Latest News:
Assistant District Safeguarding Officer vacancy
Appreciation for Covid volunteers
Cafe Manager adverts
In case you missed it:
Wellbeing Resources from the Methodist Church
Action for Children News
Wesley House centenary Events
Delta Variant Q&A Session
Holiday Club Resources
District Children's Support Fund

FOR THE LATEST ADVICE ON COVID 19 FROM CONNEXION PLEASE CLICK HERE
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Assistant Safeguarding Officer post - readvertised

Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury and Birmingham Methodist Districts
 
The Methodist Church is committed to ensuring its churches are safe spaces for all. We work hard to ensure compliance with legal requirements, develop good practice, provide effective training and give professional advice on individual cases.  We have an exciting opportunity to join our team and take forward this work which will include implementing recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The post holder will work alongside the District Safeguarding Officer for both districts.
 
Do you have extensive experience of safeguarding?
Do you have Training and Quality Assurance skills and Experience?
Are you able to work flexibly and independently?
Are you open to working in the faith sector?
If so, this post may be for you.

• Salary £29K full time equivalent. (£16 per hour)
• 20 Hours per week, with flexibility including evenings, and occasional weekends
• Home based
• Travel required across both Districts

Full details are available on request from admin@wsmethodist.org.uk.
 
Please return the application to admin@wsmethodist.org.uk.
 
Closing date and time for applications: 17:00 Sunday 25^th July 2021
Interviews will be held on Thursday 12th August 2021.
These will take place at Walsall Methodist Central Hall.
Post subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

Appreciation for all volunteers during Covid

Cafe Manager Required - St Johns MC Bloxwich

An exciting opportunity has arisen to be involved in the development of a brand-new Community Café situated in the heart of Bloxwich at St John’s Methodist Church and Centre. This initiative aims to be an ethical and inclusive community project with a view to developing areas such as: a dementia café, schemes to help people back into work, inclusive employment, training and work experience opportunities.

This position will be very much “hands-on” in preparation and serving, with help from a small group of volunteers and with a view to employing additional staff as the café develops. The successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of kitchen management, customer service, team leading, stock maintenance and ordering, and aiming to maintain a 5* hygiene rating.

Initially, the role will be 18 hours over a 3-day week with the intention to gradually increase these and to build a team (according to demand) over a three-year period. There will be the opportunity to extend this, depending on the development of the café. Some flexibility will be required.

Salary in the range £19,760 - £22,076 (pro-rata) dependent on qualifications and experience.

For more information, and an application form, please contact Jem Hawkins on: Email: Revivecafe@stjohnsbloxwich.co.uk Telephone: 01922 475083

The closing date for applications is Monday 19th July at 6pm, with interviews being carried out during the week commencing Monday 26th July 2021.

This post is partly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

St John’s Methodist Church is a Disability Aware employer Registered Charity Number 1128201

St John’s Methodist Church, Victoria Avenue, Bloxwich WS3 3HS

Cafe Manager Required - Chester Road Baptist Church, Sutton Coldfield

Methodist Church Wellbeing Resources

I’m taking this opportunity to remind and highlight that The Methodist Church website has information and resources on wellbeing. Wellbeing (methodist.org.uk)
 
What is Wellbeing:
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/what-is-wellbeing/
 
Wellbeing: the five key elements:
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/the-five-key-elements/
 
Wellbeing toolkit
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/wellbeing-toolkit/
 
Positive working together:
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/positive-working-together/
 
Ministers with ill health:
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/ministers-with-ill-health/
 
Further advice and information:
https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/wellbeing/further-advice-and-information/
 
 
Specifically I would like to draw you attention to  Positive Working Together.   [1]
This is a training resource that the Learning Network can provide across the region.
Within the church we believe that everyone should be enabled to flourish, to become the people whom God created them to be. Promoting positive working relationships is a key part of enabling individuals and communities to flourish.
Starting from a distinctively Christian standpoint creates an opportunity for individuals associated with the Church to behave in a manner which models the very highest standards of human interaction and relationships. On an everyday basis high standards of behaviour require attention to how individuals communicate with each other, how people are treated, how information is managed and shared and how difference is understood and embraced.
Positive Working Together encourages us to reflect on the importance of the way in which we engage and interact with each other within the life of the church and the wider community.
A key focus of the work is to provide a range of resources that enable leaders, lay and ordained, to be more resilient and better equipped in engaging with and responding positively to situations of transition, change and conflict, and preventing bullying and harassment so that we can model positive working together in the life of the church and wider community.
Positive Working Together is the job of everybody in the Church and the resources found on these pages aim to help everybody play their part.
Further information about having this training in your circuit can be obtained from the Learning Network.
Best Wishes
Geoff
Geoff Bond | Regional Learning & Development Coordinator - LN West Midlands 
The Connexional Team
07799 900486 [Mobile]



 

Action for Children news

Online webinar
Childhood during coronavirus: protecting children from the effects of poverty Action for Children invites you to an online webinar, ‘Childhood during coronavirus: protecting children from the effects of poverty’. It will hold on Wednesday 7 July.

Staff will talk about the impact of the lockdown on families drawing on research in our report, End Childhood Crisis and our campaigning work. They will also explain what they are asking the Government to do and how you can add your voice.  

Click here to sign up: http://bit.ly/Childhood-1

Boycott Your Bed - You can still sign up!
There is still time to sign up to Boycott your Bed on Friday 9 July to raise money for vulnerable children and young people.

We've lined up fun activities to keep the whole family entertained on the night such as: a dance masterclass with Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni and Luba; a Very Hungry Caterpillar reading by TV presenter Laura Hamilton, and a Horrible Histories Foul Facts Quiz hosted by actress Jess Hynes.

Every £1 raised will help us support the UK's most vulnerable children and young people. Sign up today at: boycottyourbed.co.uk/faith 

Action for Children Sunday worship materials
Worship materials for this year's Action for Children Sunday on 11 July are now available to download. The theme is ‘Peace within, peace around'.

You'll be pleased to see activities that children can do whether they are worshipping at home or meeting in a church building. Our thanks to Vickie and Chris Heydon-Matterface (Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District) who did an amazing job creating such engaging activities for children of different ages.
    
To download, worship materials visit https://bit.ly/FaithFR     


 

Delta Variant Q&A session

This session will be led by Dr Masood Ahmed - the Chief Medical Officer at NHS Black Country & West Birmingham CCG, who will present to us and then answer your questions. 
The event will be jointly Chaired by:

• Shaz Akhtar : TCT's Black Country Near Neighbours Coordinator 
• Mohammed Yasin: Senior Development Worker - Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 

Please note: The main session will be recorded, but not the Q&A's.
For more info on TCT, please visit www.tctogether.org.uk - supporting people and communities to thrive and flourish.
Book your FREE place now at https://covid19-delta-strain.eventbrite.co.uk
 

Holiday Club Resources

Are your churches planning a Holiday Club this year?
If so, you may have some concerns about how to do so in a post-COVID world, even with social distancing measures and restrictions relaxed, there will no doubt still be obstacles to navigate. I’m writing to let you know we’ve released an online resource which we hope will be invaluable to local churches organising IN-PERSON events across the UK – Virtual Holiday Club!
Virtual Holiday Club is an online resource featuring dramatized bible stories, crafts, songs, games and competitions.  Streamed live on YouTube from Monday 9^th – Friday 13^th August, our virtual holiday club is available to watch for FREE from home or your church building.
Following the success of last year’s VHC (which over 15,000 children and families tuned in to – you can check out a highlight reel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i80WXJY4qgI ) we’re bringing it back bigger and better than ever, but this year we’re looking to partner with local churches for IN-PERSON events.
We have designed a church pack full of all the information and details you will need to run a local holiday club alongside Virtual Holiday Club. The pack is £15 and is available to download from our website https://www.virtualsundayschooluk.com/products/virtual-holiday-club-church-pack– you can even get a shoutout for your church LIVE on the show!
Virtual Holiday Club has been designed by the team at 4Front Theatre. We are a charity that aims to produce shows and performances that are entertaining and thought-provoking for people of all ages, yet ultimately, we exist to create theatre that puts faith at the 4front.
During the past year we have also produced Virtual Sunday School, a free weekly resource available for free on our YouTube Channel, we now have over 6K subscribers and our videos receive over 1k views each week.  Check out our YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMu2bG8L2dp7ywUZVa9uXDA
We look forward to you joining us as a church this year for Virtual Holiday Club!
Every Blessing,
Lydia
 
Lydia Martin
Operations Assistant
4Front Theatre
 

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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