Mission statement: Purpose and planning

Mission

Saint Stephen’s, Bristol’s harbourside church, is deeply rooted in Christian devotion, founded within the ancient sacred city on the banks of the rivers Frome and Avon.

The maritime City has pioneered endeavour from explorers to Brunel with trans-Atlantic trade and travel generating a legacy of wealth, wounds and tensions.

Inheriting this space for Christian mission in the present millennium inspires both humility and vocation. The call is to continue the story – with hope that rises from God’s reconciling and healing love.

Our task is to inspire and enable this mission by:

• Connecting with people who make the life of the city
• Modelling work and programmes shaped by the Gospel
• Developing community and commitment with Christ at the source.

Guided by these signposts we are called to build a community with capacity to offer the City a centre for engaged spirituality. This is the service of the Gospel, amidst a culture of curiosity, spiritual exploration and individual journeys of faith.

In response, we are offering experiences to open people to the life of the Spirit through meditation, music and prayer of the heart.

We are opening doorways to exploring faith creatively through visual arts, singing, dance and performance.

We have encountered growing interest in the care of Creation and relationships which honor the Creator within movements to protect and conserve the environment and natural resources – translating into communion and the sacred.