People living close to St Luke's Church have been given a special offer by the congregation.
Members of the church in south-east Bristol have been visiting homes in the community during the past three years, offering to pray for residents.
Across a number of Saturdays, a group of volunteers have been knocking on doors and asking if there is anything the householders would like them to pray for in the following week, when the church will be praying for their road. They also handed out a leaflet giving details of activities at the church.
Through the Special Offer project, the team visited 2,852 houses and took 353 requests for prayer from those who answered. They also took requests on a specially created email account.
The idea for Special Offer grew out of that concern to share God's love. It felt important to go to where people are, in their homes, to make an offer that we would pray for something they wanted us to pray for.
The Revd Debbie Dewes, Vicar of St Lukes, said that over time Special Offer has become a normal part of life together as a church.
She said: Connecting with the community is not a new idea for us at St Lukes.
Three years ago, we had a growing concern regarding how we could bless our locality and community; how could we reach out with God's love in a way which was accessible and helpful, but also distinctive?
The idea for Special Offer grew out of that concern to share God's love. It felt important to go to where people are, in their homes, to make an offer that we would pray for something they wanted us to pray for.
We realised there was a need to break up the ground as a preparation to plant the seeds of faith. That we have certainly begun to do.
We would love our efforts to encourage others to do something similar, and to allow God to use this outreach to work in and through us for the sake of His kingdom and love.
What next?
- Set up a prayer team who can pray regularly for the needs of your community. Invite groups and individuals to let you know what you can pray for them.
- Read our How to... Guide on how to serve and engage with your community