Freedom Bath & Bristol - Exciting Arts Projects and Developments!
"We are
building unstoppably an influential community of Jesus lovers. Who serve, give, laugh, love and take very seriously the title of Jesus followers, but don't take themselves seriously! As grace dependant, muddled, yet powerful carriers of the kingdom message of hope, light, purpose and love." is how Freedom Bath and Bristol church leader, Betsy de Thierry describes her congregation! Find out how this organic church's distinctly 'arty' character tackles gritty emotional issues like loss of children and trauma.
(PICTURE: BETSY AND HUSBAND ANDREW DE THIERRY).
Meeting this fifth generation pastor, who set up her first church at the age of 18 and moved to Bath specifically to lead a church is like meeting a whirling dervish of ideas, energy and colour.
Talk about her research studies into creative therapy – art with presence of God, is intermixed with a bubbly personality and insistence that 'we're all muddled and none of us really know what we're doing; its all about Jesus.'
Hard to believe she doesn't know what she's doing, when you hear about the art college, prison work and fashion show she spearheads! Even harder, when you hear about plans for the new church building and planned rooftop jacuzzi baptism pool....
"We have four streams; Reach, Empower, Connect, Set Free - We want to reach people in anyway we can possibly reach them, then connect their hearts to God - not just their brains in a tangible life-changing way, connect them to each other and connect them with church and make a real routed connection with church.
"We want to set them free from pains and baggage by enabling them to process trauma and process life's hurts. Set them free from all that the enemy's put on them and empower them in any way we can, to be confident, bold, audacious and pleased to be themselves in their unique way. We want them to know no-one is perfect - we need each other. For them to see God dreams come to the pass in their lives."
A key 'Reach' project is the annual 'Lost and Found' art exhibition for unborn 
babies, taking place at the Paintworks Event Space in Bristol, in aid of SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity). Artist and trained counsellor Betsy has a leading hand in creating this installation work, where visitors of faith and no faith can remember stillborn children, those miscarried, those which have died in the early stages of life and those longed for - not yet received.
"We're trying to create a safe place for men and women to come and remember and grieve the lost lives and lost hopes believing that in doing that that will recognise their need and find God.
"In western society we rarely get in touch with the place of need deep in our hearts, this exhibition is a way for people to get in touch with that and God to meet them in that space. Its a place for people to find God. About five of us from our church, who were artists had lost babies and done IVF which hadn't worked yet. We have men in their sixties turn up and say 'I didn't realise how much trauma was inside and now I can get into that space and start my life again'. People say 'I've wasted all my life because I stopped living the moment my child died and now I feel can learn how to live again'. Christians were able to come and grieve and get into that space of the loving arms of Jesus." says Betsy who has personal experience of such losses.
The strong strand of art is at play in the annual fashion show created by Freedom Bath as well as the only church-based Visual Arts College, which is based in their current church building. "We are the only visual arts college - that's fine arts, painting, sculpture and ceramics in Europe as far as we know." Aimed at graduates, but currently they have offered homeless man a scholarship, the college gives much more than art training, giving up to ten students the opportunity to work on the message they want to convey and God's call to them. Business and finance are also taught and each pupil leaves with a business plan.
"90% of arts graduates don't work in the arts industry, and we believe that our generation understand things through visual communications - not so much words." Betsy explains.
A clothing company, and beginning to lead worship the third Sunday of each month at a prison in Bristol and a food bank are also part of the 'Reach' mission. The church is also opening a house for vulnerable women, based between Bath and Bristol in December. CAP 
(Christians Against Poverty) have their Bath office paid for and hosted by Freedom Bath - in fact the church was one of the first in Britain to support them.
A writer's group, ten music bands and even a film-making team - the church employs two film-makers - have acome out of the church's creative environment.
"We create films for exhibitions and weekly churn out news and events." Explains Betsy.
Her passion and conviction to see people freed from trauma is borne out with the extensive resources for counselling and helping people to move on from trauma. "Four of the staff here are life coaches, we have a psychotherapist, two counsellors and a sex therapist. It's so important to get your sex life right – if you get strong marriages you get strong church." says Betsy.
As part of her studies she has set up groups for men and women in the church to deal with trauma and her next venture is a 'Maximising Life' group, soon to begin meeting in Starbuck's coffee house.
"In Starbuck's we'll be offering a life coach counselling perspective 'Recovery from trauma' and will be led by the church's trained staff. There will be a very experienced counsellor combining the hope message of Jesus with Psychology." she says.
The author of 'Making Your Mess Your Message' - a book about 'breaking the 
ceiling of your life' and experiencing real freedom, 'What Now?' on discipleship and other titles including 'Garments of Freedom - A Journey of healing for a Woman's Heart', Betsy has a rich heritage of church leaders behind her.
"My Great Grannie and Grandpa were pioneer missionaries to kenya in 1901 and I'm the first generation to not be anglican. I have an ancestry of bishops and clergy. In my first church I had 450 members in Cheltenham. I went to university to set up that church, whilst I studied my Theology degree. I researched which university had a small Christian input."
Betsy met Andrew as she finished her degree, married him one month after graduation, "It was the obvious thing to do - we were called together" she explains. Mike Pilavachi spoke at their wedding and Matt Redman led the worship. They have four sons.
The couple moved to Bath in 1999; specifically to start a church in the city, which was 
originally known as Bath Vineyard. Bath Vineyard went on to be part of Christian City Church, (like Hill Song and C3) before it took on its own Board of Overseers and became Freedom Bath and Bristol.
Betsy's dynamic approach to creating projects that produce freedom shows no signs of letting up! With a planned premises move to a new building, on a plot on the Lower Bristol Road. "Its going to have a 1,000 seat auditorium full of sofas and cushions for seating and be very contemporary, informal and non-religious.
"The baptism pool will also be used to bless people in the community, such as single tired mum's."
Betsy has spoken internationally - in New York, Uganda and Amsterdam. The church as links with four countries; including Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong, and her St Stephen's House project for addicts, a thrice yearly Theology and Business College for pastors near Nairobi in Africa, work in the Middle East and a £40,000 Ministry Centre in Romania for deprived children.