Information can be found on the following:

Evangelism
Alpha
EMI (Edinburgh Ministry Internship)
Home from Home
CARE Van
Visits to the Lom church

Other usage of our buildings

Evangelism

For us, evangelism is about sharing the joy of the good news of Jesus. We believe in doing this through building relationships of love, care and concern that reflect the Father-heart of God.

Alpha

Alpha courses are run on a regular basis to allow people to explore what Christianity is all about in a relaxed atmosphere where questions can be answered openly.

Course content covers Who is Jesus?, Why did Jesus Die?, How Can I be Sure of My Faith?, Why and How Should I Read the Bible? Why and How do I Pray?, How Does God Guide Us?, Who is the Holy Spirit?, What Does the Holy Spirit Do?, How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?, How Can I Resist Evil?, Why and How Should we Tell Others? Does God Heal Today?, What About the Church?, How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of my Life. 

Visit the ALPHA website

Edinburgh Ministry Internship

Click here for details on the Edinburgh Minitry Internship programme for 2008-09. Further Information from, and all applications to, Dr Jim Purves on bristobaptistchurch@bigfoot.com, or telephone UK 0131 332 3682.

Home from Home

Home for Home offers an opportunity for international students, or those new to Edinburgh, to improve their English with a qualified TEFL teacher. Classes are free and creche facilities can be provided. For further enquiries please contact Jim Purves (Pastor) on 332 3682 or email bristobaptistchurch@bigfoot.com

CARE Van

Approximately once a month a small team from Bristo Baptist reach out to Edinburgh's homeless community through their involvement in the CARE Van.

Visits to the Lom church

April 2006

April 2006 Visit

Pictures
Reflections

The exterior of the Lom church building ...

... and some pictures taken after the Sunday morning service ...

Outside one of the little village churches we visited ...





The hotel where we stayed ...




Views of the Danube, which is within a stone's throw of the hotel.
On the other side of the Danube is Romania...






Lom town centre square ...




... and Lom High Street...




We went on a day trip to Belogradchik, where some of our party visited an Orphanage,
while others visited the ruins of a fortress...

Reflections on a visit to Lom

Having had a few days now to reflect upon the most recent visit to Lom by a party from our church, my most enduring memory is of a hospitable and humble people who readily embraced God's moving among them. For some in our party it was a case of 'Welcome back'; but for others, like myself, it was an opportunity to meet these dear brothers and sisters for the first time and to experience first hand their warmth and fellowship. And I was not disappointed.

Bulgaria is a land of contrasts. Poverty co-exists with affluent wealth. The drab outlook of the Sofia suburbs, standing testimony to the harsh realities of life for much of the urban population, soon gives way to breathtaking rustic scenery. Those in the rural villages, still living and working as their forefathers did generations earlier, have a richness and depth to community living which we have all but lost. The church people, many of whom belong to the Roma community, have a hunger and desire for the Person and Presence of God which many here in the West have either lost or have surrendered for a godless version of Christianity which has neither sacrificial love, transformative power nor an expectancy for God to move among His people. All this caused me to reflect and wonder, 'Who are really the 'rich' ones and who are really the 'poor' ones'?

Nevertheless, the widespread unemployment (some estimates place this at 80% in Lom) makes life very difficult for much of the population, church people included. Yet they have a resilience and pragmatism to life which we would do well to observe. It was humbling to receive from these dear people, many of whom gave generously from what little they had. They were honoured to have us among them. I only hope they knew how honoured we also felt to be with them.

Our church party consisted of Jim & Jennifer, Maureen, Jeanette, Neil & Judy, Stuart (who attends the Wed. cell group), Sharon (daughter of Jess) and myself. Not one of us was left untouched as God not only worked through us to channel his blessings to others but He also worked in us, to challenge us and to refresh us. It was a time of spiritual enrichment, as the Lord clearly spoke to us as we ministered to others, bringing His healing, His Word and His Spirit into their lives. It is always a humbling occasion to be used of the Lord in this way, and it left us with a deep lasting joy and sense of renewal as we saw Him so clearly move and work in His people's lives.

Two lasting impressions remain with me; firstly, the Sunday afternoon service held in a small house-church in an outlying village to Lom, and secondly, the time of prayer held for the Lom congregation later that same day. In that little village we met brothers and sisters who materially had nothing yet who gathered together in the Lord's Name to worship Him. This had quite an impact on me and it was a privilege to bring God's Word to them and to hear their testimonies of how the Lord worked in their lives. Later at the Lom church we gathered to pray for anyone who desired prayer. A good many of the congregation attended, a sobering fact for us here at Bristo. Jim asked us to discipline ourselves only to pray what we felt the Lord had put on our heart to pray. When people came up individually for prayer the Lord clearly led us what to pray for and many were touched by the Lord that night, a fact testified to the following evening when we met with the church for a farewell social gathering and time of fellowship and testimony.

There is much more I could say. I could speak further of fellowship shared, of lasting impressions, of spiritual renewal, of God moving both among the team and the Lom fellowship, of small and large acts of kindness and generosity, but I left with a deep impression that one day I will be back and that the Lord has granted me the awesome privilege of sharing His Word and my life with these brothers and sisters. We here at Bristo have a responsibility to discern His leading in how we further partner and support our brothers and sisters in that little North Western corner of Bulgaria. I do not speak lightly when I say that there is the beginning of a wonderful work of God in that small town and its surroundings, and that we have an important part of play.

"O Lord, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

David Polland

Click here to read about 2007 visit.

Other usage of our buildings

Bethany Night Shelter - http://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/

Alcoholics Anonymous group - http://aa-edinburgh.org/