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Children's
Support Fund
The above fund has been available to access for about 18 months
now and I would encourage more applicants to support the young
and disadvantaged children from our District. As we are now
coming out of the pandemic I am sure Churches are looking at what
new activities they might be able to run and this fund may be
able to help. There is a ceiling of £500 and applications need to
made on the attached form and emailed to Tim Lorimer @ lorimertim@yahoo.co.uk.
Some examples of activities we have supported are:
Kingswinford. Purchase of Lego sets for their Full of Spirits
Project
St John's Bloxwich. Support for School meals
Fallings Park, Stationary bags to support prayer spaces for
Children
Stafford. Tablets to help in school work
Beckminster. Christingle Bags
Aldridge. Support for their ECO warriors project
Bourne Methodists. Support for newly formed Dads and
Children's Saturday club
Cole Street.. Working with Safer Families Charity providing activities
for Children
Should anyone want more details of these projects please send me
an email.
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District
Safeguarding Officer Retires
Having retired from the National Health Service (NHS) in 2007,
Margaret Reynolds came to the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury
Methodist District. Her experience as a designated nurse and Team
Leader in Child Protection, serving full-time in hospitals in
Dudley, included responding to abuse suffered by predominantly
children, (and the abuse of adults intrinsically involved,)
resulting from domestic abuse. Such abuse cases would be
uncovered in the paediatric, midwifery and the Accident and
Emergency departments across which Margaret then worked.
She became Safeguarding Officer for the Telford Circuit, then in
2009 was recruited as the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District
Safeguarding Officer. Her first thoughts about the work, were
that it would be vastly different from her NHS role, mostly
entailing Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. There was
also the expectation that she would avoid instances of having to
attend court. Such thinking lasted just two weeks. Within that
time there was a court case and a conviction. “But” Margaret
remarked, “no one in the District had been informed.” There had
been a noticeable reticence to discussing safeguarding issues.
Thirteen years on, things have progressed. “Things have changed
quite a bit,” Margaret explains, “People are more willing to come
forward for help. Also, it’s useful to know what transpired, what
the allegations are and what the outcomes are. Some offenders
have had prison sentences and it is helpful for the church to
know what the seriousness of the case is, and that’s no easy
task.”
Margaret feels that through working in the NHS where she mixed
with all types of people, she learned to practice
non-judgementalism which she believes is crucial to safeguarding
roles. “In Safeguarding there’s no discriminating between
those who are affluent and those more humble, or discrimination
of sex, age or race and I delight that we treat everybody
equally. All are entitled to respect and to be listened to and to
be helped or put in touch with people who can help them, for
however long it takes. Survivors (of abuse) are also important.
We very often used to concentrate on the abuser and how to help
them. We have been to court for survivors and
victims, which we were not doing before. Both sides are important
and the work we do should be ongoing work as far as both
survivors and abusers are concerned. Peoples’ understanding
changes and we need to keep up to date.” she said.
Reflecting on her time delivering Safeguarding Training across
the District, Margaret acknowledged the large number of people
she has trained and the many varied responses. “There was some
defence,” she recalls, “people didn’t always like to hear what we
had to do as a church. Through whittling away we’re making
Safeguarding very important for all of us and we’re helping
people along their paths of their actual Christian faith. Some
(perpetrators of abuse,) have been on Contract (that is, under
the guidance and direction of the Methodist Church,) for years.
We whittled away at the anger and helped them, gradually. Today
because of the attention from Methodist Conference, for some who
have been on Contract for years the level of risk of reoffending
is so low. They know they have support groups in the church to
help them, they have friends within the church walking alongside
them. In some cases these supporting people have become
lifelong friends, they do an amazing job, they are out of the
limelight, and have signed confidentiality agreements so never
talk about their work.”
The essential message Margaret wants to leave us is that
Safeguarding is about justice and mercy. At root it is, she says,
“Really about loving people who need to be loved despite the
offence. That will see the turnaround, enable them to repent,
understand and be sorry for what they did. That can be very hard
sometimes, for everybody concerned.” She stresses that
maintaining the multi-agency approach to Safeguarding adopted by
the Methodist Church, where councils, the police and welfare
agencies work closely together, is vital.
Margaret recently hosted a get together for District Safeguarding
personnel. Asked about her retirement plans she revealed that
whilst continuing her role as Safeguarding Officer to the Telford
Circuit, she plans to “Pause and reflect and think very carefully
about what I wish to do now. Reflect on what skills I have as I
still wish to use the skills I’ve gained, and understanding is
ongoing.”
The Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District wishes to thank
Margaret for her tireless care and attention, knowledge,
and expertise in her role as District Safeguarding Officer.
District Safeguarding Officer Sue Holder took up the post
on September 1.
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Thank
you from Margaret
A huge thank you to everyone across the District who contributed
to my retirement present.
I now have a cast iron garden bench where I can sit and gaze
across the Shropshire Hills and the borderlands to Wales; a
lovely way to sit and relax and enjoy retirement.
Wishing you all well and God’s blessing.
Many thanks,
Margaret.
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Wesley
House Free Event
Firstly let me introduce myself as I'm the
Academic Administrator here at Wesley House, Cambridge.
We
are currently celebrating our centenary year and we would be
extremely grateful if you could help promote our forthcoming free event
- Leading
like a Methodist - which can be experienced both
online and in-person.
I
have attached our main flyer for the event and link to further
details on our website - https://www.wesley.cam.ac.uk/about/llam/
Any
assistance you can offer with spreading the word would be greatly
appreciated.
With
best wishes,
Dan
Stow
Yvonne Gough
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Rwanda
trip date change
The dates for the 2022 visit to Rwanda have been changed. They
are now 17th May- 2nd June (arriving home 3rd
June)
Airline tickets will be booked at the beginning of November
Cost £750 the balance of £750 will need to be paid at the end of
March 2022.
If anyone else would like to join the group now the dates have
changed you will be very welcome. Contact Yvonne on 07773093048
or ygough@hotmail.co.uk to register
your interest and more details.
Look forward to hearing from you,
Yvonne Gough
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Line
Management Training
Please click Here to
find out more.
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Fair
Trade Market
Wolverhampton,
2 October 2021
Whilst churches may be being cautious about serving refreshments
after services or hosting other events where fair trade products
might be on sale, Wolverhampton Fair Traid hopes to support our
loyal customers by holding a fair trade market on the morning of
Saturday 2nd October from 10:30am - 12:30pm.
This will be an opportunity for individuals to look at stock
cupboard and gift items with a view to shopping early for
Christmas.
If you are in the area, to pop in for a browse.
I would be grateful if you could display our publicity
at church, on notice sheet, fb page, etc.
Thank you for your support
Brenda Shuttleworth
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Bankuet
Food Donation Platform
We
partner with over 180 food banks around the country to get them
what they need, when they need it. As you’ll know, demand for
food banks has been extremely high over the last 18 months and
the support of churches this Harvest will be vital.
If you're not heard of us, Bankuet is the UK's first
zero waste food donation platform - and as you can imagine we've
had a crazy time during Covid. To give you an idea of our impact,
please watch our Year 2 video.
By running a Harvest fundraising campaign through our website,
churches can encourage online donations. We then pool these and
use them to bulk purchase the items the food bank is most in need
of. Not only is it easy for churches to carry out, it also
increases their impact through bulk purchasing and reduces waste.
I’ve attached a PDF with a little more information and this
folder has a range of template messages and
social images to make it really easy for you to share with your
connections (through whatever communication channels you prefer).
Anything you can do to help get the word out is hugely
appreciated.
If you need more information do reach out to the team on this
email and they will help you and answer any questions you may
have.
Many thanks in advance,
Robin Ferris
Founder, CEO
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3Generate
News
Dear
Colleagues,
We hope you are making the most of a slower pace of life over the
summer. We thought it would be helpful to keep you updated
with plans for 3Generate so that you can continue sharing
information about the event and encouraging groups to join us in October.
We were very sad to not be able to meet at 3Generate last year,
having to cancel the event was a deep loss. During that time we
introduced 365, had some gatherings of young people virtually and
explored together what it meant to Tune In to God. We were still
able to elect our Youth President online and the good news is
that this year we can meet! And we’re over the moon that we can
do this!
3Gen 2021 is a great chance to deepen relationships and build on
the reconnections with children and young people. It’s the
perfect opportunity to meet so let’s not wait! We believe
groups will be really excited to meet face to face again and we
all know the power of residentials, as a great way of having fun
with, and growing relationships with, our children and young
people. Experience tells us that residential events can have huge
and lasting impact on a child or young person’s faith development
too.
This year’s theme is ‘In Tune’ - with each other and with God.
This includes an exploration of the story of Peter and how he was
In Tune with what God was doing at some points in his life—and
not in other parts of his life. There are some brilliant
venues in the 3Gen town such as the Theatre Royale, Arts Centre,
Town Hall, Health and Wellbeing Centre, The Great Outdoors,
marketplace, chapel and arena. Young people can also
explore what faith looks like in our Wilderness space and find
out more about experiences of those who find themselves on the
margins.
For the first time we are welcoming 4 to 7 year olds in their own
designated space on Saturday 30 October, from 10am to 3pm, where
they can join in a dynamic and immersive programme of activities
designed to aid them in reflecting on faith, life and meeting
with God in their own dedicated space, separate to the main
3Generate event.
Through three different ‘zones’ they can choose to explore
‘home’, ‘the outdoors’ and ‘school/nursery’, where there will be
plenty of different ways to wonder and ask questions. The
programme is flexible and designed so that younger children can
make their own choices, exploring the space as they feel led.
It’s 3Generate but on a smaller scale!
Each child will need an adult with them for the whole day. They
can be accompanied by up to two significant adults, who may be
parents, carers, grandparents or others they know well from
church. These adults can encourage and support children as they
explore all that’s on offer during the day. The venue and
programme is intended to be an intergenerational space.
There will also be some great chances to celebrate together. From
the big light switch on, Friday evening, through the Festival on
Saturday night with an international flavour and street
entertainment, to the energetic mass worship with Urban Praise
Party and up and coming band Echo. 3Generate 2021 promises
to be a huge party—celebrating the joy of being together after so
long apart. We don’t think anyone would want to miss it!
As we
look forward to 3Generate 2021, what is there to support leaders?
As term starts in September, there is still plenty of time
for groups to arrange to attend 3Generate—and we, the CYF team,
will be there, every step of the way, supporting leaders to bring
children and young people to 3Generate. Some of the ways we
are doing this:
· District or regional drop-in and find out sessions hosted by
District Ambassadors (DA). If there are limited or no DAs
in your region we are keen to arrange a similar event with you.
· Regularly updated website with vital information including
FAQs: 3Generate
2021 FAQs (methodist.org.uk)
· 3Generate help desk: 3Generate@methodistchurch.org.uk
· Later booking and the payment deadline extended to 23rd
October
· Ability to return up to three tickets by the end of
September
· Equipping session for leaders who are bringing groups to
3Generate nearer the time
We will offer support and help leaders work out everything they
need to bring children and young people to the event, including
helping them to identify and mitigate risks. Would you join
us and spread the word about 3Generate in all the regional places
and meetings you find yourself in? There is a flyer
attached that we’d ask you to forward to and share as far and
wide as possible. Do make the most of any opportunities
available to you at Synod to promote 3Generate, building
confidence amongst those who may still be unsure.
For the wider church we’d urge them to volunteer and join the
team making the event happen. There are a whole range of
roles for different abilities, ages and skills. People can
volunteer for a day or the whole weekend, there’s plenty of flexibility.
More information can be found here: Volunteering
(methodist.org.uk)
In this joint endeavour do have conversations with those in your
regions working alongside children and young people about coming
along to 3Generate this year. It’s going to be an
incredible weekend to remember. Join us as we continue to
pray that God will be at work in mighty and extraordinary ways in
the lives of all our children and young people.
With every blessing
The Children, Youth & Family Team
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Action
for Children News
News
for your District from Action for Children
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News from Action for
Children
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Thank you for
boycotting your bed
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We'd
like to say a massive thank you to
everyone who took part in Boycott your
Bed on 9 July.
You've helped us raise over £180,000. You
are amazing!
We'd also like to thank the churches
that have held an Action for Children
Sunday service or are planning to hold
one. We appreciate your thoughtful
prayers and donations.
God bless you!
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Watch
our thank you video
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Craftivism to urge
MPs to make children a priority
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Are
you passionate about social justice and
would like to do something to ensure
children can fulfil their potential?
Can you make a craft to make a point?
If so, we'd love to get you involved in our September
craftivism campaign.
You would be helping us to urge your MPs to commit to making
children a personal priority by sending
them a handcrafted star.
We believe there’s a star in
every child.
When a child has the safe and happy childhood they deserve,
their star shines brightly. But too
many children in the UK right now don’t
have the chance to shine.
Their childhoods are overshadowed by
poverty, abuse, neglect and poor mental
health. And the pandemic has only made
things worse..
Our elected politicians can change
this.
Sign up and we'll send you information
on how you can make a difference.
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Tell us what you
think about Action for Children
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Each
year Action for Children sends out a
survey to understand how we can
improve.
It doesn't matter how you've supported us, we
would still love to hear from you.
The survey should only take between 10 and 15
minutes.
Once you’ve completed the survey, you can
enter the prize draw to win one of
three £50 One4all gift cards.
Thank you for your time.
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May mercy, peace, and love
be multiplied to you
Jude 1:2
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Hope
in Israel Palestine
Revd.
John Howard will be visiting the District on Tuesday 12th
October to share his experiences of his time working in
Jerusalem. He has written a book which will be available on
the evening and says, “I hope that the book sets out the grounds
for hope for a solution to the conflict that has gone on for so
long. The first thing that those who look for peace in the land
called Holy need, is the belief that a just peace is
attainable.”
The meeting will be chaired by Revd Rachel Parkinson and will be
@ 7.30 pm at Beckminster Methodist Church, Birches Barn Road,
Wolverhampton, WV2 4PX.
Please put the date in your diary!
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Lay
Conference 2021
Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District in
partnership with Lichfield Diocese
Lay Conference Detail
Title;
Discipleship Today – Being and Doing
Date;
Saturday 4th December 2021
Time;
10.00am – 4.00pm
Venue; Yarnfield Park
Conference and Training Centre, Yarnfield near Stone,
Staffordshire
Cost;
£20.00 per person
Programme
09.30 –
10.00
Arrival
10.00 –
10.20
Welcome and Worship
10.20 –
11.15
Bible Study / Reflection on Discipleship - Revd Rachel Parkinson
11.15 –
11.35
Coffee Break
11.35 –
13.00
Keynote Address – Revd. Roger Walton
13.00 –
14.00
Lunch
14.00 –
14.40
Round 1 workshops
14.40 –
14.50
Movement
14.50 –
15.30
Round 2 workshops
15.30 –
15.45
Summing up – Bishop Michael
15.45 –
16.00
Closing Worship
16.00 Departure
Workshop Leader and Title
Roger Walton – Discipleship – Following a rule for life
Andrew Roberts – Discipleship and Forgiveness
Dr Lindsey Hall – Discipleship and
Change
Helen Morby – Discipleship and Joy
Click here for
more details and here.
For more background information, click here
For booking forms, click here.
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