Last Friday Chris Duffett and Stuart Earl arrived in the region we call WEBA. (Chris is on the right)
They wanted to encourage us to be Big Hearted; to capture a passion for those around us who God is seeking. So we had some gatherings; the leaders met at The Hub in Minchinhampton:
WEBA staff, trustees and others met for Curried Goat and Jerk Chicken at Rice & Things in Stokes Croft, Bristol, and heard stories of the people he's met and listened to:
On Saturday, 50 people gathered at Clarence Park Baptist Church for some Big Hearted Training. There was some of this:
But there was also some of this:
Going out into the town centre with trays full of free sweets, doughnuts, or fruit. If anyone asked why we told them it was a free gift to remind them that they are precious to God. This led to lots of smiles and a few long conversations.
On Sunday, after a service and lunch at Coleford Baptist Church, Chris and Stuart joined the WEBAY team for the first big youth event WEBA has staged for ages. It was a great success, with some powerful testimonies from our young people.
On Monday, small teams walked through the city centres of Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Bristol, noticing things they hadn't seen before, chatting with those who happened to be around.
Then Chris and Stuart went home. But we think that some of the things that happened last weekend weren't one-offs. We suspect they will lead to more.
We'd love to hear what your Big Hearted Weekend was like. Please write to ruth.whiter@webassoc.org.uk or just comment below.
