clewer Initiative is the Church of England's response to Modern Day Slavery).

Written by Aura Hart, Mothers Union Diocesan PresidentAs part of the Uganda 50 celebration, we who are members of the Mothers Union in the Diocese of Bristol were delighted to have the opportunity to meet up with fellow members from Uganda they were

The Diocese of Bristol is committed to engaging with younger generations and to growing leaders of all ages to serve in both the church and the world.