B&A Church: Sharing Meals with Others Opens Hearts

Case Study: B&A Church helping provide food for people in Welcome Spaces

Christians across Bristol have supported people impacted by the cost of living crisis in many different ways.

Church-based ‘Welcome Spaces’ have provided not just practical needs like food and warmth, but also a sense of community, support and friendship to many who’ve struggled with COVID's ongoing and compounding impacts and these challenging times. 

B&A Church is based on Gloucester Road in Bishopston. They started their own weekly meal ‘Soul Food’ for homeless and vulnerable people in 2019 but quickly realised they could support and serve other churches as well. 

“We don't know what the economic climate will be like. However, indications are that the cost of living crisis will worsen in certain areas of the city. And therefore the importance of welcoming spaces in areas of deprivation will increase.”

"Many churches don't have the infrastructure to prepare weekly meals. Whereas actually if we got some funding together and employed a couple of chefs to do that infrastructure, that could mean that churches who wouldn't otherwise be able to meet the physical need for food in their community would be able to do that.'

“Why don't we do that?” said the Rev. James Stevenson, Vicar of B&A Church.

By managing the whole ingredients-to-hot-meal process from start to finish, B&A Church practically supports other churches across the city. They now cook around 300 free hot meals a week and partner churches pick up the cooked food to take back to their own local communities. 

“We are not planning to wrap this thing up but increase food provision. We're looking at what it would be like to produce 600 meals a week for multiple spaces around the city.”

“In Luke's gospel, Jesus is either on his way to a meal, on his way to a meal or is at a meal. And our experience is that meals and sharing meals with others opens our hearts."

BCCF grants help deliver targeted positive impact to critical needs across Bristol. Your donations enable local projects like this one to serve and support local people.

For more information

• visit www.babristol.org or

• watch the B&A Love Your Neighbour Winter Appeal 2022 video.

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