A thriving church Warm Welcome Space with lots of activities

Ebenezer Church in north Bristol is a thriving community space with lots going on, as in so many of our Warm Welcome Spaces around the country.

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On Wednesdays every week the space hosts a senior citizens group. On Thursday mornings there is a drop-in community café where people of all ages come together: some older people sharing the space with families with young children. And on Fridays there’s a community breakfast followed, at the end of the day, by a fortnightly after-school hangout called Fish Finger Fridays for families.

Ebe Church hosted a packed Christmas get-together in December and has plans to repeat its popular Pancake Party on 4 March – both events to get new people to visit the space.

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The space is supported by everyone who visits, with guests helping to pack up after opening rather than all the work being done by volunteers!

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The building also hosts the offices of North Bristol and South Gloucestershire Foodbank as part of the UK-wide Trussell foodbank network, one of three Trussell foodbanks in Bristol and alongside several independent foodbanks in the city.

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Ebe Church is also host to a Kintsugi Wellbeing Group, a safe and supportive space for people of any background to attend. Group leaders take guests through a six-week programme to support people to maintain emotional and mental wellbeing in daily life. Subjects include anxiety, depression, shame, anger, disappointment and loss.

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Stewart North, one of the church leaders who runs the space, says: “It has been great to bring together all our community activities over the last few years under the Warm Welcome campaign and also start new weekly spaces for local residents from all ages and backgrounds to connect with each other. We have seen friendships and trust built across generations and are excited about the possibilities ahead, as we continue to develop our church community hub.”

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