Local MP and a Church of England vicar will be discussing how to tackle problems like binge drinking, family breakdown and youth crime at a new café-style church service in Kingswood, Bristol.

Kingswood MP Chris Skidmore will be appearing at Bristol Community Church on Sunday 27th March, where he will answer questions about what is in store for the community over the next five years, and how major issues are being addressed.

He will be joined by Rev Andy Mason, who chairs the Street Pastors initiative, which was launched last month in Kingswood and sees Christians of all denominations taking to the streets on a Friday night to provide support and practical assistance where needed.

Pastor James Hennah of Bristol Community Church is organising the event and hopes it will allow people to engage with the church in a new way, as well as giving them an insight into the important matters affecting the community.

He said: “We are called Bristol Community Church and so local issues and people matter to us, because we believe they matter to God. At this time of financial difficulty and with the ongoing challenges of our culture and society, we are keen not just to talk about problems but also to find practical solutions and make a positive difference in this area. We want this event to be constructive and instructive, not political and divisive.”

Chris Skidmore MP for Kingswood added, “Churches in Kingswood have been vital to our local community for hundreds of years. I even raised this strong link in a speech in Parliament when I talked about Whitfield’s Tabernacle and the restoration work we are pushing for.

“From the campaigns I have run across the constituency we can see what can be achieved when we come together as a community – and whatever issues we are faced with in the future I’m sure that we can solve them together.”