New this week:
Third Lent Reflection
Easter Pilgrimage Shropshire
It's ok to not be ok
Food for Thought Conference
The Spirit that Crosses Borders
In case you missed it:
Walking with Micah
For Racial Justice
Ablewell Advice 10 for 10
Unconscious Bias Training
Methodist Modern Art Collection Bewdley
All We Can Ukraine Relief Fund
Fair Trade Pop up shop
Learning and Development Events
Trauma-informed Ministry in a Time of COVID
Conference Volunteers URGENTLY needed
3Generate 2022
Stationing Training
Children's Support Fund 

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Third Lent Reflection 

A Sonnet in response to John Reilly’s “The Raising of Lazarus”

Four days ago the world closed down on me;

Collapsing, folding, crumbling down to nought.  

Pulse slowed, breath ceased, eyes glazed, life’s energy

slipped out my grasp; my siblings left distraught.

They bound me tight and lowered me in the grave.

They wept and wept till tears would come no more.

“If only he’d been here his life to save!”

“If only he had come when first sent for!”

But now he’s here and entropy’s reversed;

expanding, opening, spiralling up to life

blood flows, eye’s blaze, lungs fill, heart’s fit to burst

with heliocentric joy that now runs rife.

My second chance a shewing of his glory.

His cross on me fast-forwards his own story.

(John 11 vs 1-44)

This picture surges with energy and movement as Jesus draws Lazarus from the grave into a spiral around the sun.  If you look carefully at the head of the grave, you can see that in this one image, John Reilly captures two moments in time …..the figures portrayed there were first in mourning but are now standing in shock.  This gave me the idea of rewinding the story to the point where Lazarus died and was lowered into the grave, his body slowly shutting down and beginning to decay.

Whenever I’ve read this story, the fact that both Martha and Mary greet Jesus with “if only you had been here” has struck me forcefully.  Our lives have so many “if only” moments - often tying us to a sense of regret which prevents our healing.   So this aspect of the story had to find its way into the sonnet.

I’ve always remembered a documentary by Brian Cox,  from 10 years ago now, where he explains that any system tends from order towards disorder.  This is the law of entropy which will apply to Lazarus’ decaying body.  It is a miracle that here, entropy is reversed and that Lazarus is revivified.  But the gospel tells us clearly that this is not for his own sake but as a revelation of God’s glory.  I chose a medieval spelling for the word shewing as a link to Julian of Norwich who received 16 shewings - her way of describing mystical revelations of divine love.

John’s Gospel is recognised as being structured around seven signs of Christ’s divinity.  The raising of Lazarus is the last of them.  Within the same chapter, the plot is laid to kill Jesus.  So now the sonnet, having wound back the story, notices the cross John Reilly has included upon Lazarus chest and fast forwards to the cross of Christ…..a cross which will lead not to temporary revivification but to resurrection to eternal life.

You can see a video version of this reflection here: https://youtu.be/QaXmcgPbCQ4

John Reilly The Raising of Lazarus from the Methodist Modern Art Collection © TMCP, used with permission.

Easter Pilgrimage in Shropshire

18th-23rd April
led by Rev’d Rachel Parkinson & Deacon Carys Woodley
 
We’ll be walking around 10 miles per day, from  Church Stretton to Ludlow, come rain or shine!  We’ll go at the pace of the slowest walker but there are some climbs and stiles to negotiate.  Most of the route is on public footpaths.  We’ll also be praying together at various points of the day.

There are two ways to join this year’s Easter Pilgrimage:
1.  Come and stay for the whole week, or several nights, in Methodist Churches in the Shropshire & Marches Circuit.  We will have a support vehicle so you can bring airbed/bedding etc without having to carry it.  We will eat communally.  Suggested contribution for the week £110 to cover food and donation to churches.  (Sorry - over 18’s only for this option due to Safeguarding).
 
2.  Join us for a day’s walk. Option to share evening meal (donation welcome to cover costs).  Need to be able to arrange transport back to your starting point.  
 
If you have not made contact already, please contact Rachel at chair@wsmethodist.org.uk for more information and to book your option.  

It's ok to not be ok

Mental Health Awareness Resources
COVID-19 has affected all our lives and our livelihoods in profound ways over the last year. The nation has come together to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, but there has been a cost. The virus itself, and the necessary measures to contain its spread, have triggered feelings of worry, distress or loneliness for many of us. These feelings are a completely normal response to an unprecedented period of disruption. As restrictions ease and the economy is gradually and safely reopened, many people will feel their wellbeing improve as they reconnect with family and friends and return to the routines and activities that help to keep them well. However, we know that some people’s mental health has taken a harder, longer-lasting hit during the pandemic. Groups who had the highest risk of mental ill-health before COVID, including those living with pre-existing conditions, seem to have been worst affected. The mental health impacts of the pandemic have also been felt keenly by those directly affected by the virus – people who have been bereaved, people who have survived an acute illness, people living with long COVID, and our amazing frontline and key workers. So much of our mental health is shaped by how our daily practical, social and emotional needs are met, and by whether we can have hope for the future. Good mental health and wellbeing are essential assets for individuals, communities and society. They can help each one of us to live fulfilled, productive and healthy lives.
Below are a few resources that may help in shaping your response to help someone who is struggling with their mental health:



 Reflection on discovering hope and grace (from: the connexion • Autumn 2020)
Until lockdown, a small group of wounded pilgrims would meet from time to time at Selly Oak Methodist Church in the Birmingham Circuit. The name of our group is PH7. P stands for pain, H for hope, and there were originally seven members.
We are people who live with different kinds of pain and weakness, but who also discover surprising strength and hope. Each of us has had to let go of some aspect of life before illness, and therefore we live with the question: “If life can no longer be like that, then what might it become?”
We live with night questions, those unsettling, searching, sometimes terrifying, thoughts that come when sleep is impossible. We learn to depend on the love, care and patience of others. We become uncomfortably familiar with the possibilities and limitations of modern medicine.
When we meet we leave a chair for the ‘absent-present ones’, those who cannot be with us. After a silence, we simply tell each other the story of how it has been for us since our last meeting. The telling is often bloody and broken. But in the telling and the listening we make discoveries. We come to know ourselves and each other, the heights and depths of embodiedness, the fragility and stubbornness of hope. Today we all face what PH7 has been struggling with and celebrating. With the global pandemic, our world has been broken open. So much of what we took for granted is no longer possible. What might life become now? And are we all ‘absent present ones’, a community of separatedness? So perhaps wounded pilgrims have a body-wisdom to offer. We suggest the following. Leave an empty chair. Tell each other the stories of how it has been. Face the pain and fear honestly. And listen for the whispers of hope. Hope will not take us back to the way things were. Instead it comes to us as a disturbance, something new that emerges from the cracks in the old. It comes as grace. My own struggle to move into a new kind of ministry, to becoming a wounded pilgrim, has opened up a space where the words and the silences make poetry possible. When PH7 meets, another member, Donald Eadie asks for a ‘Tony poem’ to lead us into the silence and the storytelling. I include two here, written initially for PH7. Poems are my way of thanking God for both the pain and the hope.
Hope
Hope is the horizon of the curved world,
where seen and unseen are joined and divided,
and suggested hidden lands invite the soul to boundless journeying,
of finding and being lost from sight.

Hope is the seed born in darkness, fragile and unconquerable,
whose urge toward the unknown light
will shatter stones and move the earth,
for an inherited promise of green.

Hope is the distant call of horns,
the hint of a scent blown on a wind not of this world,
the memory of a summer dream
caught in some corner of the heart.

Hope’s a graffiti defiance of grey,
unsilenced rumour of another way.
It is the fidget child, the student rage,
the troubled soul, the eccentric old, the ill-at-ease here.

Hope is faith’s refusal to believe,
gazing beyond vision, beyond presence,
always asking the strange question,
imagining and shaping a world invented and discovered alike.

The Rev Dr Tony McClelland is a supernumerary minister in the Birmingham Circuit, whose active ministry was cut short by ill-health.

Discoveries
In the night:
a word of comfort and a way through fear.

In the morning:
day that comes as gift,
a world opening into possibility.

In frailty:
the slow wisdom of the body,
the unexpected strength to stay with this, to wait.

In loneliness:
a surprising solidarity,
a community of separatedness.

In the tears:
a freedom of honesty,
a path to compassion.

In the silence:
a space where love grows,
unhurried awareness of depths.

In another’s words:
something we have known together,
but could not name alone

Food for Thought Conference

The Spirit that Crosses Borders

The Centre for Faith in Public Life at Wesley House is hosting a series of events at Pentecost exploring faith questions arising in the context of migration. Our contributors bring to bear experience of migration in the Pacific, in Europe and in Central America.

Join us in person or online to explore this pressing topic.

Further information and to register for this free event can be found here - https://bit.ly/CrossesBorders

Walking with Micah

Are you interested in shaping the future of a justice-seeking Methodist Church? Are you involved in chaplaincy? Then join the conversation! https://walkingwithmicahforchaplains.eventbrite.co.uk/

As a chaplain, you have invaluable insights into the world the Methodist Church works with and as we look to the future of our justice-seeking work, we want to hear from you.

For Racial Justice 

Do you want to be part of the Methodist journey towards a more inclusive and just Church and society?  
Would you like to be empowered to challenge racism, champion racial justice and be a part of bringing about transformational change? 
If so, please join us on 
26^th March, 11am – 3.30pm,
immerse yourself in stories, conversation and creative exploration of putting hope into action.  
 
There are two ways to get involved...
 
For children, young people and their leaders who can travel to London: 
This event is anti-racist -- An Agents of Change Roadshow at Wesley’s Chapel
Tickets here: https://www.methodi​st.org.uk/our-work/children-youth-family-ministry/agents-of-change/agents-of-change-roadshow-events/
 
For everyone else:
Striving for justice, dignity and solidarity: Racial Justice -- hearing stories; changing lives. 
Held online via Zoom. Attend in person, or as a small group from your church or home.​ Tickets here: Striving for Justice Tickets, Sat 26 Mar 2022 at 11:00 | Eventbrite
 
 Registration closes 21st March. 
Read on for a little more information: 
Building on a history of challenging injustice and a firm commitment to social justice, the Methodist Church is hosting a series of gatherings entitled ‘Striving for Justice’.  These events are an integral part of the Justice Dignity and Solidarity Strategy.  
Striving for justice is a journey through conversations, storytelling and reflection, for transformational change -- the change of hearts and minds -- towards a more just and inclusive Church and society.    
The first event will focus on racial equality within the Church and broader society. The Methodist Church over the last 30+ years has committed itself to becoming a fully inclusive Church, challenging racism and all forms of discrimination and inequality.  
Racism and racial discrimination deny basic human rights of justice and dignity, cause great suffering and affect us all. But, how does it affect you? Can you be part of the solution?   
Everyone should strive for justice.   
Methodist in root yet open to all, each Striving for Justice gathering critically considers the concept of justice through people’s lives and experiences. Space and support are offered for open and honest dialogue, personal and group reflection and questions and inspiration; which is hoped to enable participants to better be the change that our hearts seek; to be more Christ-like.   
There is no space for injustice in God’s heart, there should be no space for it in ours. 
The Agents of Change roadshow is an opportunity for young people to gather, share their experiences, hear other people’s stories, and be encouraged to think about how they and the Methodist Church might respond to racial injustice. During the day this event will partner with those participating in the online event ‘Striving for Justice’.
 

Ablewell Advice Walsall 10 for 10

We are doing things a little bit differently this year for Lent as we mark Ablewell Advice's 10 year anniversary of helping the residents of Walsall on the 30th April, so today we are launching our 10 for 10 appeal.
Please have a look at the below for ideas of how you can help us during our 10 for 10 appeal.
We would love it if you could send us photos or tag us in any social media posts using #ablewelladvice


 

Unconscious Bias Online Training

Unconscious bias refers to a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.' Hidden biases have the power to undermine and derail our desire to act Justly, and fairly towards other people and lots of areas of our decision making. It is possible to be unconsciously biased regarding disability, religion, race, gender, age, social class, and more. This Unconscious Bias Training session is aimed particularly at those engaged in the stationing invitation pro[1]cess, but is also applicable for those on circuit meetings and church councils, etc. We will be using the video resources for introducing unconscious bias which is now available on the Methodist Church Website. The resources can be found at: Introduction to Unconscious Bias – for church councils, circuit meetings and other groups. (methodist.org.uk) The online session will include watching the videos and joining in small group conversation/reflection following each of the 3 video clips. The reading/study material which is required before and after the session will be sent to participants once they have booked a place and the booking period has closed. When booking your place, please select which session you will be attending. To Book:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unconscious-bias-training-tickets-249312128287

Methodist Modern Art Collection comes to Bewdley 

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ART COLLECTION COMES TO BEWDLEY

Click here for poster.

A selection of art from the internationally renowned Methodist Modern Art Collection, one of the UK’s most significant collections of modern religious art, will be on display in the Wyre Forest Gallery at Bewdley Museum each day from Saturday 26 March until Sunday 24 April 2022. Opening hours are 11.00am to 3.00pm and admission is free. 

The total Collection features fifty works, including some by well-known artists such as Graham Sutherland, Elisabeth Frink, William Roberts, and Maggi Hambling. Some of the artists were or are Christian, while others not, but together they offer widely differing perspectives on the Christian story.
An extensive conservation programme has recently been completed to return these important paintings to their full glory and to ensure they are available for future generations.
Twenty works have been chosen for the Bewdley exhibition, depicting scenes from different stages of the life of Jesus before focussing on his crucifixion and resurrection.
A programme of exciting creative events, including workshops, talks and reflections has also been planned over the duration of the exhibition. Full details can be found at: www.forallpeoplebewdley.com
This exhibition has been organised by the ecumenical group Bewdley Churches Together, consisting of six local churches, and is financially supported by several local organisations.

Jim Ineson from Bewdley Churches Together commented “It is a privilege to have this Collection here in Bewdley. The works that we have on display offer a thought provoking and sometimes challenging perspective on Christ’s life. Whether you are a person of faith or not, Christian or non-Christian, you will find yourself challenged in intriguing new ways through this exhibition appropriately called `For All People’.”

For further information contact Jim Ineson at 01299 405645 or jim.ineson@gmail.com
 

All We Can Ukraine Relief Fund

All We Can - the Methodist Relief and Development Charity - is working together with the Global Relationships Team of the Methodist Church in Britain to provide critical humanitarian assistance to communities facing violence, upheaval and the trauma of war.
If you want to do something to help Ukrainians, here's one possible route
 
https://www.allwecan.org.uk/donations/ukraine/
 

Fair Trade pop up shop in Wolverhampton

Coming soon - Wolverhampton Fair Traid  will be opening another pop-up shop in the Mander Centre, Wolverhampton on Saturday,  12th March: opening hours:- 10.00 am - 5.00 pm, Mondays  - Saturdays.  We will remain open until Saturday, 23rd April. 
You will find us next to the YMCA shop in the Victoria Arcade - the passage leading from Beatties into Mander Square itself. Looking for Mothers' Day gifts? We will have plenty of ideas for you. Easter eggs, cards and decorations will also be available. 
We look forward to seeing you. 
Further details from Brenda Shuttleworth: brendaks@hotmail.co.uk

Learning and Development Events

Over the last Connexional Year, there has been a shift in the way that the Learning Network have been organising and running events. We are increasingly working cross regionally, often in partnership with colleagues from other Connexional teams (such as Evangelism and Growth), to host online events and webinars which are open to anyone who wishes to book in via the Eventbrite link provided. We will of course still continue to run some training and development events regionally; for example, Advanced Safeguarding, and regional support and community of practice groups, such as the one for WLP tutors and mentors.
To avoid sending out multiple emails, I have tried to gather all of the events that I am currently aware of into this one newsletter. I’ve grouped events by topic, rather than date, since some are either ongoing or held on multiple dates. Please do share and distribute this to all who may find it helpful. I’ve kept the formatting as simple as possible to allow you to cut and paste the information into your own newsletters, or copy and share individual events with those you particularly want to encourage to attend. Any queries or questions about specific events should be addressed to the event organizer, not the LN West Midlands team.
Events will continue to be advertised via our Learning Network West Midlands Facebook page, and Connexional social media and newsletters.
Kerry (scarlettk@methodistchurch.org.uk )
 
Learning and Development Opportunities

3. Circuit Stewards Training

Various dates, on zoom.
This four -session course will be offered twice in 2022. The sessions are based on the material available on the Stewards pages of the Methodist website. Sessions will run from 7 till 9 pm.
Dates:
23th March: Positive Working Together
30th March: Continuing to Learn
The second course will be run on the following dates:
14th, 21st, 28th June & 5th July
 
To book – www.bit.ly/circuitsteward
 
           4. Social Justice and Evangelism Webinar Wednesday 6^th April 7-8pm, on zoom
Communities who have struggled for the last decade have been hit by the pandemic and now face rising costs. This session aims to look at how communities are being affected, who is likely to need support and what we as churches and Christians can do to be part of positive change.
Speaker: Paul Morrison
Hosted by: Eunice Attwood, Church at the Margins Officer
Register here: REGISTER NOW
 
 

5. Rural and Rooted: Being a church without a building

       29th March at 7pm, on zoom.

How   might being church without a building look in your local community? Come and join a conversation on zoom hosted by: Dave Friswell LN, Yas Finch District Missioner, with Andy Fishburne and Sarah Hulme from the Evangelism and Growth team.
All welcome from across the Connexion, but this is aimed at people looking to pioneer/ reimagine small rooted church in their rural communities.
Register  here

   6. Positive Working Together: Bullying and Harassment Various dates, on zoom
For training dates for Positive Working Together courses (including Growing through Change and Conflict, and Scripture, Spirituality and Conflict) please visit the following webpage and scroll down until you see the section on training dates for 2022. https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/guidance-for-churches/introducing-positive-working-together/training-in-positive-working-together/

7. Beginning a Church at the Margins: A 3 session interactive online course Various dates, on zoom
Aim of the course: A space to think about connecting and becoming a community of new Christians amongst and led by people experiencing poverty.
For: People who are passionate about their community with very little or no experience of this kind of work. Whilst you can attend alone ideally, we would like you to join as a team (you plus one other person from your church or circuit) to share in conversation together (if you are an experienced pioneer drop us an email for more information).
Important: Each session in the course builds on the previous session, so you need to be available to attend all three sessions. The sessions are designed to be interactive rather than formal presentations and will not be recorded. This course is open to all across the connexion (not just West Midlands)
Hosted by: Eunice Attwood, Church at the Margins Officer and Kerry Scarlett, Regional Learning and Development Officer
To book: please click the links (in blue) below, or go to https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-work/our-work-in-britain/evangelism-growth/discover-church-at-the-margins/church-at-the-margins-training/ and click the links in red beside the dates you wish to attend.

Wednesday 8^th June 7-9pm: Session One: Creating connections and spaces where people truly encounter one another.
Wednesday 22^nd June7-9pm: Session Two: Nurturing communities in which people with lived experience of poverty are recognised as the experts
Wednesday 13^th July7-9pm: Session Three: Sharing the gospel and seeing transformation as people grow in faith and challenge injustice.    
If you would be interested in attending this course over two days face to face at Cliff College, please email: attwoode@methodistchurch.org.uk
 
 
New Resources for use at Local Church/ Circuit level.
Walking with Micah “Justice Conversations
These conversations are an invitation to anyone involved in the life of Methodist churches and communities to have a conversation about what a just world looks like, and to feedback their answers to the project.  The answers will help shape the Methodist Church’s work to tackle injustice.
Local Justice Conversations can take any shape or form, but it’s hoped that people will encounter three things:

• Listening to experiences of injustice
• Exploring where God is
• Reflecting on what a just world looks like.

 
There are lots of tools available on the Walking with Micah website to support conversations – from worship resources, to guided conversations, to intergenerational ideas and craftivist sessions.  This 12 minute film, Speaking from Experience, in which people with particular experiences of injustice describe what a just world looks like to them. 
You can find out more about the Justice Conversations here. At the end of a Conversation, groups are encouraged to feedback their answers via an e-survey.  Postcards are also available where people do not meet as a group.  Feedback from this phase of the project will be looked along with resources from other phases to work towards the Conference report in 2023.
 

Trauma-informed Ministry in a Time of COVID

Wednesday 4th May 2022, 9.30am till 1pm on Zoom
 
Last year the District offered two repeat sessions of this half day course run by the Tragedy and Congregations Team.  It was found to be very helpful by those who attended and so now - as we reach a different stage of the pandemic - we are offering a further session.
The course is designed for those in ordained ministry and will be delivered by the Rev’d Hilary Ison.  It offers opportunities to:
            •  articulate experience of the COVID crisis
            • make connections between these reactions and trauma theory
            • explore the dynamics of communities after a tragedy
            • look at biblical resources for addressing our current situation

Numbers are limited to 12.  To book your place on one of these please contact Richard in the District Office admin@wsmethodist.org.uk   Priority is given to presbyters and deacons on the stations and Supernumeraries with oversight of churches.  




 

Conference Volunteers URGENTLY needed

3Generate 2022

We’re delighted to let you know that 3Generate, the Methodist children and youth assembly, will be taking place at the NEC in Birmingham again: the dates are Friday 30th September to Sunday 2^nd October 2022. Tickets go on sale from 1^st April to 31^st July so groups can register and book tickets during this period but payment isn’t required until the first week of September 2022. More information can be found here.

 

Stationing Training 2022

Following the positive response to online training sessions last year, training in Stationing processes will once again be held online and broken down into separate sections.  The training will be conducted by the Chair and the District Lay Stationing Rep.
Ministers and Circuits expected to be involved in stationing will receive individual notification of these sessions.  The training is for ministers, spouses/partners, Superintendents and Circuit Stewards involved in reviews or moves.  Training on the process for re-invitation would also be very helpful for any other people, such as Church Stewards, who may play a part in the review process.
 
7pm Thursday 5th May:  An introduction to the Stationing Process*  
 
7pm  Monday 23rd May:  The re-invitation process  
 
6pm  Tuesday 24 May:  New appointments (Ministers)
7.30pm  Tuesday 24 May:  New appointments (Circuit Invitation Committee)
 
*NB the District Policy Committee previously arranged for that date is being postponed due to other factors)
 
 

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 @ tim.a.lorimer@gmail.com
 
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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