Latest News:
Art Exhibition at Wellington MC
Saltmine Theatre Company 
Connexional News
Stand Up to Racism
All We Can Bicycle Campaign
In case you missed it:
Noah Online Holiday Club - tomorrow!
Missional-Discipleship Enabler post
Bentley MC items
British Methodist Youth Choir
Dial-a-prayer free phone line
District Children's Support Fund update

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Wellington Methodist Church Art Exhibition 2020

For the last nine years the Art Groups at Wellington Methodist Church have organised an exhibition for Art Group members and local artists to exhibit their work. This summer 2020 it has been cancelled at the Church due to the social limitations of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they decided to have an online exhibition instead. The exhibition will be online from Friday 7th - 28th August, on the new local Creative Arts and Crafts web site:

www.creativeartsandcrafts.co.uk

This will be their tenth Art Exhibition, held in a very different way to their previous ones, the first nine were a great success and they’re hoping this one will be as well. If you would like to know more about an artist or wish to purchase a particular piece of artwork please contact them by email: WMCAG@creativeartsandcrafts.co.uk

Thanks, Liz (Art Tutor at Wellington Methodist Church Art Group. Tel: 07970 709116)

Saltmine Theatre Company

A week ago, on 24 July, the Dudley-based Saltmine Theatre Company celebrated the 40th anniversary of its foundation. To mark the occasion, the Saltmine's director Rachael Orrell recorded a conversation with Saltmine founder Dave Pope. The video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_HGNtJDVrU. 
 

Connexional News


Phoebe Parkin, from the Telford Circuit has now started her term as this year's Youth President and we wish her well and look forward to her Virtual Welcome Service on Sunday 13th September (details to follow).

Ambassadors for 3Generate 365 – message from Thelma Commey
We are looking forward to launching 3Generate365 in September. In order to offer our Connexion the most fruitful experience, we hope to have our amazing district ambassador teams in place as soon as possible. We are currently recruiting volunteers to work alongside your Youth and District Ambassador. It would be very helpful if we could receive all nominations (as stated in the briefing document) to 3Generate@methodist church.org.uk as soon as possible.
 
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact Thelma Commey.
 
Covid-19 and five things about your community
The world as we emerge from lockdown and beyond will be very different.  We have all been impacted by the pandemic, but for some the situation has been devastating.  What will this mean for local churches as they work out what mission within local communities looks like? The Joint Public Issues Team offers this paper and suggests things which might be true for your community.  If you or colleagues have comments or suggestions in response, please do contact Hannah Brown brownh@methodistchurch.org.uk. 
 
The paper can be found at: http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/covid-19-and-your-community/.
 
Youth President and Youth Rep Elections
This year’s Youth President and Youth Rep elections will be undertaken via the 3Generate App.  The App will be available for download by anyone, but in order to use it to vote, children and young people must be registered.  People will register for 3Generate 365 using the iKnowChurch system (as with previous years’ physical gatherings).  The Group Leader will be registered and the children and young people added to the leader registration.  All registered leaders will be notified to the DSO via Howard / Graham as part of this process.
 
For children and young people not in a “group” they can still be registered as a group by a Minister or steward or similar in the church.  Once registered the children and young people will be issued a unique ID number which will be visible to the leader of the group.  The children and young people will then be able to use that ID to vote via the App on their phone. It will be the leader’s responsibility to ensure that their young people have their code.  District Ambassadors in each district will encourage the churches and any individuals in their district to register and engage.
 
There will also be a website version of the voting tool for those who do not have a mobile smart phone.
 
Candidates will have the opportunity promote themselves using Methodist Church social media channels only and under the guidelines issued to them.

Stand up to Racism
 
The Black Lives Matter movement has energised  the campaign against racism involving lots of new people.  Significant victories have already been chalked up in regard to de-colonisation of public spaces and the curriculum but there is a lot still to be achieved particularly in regard to policing. Stand Up to Racism has supported a series of events around the area in recent weeks and there are more events coming up: 
 
28th August Black Country Walk

 
Other dates for your diary:
8th August 14:00 - 18:00, We Matter Pre-Launch Rally, Centenary Square, Birmingham
"We Matter" pre-launch rally for Black Political and Economic Change  Now! @ Centenary Square, Birmingham by Birmingham Library, Broad Street.  Bishop Desmond Jaddo, Bishop Johnathan Jackson and guest speakers/poets/singers/choir.
 
15th August at 13:00. Market Square, Stafford, Black Lives Matter Peaceful March
Hosted by Black Lives Matter, Stafford
 

All We Can Change Begins with a Bicycle campaign
 
For girls like Nawalat in Uganda, bicycles are more than a means of transport – they are a way to break the cycle of poverty. This year, you can join All We Can and be a part of the change that is happening. Support All We Can’s Change Begins with a Bicycle campaign using the resources available to order or download from allwecan.org.uk/cycle
 
Thanks and God bless
 
Tim
 

Noah Online Holiday Club
Vickie Heydon-Matterface is organising a Holiday Club style 'Holiday Fun Session' via Zoom on Thurs August 6th. It's for Primary aged children and all children must be accompanied by an adult on Zoom. Booking essential. See flyer below for further details. 

Missional-Discipleship Enabler required

Hadley Methodist Church

Part time post (average 7 hours per week) initially for 24 months

 Missional-Discipleship Enabler

 Hadley Methodist is aiming to make discipleship its central focus. We are looking for a gifted discipler, who is passionate about mission, to establish a rhythm of missional-discipleship within the life of the church, and to help develop a learning strategy to support that rhythm. 

Hours to be worked flexibly as agreed with line manager, including most Tuesday evenings.

Please note: due to the make up of the current membership at Hadley Methodist, the majority of this ministry will be with women.

For an application pack:

·         email to: smason.tmc@gmail.com

·         post to: Simon Mason, 43 Caldera Road, Hadley Telford TF1 5LT

·         telephone: 01952 244664

Closing date: 28^th August 2020

Interviews: week beginning 7^th September at Hadley Methodist Church or on Zoom

This is a fixed term appointment of 24 months at £9.30 per hour from early October 2020.

 There is a genuine occupational requirement that the post holder is a Christian

An Enhanced DBS check will be required

Bentley Methodist Church items

Bentley MC which has closed, still has about 30 stacking padded tubular chairs to get rid of free of charge but you will have to collect. We also have a small moveable pulpit, lectern and some stackable tables. If anyone is interested please contact Joan Wickett on 01902 634771 soon, as we need to clear the building.

British Methodist Youth Choir

 Following a hiatus of 18 months, we are writing to inform you that the British Methodist Youth Choir is now back up and running. You may know that in 2022 the BMYC will be celebrating its 40th anniversary and is now in preparations for rebuilding the choir and the membership.
 
We have recently taken over as administrator and musical director after being elected at the most recent AGM and are keen to try to recruit as many members as possible to restart this choir, so that we can sing throughout the connexion and truly show the Methodist spirit of ‘Born in Song’.
 
We would be very grateful if you could assist us by promoting the choir in your district by asking that this information is disseminated in the circuits and sharing our contact details for people to make enquires. We currently have an age range of 14-27, but we will shortly be increasing this to an upper age of 30.
 
Here are some links to our social media sites.
 
https://www.facebook.com/TheBMYC/
 
https://twitter.com/bmyc?lang=en-gb
 
https://www.instagram.com/thebmyc/?hl=en
 
https://www.bmyc.info/ (the current website is under development and so doesn’t reflect the current status of the choir)
 
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBMYC
 
Please contact us if you would like any more information. We very much look forward to hearing from the young people in your District who may be interested in joining the British Methodist Youth Choir.
 
Yours in Christ,
 
Judith Laycock (administrator) and Jason McMahon (musical director)
 

Dial-a-prayer free phone line

A FREE phone service to hear prayers and news from the Methodist Church has been launched.

Listen to a prayer: 0808 281 2514

Listen to news: 0808 281 2478

Content is updated weekly on Thursday evening.

 For more information click the following link: https://www.methodist.org.uk/signpostforministry/

District Children's Support Fund

The funding allocated specifically to the support of children and families in the District - particularly those experiencing some form of deprivation - is still open to accept applications at the moment.  Are there projects you might consider which could offer support even during the lockdown?  

The maximum amount of any claim is £500 and a Church can apply at any time using the attached form and send it electronically to Tim Lorimer who will process your application and give a decision within six weeks of receipt. The application will need the support of the hosting Church and circuit superintendent. Church’s cannot apply for retrospective funding.
We would hope that individuals and groups that have contributed in the past to the Holiday Fund will still wish to do so knowing that there money will still be used for Children’s Projects.  For more information please contact Tim Lorimer   on lorimertim@yahoo.co.uk 07971899084. 
 

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