Beware!
There are scam emails being sent out that appear to be from
Rachel Parkinson - please ignore!
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Messy
Church Goes Cyber - TONIGHT
at 8pm
This last year has been a tough time for many people and the
church as we know it has had to adapt and change to this
temporary new normal. Unfortunately, this has proved to be just
one challenge too much for some, and sadly some Messy Church
groups have had to close.
Messy Church Goes Cyber is a brand-new church for those who have
found themselves without any Messy Church contact at all – those
who have become ‘lost’. If you know of a family who would benefit
from this new monthly Messy Church (completely online) please
signpost them to Vickie at MessyChurchCyber@gmail.com
Vickie will be giving more information about Messy Church Goes
Cyber on the official Messy Church BRF Facebook page www.facebook.com/messychurchBRF/
on Wednesday January 27th at 8pm.'
Vickie Heydon-Matterface
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Free
Webinar - Bringing People Together to tackle isolation during
Lockdown 3
Lockdown prevents groups meeting, which affects us all, causing
more people to be isolated affecting their mental health.
Bringing People Together is a network of groups that welcome
everyone by telephone, mobile or computer all from the comfort of
their own home. There are now over 14 groups meeting weekly or
fortnightly in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Each group is run by two hosts and a partner organisation who
provide the safeguarding and GDPR.
On 12th February at 10am we are holding a free webinar
called ‘Bringing People Together to tackle isolation during
lockdown 3’. When we started in July 2020 Bringing People
Together had questions that we needed to answer
- How do we get
people together when our venues are closed?
- How do we use the
new technology when not everyone has the right device or the
knowledge to connect?
- How do we grow in
confidence that we can keep people safe online?
The
National Lottery Community Fund enabled us to answer these. We
will share our learning in this webinar, where there will be an
opportunity to have your questions answered. Some of our groups
are now very well established, having been running for many
months, and we are learning the advantages of meeting online
which we hope will continue after the restrictions have lifted.
To book your free tickets bpt-webinar.eventbrite.co.uk
We still have funding to support more groups and to find out more
about joining please look at our website http://www.BringingPeopleTogether.org.uk
or contact Su Parker 07791044311
I have attached a poster if you that is useful.
All the best
Su Parker
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Vice
President of Conference comes to Sedgley and Gornal
We welcome the Vice President of Conference Mrs Carolyn Lawrence,
to the Circuit. She will lead a devotional evening on Wednesday
3rd February at 7.30 pm. All are invited to listen to this
inspirational evening. For details of the zoom link please
contact revgordonmorton@yahoo.co.uk.
Gordon
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Lent
Retreat from Jesuits in Scotland - District Prayer Group
This
year the Jesuits in Scotland have organised an online retreat for
Lent called “Knowing Jesus". The Sunday Service on BBC
Radio 4 will be linked to this material. Each day
participants are provided with an image, a piece of music, scripture
verses, and an imaginative prayer exercise. These are
already available to see here: https://www.onlineprayer.net
The Chair is leading a weekly sharing group for up to ten people
who have committed to this daily retreat. No previous
experience of imaginative prayer is necessary to join the group.
Meetings will be on Zoom every Tuesday evening at 7pm
beginning with an introductory evening on 16th February.
The purpose will be to share reflections on the week’s
experience of prayer and to learn from one another. If you
are interested in joining, please contact the District Office as
soon as possible saying, briefly, who you are and why you would
welcome being a part of the group. Priority will be given
to people within the District and anyone is welcome to apply, lay
or ordained.
Otherwise, it’s possible to ask to join a group through the main
retreat page, or to offer to be a group leader.
Thanks
Rachel
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News
from Action for Children
Happy
New Year!
Although 2021 started with the lockdown still in place, we’re
grateful that we can continue to support children and families
through the pandemic. We cannot count our blessings without
mentioning our Methodist family. Thanks for your prayers and
bountiful support.
To read more about what your support has helped us achieve in
2020, visit our
blog on our website.
All
things Christmas – Thank you
Our heartfelt thanks to you for supporting us over Christmas. We
marvel at how churches and individuals defied the pandemic and
came up with creative ways to raise funds for us.
We were delighted to know that so many Methodists tuned in to
Starry Night, our first-ever virtual carol service. We’re
thrilled to say that overall we sold tickets to 882 households
and raised £31,453!
Our Secret Santas will also be pleased to know that our 2020
appeal raised over £1 million. By getting festive and supporting
our appeal, you’ve made a life-changing difference to children
and their families.
Our Chief Executive, Trustee and the children we support recorded
this video message for you: http://bit.ly/AfCThankU
Count
Your Blessings
What will you be doing this Lent? We’d like you to join us for 40
days of making life better for children across the UK.
We’ve created an inspiring calendar
of activities. Each day, you’ll be asked to do
something meaningful. It might be giving money to those in need,
saying a prayer for a child, or spreading the word about our
work. So, download your copy from our website: http://bit.ly/AfC-Lent.
Blessings and peace,
Karis
Kolawole
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District
Resources for Racial Justice Sunday
“Who is
my neighbour? What is my Calling?”
The District is producing resources to mark Racial Justice Sunday
thanks to the work of Equality, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI)
advisers Rev’d Molly Chitokwindo and Liz Dean. A full
service of worship will be available on Youtube for churches and
Circuits to adopt in its entirety. Separate elements of the
service will also be made available for those who would like to
incorporate these into their own planned act of worship.
Please contact Richard at admin@wsmethodist.org.uk to find
out what will be on offer and to register to receive various
elements as they become available.
Many people from across the District will be taking part.
The address will be delivered by the Rev’d Dr Paul Nzacahayo and
a reflection on the way forward for the Church will be offered by
Dr Rachel Starr, a member of the Wolverhampton Circuit and Tutor
in Biblical Studies at the Queen’s Foundation.
Materials will be available by the end of the month. Separate
resources from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI)
should also be available from the end of January on their website
https://ctbi.org.uk
Racial Justice Sunday is normally observed on the second Sunday
in February. With this being Valentine’s Day this year, we
recognised that some churches may wish to move this to Feb
7th. However what matters more than the specific date is
that churches recognise and reflect upon God’s call to racial
justice within the context of worship.
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Lockdown
Letters
"Lockdown
Letters" were originally written as weekly pieces, sent to
friends and acquaintances during the first five months of the
national lockdown, following the spread of the global COVID19
virus in March 2020. Personal reflections on the positive and
negative effects of the lockdown, the letters are a kind of
commentary on this strange time which has the potential to change
our lives, society and the world, for years to come. Price £6.50.
Profits from sales of 'Lockdown Letters' will be equally divided
between Medical Aid for Palestinians and The Fund for Human Need,
a small, effective Methodist charity. Copies can be obtained from
Warren at w.bardsley39@btinternet.com
or 01543 255292.
This is a limited print run. There will be a small discount on
orders of five copies or more.
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New
round of "God is with us" grants
Every
Circuit responded to the District invitation to bless their
communities at Christmas through the availability of small grants
and 27 different projects were enabled. In this short video
https://youtu.be/KDYwJ3Diu7I
a sample of these are celebrated and a new round of grants is
launched to coincide with Valentines Day, Thinking Day and
Mothering Sunday. Anyone with a creative, missional idea
which will bless people on the fringes of, or beyond the usual
congregation* can apply for a grant of up to £150 with the
agreement of the Superintendent Minister. Grants are
limited to 3 per Circuit. It’s essential that activity does
not breach lockdown restrictions nor increase chances of
Coronavirus transmission but, with careful planning, much may
still be achieved.
Click here
for a grant form.
*We recognise the huge importance of offering support and
pastoral care to Church members and recognise the value of the
work that is being done across the District . However these
grants invite churches and Circuits to go beyond that.
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New
Appreciative Inquiry Training Session
We know
that life at the moment is far from routine, and that the idea of
signing up to explore something new, whilst also balancing a
number of other tasks, might not be your first thought today. But
we hope that the 2-hour training session that we are offering as
an introduction to Appreciative Inquiry will provide you with a
range of tools and skills that will be a positive influence on
your work and ministry, particularly at this time of adaptation
and ever-changing normals.
Used by an array of organisations, from the British Red Cross to
American Express, Appreciative Inquiry is an approach to
developing a culture, as well as a set of strategic tools, which
encourages building on your existing strengths, rather than
focusing on what you don’t have. It formed the basis of the ‘Our
Church’s Future Story’ resource, and in our current climate,
offers accessible and user-friendly tools to analyse what has
been working well, and then building on those positives to
strategically plan for both the short-term and/or long-term
future.
The 2-hour session, which will take place online, offers an
informal and accessible introduction to the theory of
Appreciative Inquiry, while also providing practical suggestions
to positively influence your work and ministry.
It is open to all members of the Methodist Church in the West
Midlands region, and is something that you may wish to attend
either on your own, or as part of a leadership group. The session
will be run twice, with both a daytime and evening session available
to allow for flexible working hours. Please feel free to share
this invitation with others who you think would be interested.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the sessions.
Places can be booked using the Eventbrite link below.
Tuesday
9th February, 10am-12noon
Wednesday
10th February, 7pm-9pm
https://abriefintrotoai.eventbrite.co.uk
God bless you
Jon
Pedley | Regional Learning & Development
Officer - West Midlands
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Fresh
Expressions FX Multiplier
In
February, the District will be piloting the new FX Multiplier
scheme for those who hope to start a Fresh Expression of church
or would like some encouragement with an existing FX.
I am really excited to bring you this opportunity to collaborate
with other FX leaders, teams and pioneers from across the
country.
Let me tell you the main points of the scheme…
- FX Multiplier
aims to give a focus for missional energy.
- It is open to any
teams who want to start, or who already lead and would like
to build up a Fresh Expression community.
- A team can be
made up of a minimum of 2 people, lay, volunteer or
ordained, it is open for all.
- All members of
the team are invited to attend the FX Multiplier launch
event on February 3rd at 7.30pm on Zoom, where
Michael Moynagh, Simon Goddard and I will further explain
the scheme. (Teams will be placed into breakout rooms for
conversation so it’s important that at least 2 of you
attend).
- We will be
creating a community of practice for you to encourage one
another, pray together and swap tips and ideas. Initially
this will be for local teams with the view of feeding into a
wider national group as the scheme progresses. This will
meet twice a year.
- The scheme is
centred around the Godsend app which is free to download. By
using the model of listening, loving, building community,
sharing Jesus and building church, and repeating the cycle,
you can monitor progress and learn at your own pace.
- Free coaching
will be made available to any teams who run into
difficulties or get stuck along the way.
I would like to encourage you to pray and ask God if this is the
right path for you, particularly in regard to how you may reach
new people with the Good News of Jesus. If you feel that this is
something that you would like to join or simply explore with other
like-minded people then we would love to have you with us. Don’t
worry, you don’t have to have it all sorted for Feb 3rd,
come along with your team and explore the possibilities...
Please do let me know if you are interested and available to join
us on the 3rd. February at 7.30pm and I will send you
the joining details for the launch event and answer any questions
in the meantime.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Every blessing
Jo Yair
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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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