WORSHIP - Soup & Stay and Tea & Company trip off the tongue in
Sedbergh
From: New Street Methodist Church, Sedbergh
We are about to restart our monthly Soup &
Stay afternoons following a short break for
summer. Volunteers make wonderful homemade soups which are served with rolls and
tea/coffee between 12noon and 1pm. The
afternoon is spent on various activities, crafts
and games and the most popular session is
knitting and a lot of natter. We finish around
© Brian Wright
3pm with tea and biscuits. No charge is made
for the session. We try to do something different
for the last session in the summer and the photo shows us touring a local farm
in an unusual mode of transport!
Our Tea & Company sessions have also been very popular. These began as a
one-off Tea & Carols event around Christmas 2007, which people enjoyed and
urged us to continue. The winning format has proved to be a session spent
singing favourite hymns, enjoying readings, both serious and more frivolous
ones, and a good spread of food at teatime. Transport is provided, if requested.
Again there is no charge but those attending can make a donation and
collections up to £100 have been given to Haiti relief, MRDF and Action for
Children.
E-mail contact: Brian Wright mossbarn@ktdbroadband.com
LEARNING AND CARING - Celebrating diversity across the Methodist
Church
From: Methodist churches across the Connexion
For the first time, the Church’s Statistics for
Mission Report features data on language,
ethnicity, Fresh Expressions and the number of
churchgoers engaged in children and youth
ministry.
The report showed that at least 89 churches ran
worship or fellowship in a language other than
English or Welsh in 2009. Among the languages spoken were Afrikaans, Akan,
Cantonese, Portuguese, Lingala, Eritrean, Farsi, Fijian, French, Ga, Hindi,
Korean, Ibo, Indian, Kerala, Krio, Malayalam, Mandarin, Mende, Filipino,
Punjabi, Shona, Yoruba, Swahili, Tamil, Twi, Fanti, Urdu, Vietnamese and
Zimbabwean languages.
Revd John Chambers, a minister at Walworth Methodist Church in London,
said: “We have four fellowships in our church: Sierra Leone, Ghanaian,
Zimbabwean and Nigerian. During the year, each fellowship will hold a service;
parts of which will be given in a language that many people in the Church will
understand.
“It’s great because it acknowledges the diverse nature of our church. Holding
fellowships in this way has helped our church to grow. We have 500 members.
People will come to our church knowing that their ethnic tradition will be
acknowledged.”
The report also provided more detail on local Fresh Expressions than has ever
been collected before, identifying 893 Methodist fresh expressions. Cafe
Church, Messy Church, Third Place and cell group were the most popular.
A count charting Methodist participation in local ecumenical partnerships
demonstrated the high proportions of Methodists in these ecumenical churches.
Seven per cent of all Methodists (16,500 people) belong to an ecumenical
congregation.
Dr Christopher Stephens, Research Officer, said: “We are collecting these
statistics each year to get an accurate picture of who and what we are as a
Church in the 21st century. The report will enable us to support local churches
in their mission needs and help congregations do the same. This report reveals
that we are diverse and modern. We have a huge number of Fresh Expressions
and a wide breadth of worshipping communities.
“I think this report will surprise some readers, including Methodists. It
demonstrates clear areas of growth and a rich diversity that may reflect a
Methodist Church that is different from the general preconception.”
E-mail contact: mediaoffice@methodistchurch.org.uk
EVANGELISM - Mustard Seed grows to fit the whole community
From: Chapel en le Frith Methodist Church, High Peak Circuit
© Tim Wallace
The Mustard Seed is a new community based
project run by Chapel en le Frith Methodist
Church and aims to provide a welcoming,
friendly place providing coffee, tea and a range
of refreshments using Fairtrade and other
ethically sourced products whenever possible.
Internet facilities will be provided, which will
expand the opportunities that the Mustard Seed
can provide.
Apart from the coffee shop, we also want to show that the church is supporting
the local community through events such as a book club, dementia help group
or advice and information sessions. Groups that the church wants to target are:
Young people - a safe environment for young people to drop into for information
and social activities, including internet access, and a place for them to
undertake activities to develop and extend their faith.
30s to 40s - a meeting place to help develop relationships with the 30s to 40s,
particularly with parents, by attracting them in the early morning or afternoon
when they are taking and collecting their children from the local school.
Outside agencies - an opportunity for agencies to use the premises for
providing support and advice sessions.
The Mustard Seed is run by volunteers and has been supported through grants
from Manchester and Stockport District and Chapel en le Frith Parish Council,
which also donated computer equipment.
E-mail contact: Tim Wallace tim.hpco@btconnect.com
SERVICE - Church open for coffee and a haircut
From: Nether Whitacre Methodist Church, Birmingham Elmdon Circuit
Come along to the Nether Whitacre Methodist
Church on the first Thursday of the month and
you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and get your
haircut at the same time. The church has a
hairdressing business on the premises and once
a month runs a charity coffee morning where the
proceeds are donated to different charities.
The church is at the heart of the local growing
© Diane Webb
community and recently held membership
classes for six people. Being situated in the
beautiful north Warwickshire countryside, the church is an ideal spot for quiet
days or retreats and the buildings are well used by various groups throughout
the week.
E-mail contact: Mrs Diane Webb paws443@yahoo.co.uk