LoveBristol Community Home Fundraiser

LoveBristol is a church and charity operating in Stokes Croft, Bristol, with four social enterprises and overseeing ten intentional community homes.

There are three community homes in our Bristol network located on a single street in Cotham. These are currently being sold by The George Muller Charitable Trust in order to allocate funds towards their extensive charitable work. LoveBristol and their supporters are diligently striving to secure the future of at least two of these homes for continued ministry.

Nearly three decades ago, these homes were established by George Muller and other individuals in the city as Intentional Christian communities . LoveBristol later joined the journey and helped expand the network.

The three Cotham homes have been intentional Christian communities, (an expression of ‘New Monasticism’ in the 21st century) for almost 450 community members. They have supported (without any additional government support) nearly 50 vulnerable people with a really diverse set of backgrounds and needs. It has been a rich and fruitful journey for all of us in it and yet another unique expression of faith in our city of refuge. The George Muller Charitable Trust's generosity has helped launch what is now possibly one of the largest networks of contemporary Christian intentional community anywhere in the world with, until recent weeks, 150 community members living in 15 homes across the city. We would love to continue the 180 years of this incredible residential support of vulnerable people in our city, which George Muller and his wife started in Wilson Street, St Pauls.

LoveBristol and friends are working hard to try and raise capital to purchase these unique properties, as we are sure you can imagine this has been somewhat of a rollercoaster journey. Last week we made our offer with a planned payment over 18 months. This has not been accepted and so now we are asking people in our city to join us in praying for the finances to enable us to pay the full amount at the time of purchase.

This week a large For Sale sign has gone up outside two of the three communities, which is a real and present reminder of the time pressure we are facing.

LoveBristol has found willing partners for the development of 18 additional spaces of social housing on the grounds of one of the houses plus we will be able to offer additional refugee housing, all connected to the community of 25 people living there and the 15 more community members living over the road. We have plans to start a volunteer-led community garden in one of the properties, offering social connection for the new home dwellers, and well-being benefits, and positive engagement with our neighbours. There will also be befriending opportunities for local churches and various training opportunities through innovative social enterprises on the site.

The next chapter, yet to be written, is to be an exciting development of what has been an amazing journey so far and we are asking you to pray for us as we try and get over the line of having an offer accepted. We have met some truly inspiring and generous people so far and if you can think of anyone specifically who might want to get involved in short-term lending or gifting please do feel free to forward this to them. We have some promises of lending so far and we will reduce the target as more offers are made to us. The current target is what we need in combination with a mortgage at the time of purchase.

Please do pray for us. Interestingly in recent months, we have been drawn to reading about George Muller, and his gift of faith, and this week someone sent us a powerful story of George Muller- delayed from a preaching engagement due to being stuck on a boat out at sea in the fog. His response to the captain's bad news, in classic George Muller style, was something of what we are seeking for ourselves in this situation: 'My eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.

Thank you for your love & support.

IMPORTANT NOTE IF THE PURCHASE DOES NOT PROCEED WE WILL CONTACT DONORS TO OFFER TO RETURN ALL DONATED FUNDS.