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New this week:
District Delegation returns from Rwanda
District Chair's Lent Pilgrimage Walks
Lent Knit-a-long
In case you
missed it:
Synod Diary Date Reminders
Sad news concerning Yvonne Gough
Action for Children News
Rewarding Voluntary Work Opportunity
Stationing Briefing - save the date!
Wholehearted Monthly Mission Series launches
Advanced Safeguarding Training update
New District Website - reminder
District Children's Activities Fund
Dial-a-prayer
free phone line to hear prayers : 0808 281 2514 Methodist News :
0808 281 2478
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District
Delegation Returns from Rwanda
(Photo: just some of the 400 children enjoy games with the
parachute donated by Wombourne MC)
The team returned from Rwanda on Sunday, with hearts full of
gratitude for the people they met and the stories they were able
to share.
The later part of the week saw the team visit a number of schools
run by the Free Methodist Church where children who support a
range of football teams from Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur were delighted
to receive footballs donated by the Cannock Chase Circuit.
Footballs are a luxury in Rwanda - the ones in the
Supermarket cost more than £25 each!
The final day included a two hour activity session for children
attached to the church at Gikondo. Plans had been made for
60 children. The expectation was then raised to 150-200.
400 turned up! It was riotous but wonderful - with
singing, storytelling and sports.
The team will be making a presentation to Synod, but if you would
like to hear more in your church or Circuit, please contact the
District Office.
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District
Chair's Lent Pilgrimage Walks
On
Fridays in Lent, the District Chair will be making pilgrimage
prayer walks in the Circuits. Details of timetables and the
churches included along the way will be available through the
relevant Circuits.
The first pilgrimage will be on 7th March, taking in
the Gornal & Sedgley; Dudley & Netherton and Black
Country Circuits.
The second on 14th
March will be in the Stafford and Cannock Chase
Circuits.
If you have a prayer request for the Chair to carry with her, you
can contact her via the District Office.
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Lent
Knit-a-long
A 'Lent
knit-a-long' is being run by a lovely church I was part of in
Bristol. It's followed by people all around the world, so I
thought there might be more knitters who would like to join in.
People knit, read the specially written devotions, and create a
surprise knit on the Lent theme.
People need to enroll quite quickly to get the materials
together to start on 6th March
.More details here:https://www.vic-methodist-bristol.org.uk/lent-knitalong-2025/
Many thanks.
Peace to you,Ruth
Deacon Ruth Yorke (she/her)
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Synod
Diary Date Reminders
The
Presbyteral Session of Synod will meet on 27th March at
Wellington Methodist Church.
The Representative Session of Synod will meet on Saturday 10th
May in person at a venue to be confirmed.
Both Synods will be in Session from 10am till roughly 3pm, with
refreshments from 9.30am and at the close
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Sad
news concerning Yvonne Gough
It is with great sadness that we bring news of the death of
Yvonne Gough, of the Hidden River Circuit, after a short illness.
Yvonne was involved in the life of the District in a number
of ways over the years, but is best known for her passionate
commitment to the District's relationship with the Free Methodist
Church in Rwanda.
This means that Yvonne will be greatly missed in Rwanda as well
as in the UK. It brings a measure of comfort that her death
coincides with the planned trip of a District delegation to
Rwanda. We will be able to share both in mourning and
celebration with Methodist friends overseas even as Yvonne’s
family and friends do the same at home.
The photograph is of Yvonne with her friend Marianne, a member of
the Methodist church on the Shara Peninsula with which St John’s,
Bloxwich is twinned.
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Action
for Children news
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Your
February District News from Action for Children
Dear friends,
I'd like to thank you for all of your support
last year and wish you a belated Happy New Year!
I hope you are settling in well to 2025 so
far. Please find your first newsletter of
the year below.
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News
and upcoming events
Count Your Blessings through Lent
Lent is only a few weeks away. We know some of
you are keen to take part in Count your
Blessings, daily reflections and short stories
about our work with opportunities to make small
donations during Lent.
The 2025 leaflet, newsletter and contact sheet
are now available to download from our website.
Just go to this page: actionforchildren.uk/faithFR -
and scroll to the "Count Your
Blessings" section.
Stephenson Awards - nominate a shining
star
Our annual Stephenson Awards are back and the
deadline for nomination is this
Friday, 14th February. The Stephenson
Awards celebrate the shining stars in the Action
for Children family.
Do you know an Action for Children supporter or
staff member who deserves recognition for
exemplary service to the charity? Then, nominate
them for a Stephenson Award and let us celebrate
the shining stars in the Action for Children
family.
More information and details on how to nominate
someone can be
found on our website.
Please
also share this poster with your churches.
Faith Space - 12th March
We're looking forward to our first Faith Space
event of 2025, which will be held from 2:30 -
3:30pm on 12th March.
The government’s forthcoming Child Poverty
Strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to
transform child poverty in the UK. Alice
Woudhuysen, Head of Campaigns & Public
Affairs at Action for Children, will give you a
sneak preview of the charity’s new campaign -
which aims to influence the strategy - ahead of
our campaign launch on 19th March.
There will be other guest speakers too!
Sign up
to future Faith Space events here.
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Rewarding
Voluntary Work Opportunity
Ablewell
Advice Walsall, the mission outreach project
of Walsall Methodist Central Hall, is looking for a volunteer to
help with administration for the management team.
The project has been running for over twelve years under the
trusteeship of the Church Council. At the council’s request the
management team is working to transfer Ablewell Advice into a
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
We provide a Foodbank as part of Black Country Foodbank, and a
free to use Benefit and Debt advice service to anyone in living
in the Walsall area.
We are looking for a volunteer to provide administrative support
to the Management Team. You will work closely with the Chair of
the Team, preparing Agendas and taking minutes of the meetings.
Additional responsibilities may develop in line with the
successful candidate’s skills, abilities, level of interest and
enthusiasm to take on more as they feel able.
To discuss or to apply for the role, please email Andrew Beattie
at abb4aac@gmail.com, or phone 07
967 975 861.
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Stationing
Briefing 25/26: Save the Dates
The West
Midlands District preparation and training meeting to outline the
stationing process will be held online on 1st May at 7pm.
In Circuits where invitations come to an end in 2026, those
expected to attend are presbyters, deacons, Superintendents
and Circuit and Church Stewards who will be involved in
the process. Spouses/partners or other supporting people are
warmly invited to attend the briefing
alongside ministers.
There will be a follow-up online session on 13th May at
7pm for those who engaging with the
processes of re-invitations. Recognising that this can
be a complex process, this session will go into more details
around the protocols and will give greater space of
questions to be aired.
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'Wholehearted
Monthly' Mission Series Launches
The Methodist Church is thrilled to announce the launch of
wholehearted monthly, a free, online mission series starting in
March on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
GMT/BST. People from all traditions and countries are welcome.
What
is wholehearted monthly? Think community
organising rally meets immersive spiritual laboratory. It's
for anyone committed to a vibrant friendship between
"Church" and "World" — and a desire for
both to flourish. Each month, testimony from local innovators,
input from a renowned guest speaker, and wisdom-sharing in
networks around Gospel justice, inclusion, evangelism, and
growth.
Speakers for the first three gatherings are now public!
Nadia
Bolz-Weber is a best-selling author, public
theologian and pastor, and is the founder and church planter of
House for All Sinners and Saints. (Tuesday 11 March)
Rowan
Williams is a theologian, poet and former
Archbishop of Canterbury, and is author of fifty books on
literature, politics, and being Christian. (Tuesday 8 April)
Chine
McDonald is a writer, broadcaster and
author, and is Director of Theos, the religion and society think
tank. (Tuesday
13 May)
Get your seat at the online table here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wholehearted-monthly-tickets-1082365166349?aff=evangelismgrowth
Hosted by The Methodist Church in Britain and open to all.
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Advanced
Safeguarding Courses - update
If your circuit requires a course please let me
know -
29/3/25
– Carrs Lane Birmingham 0945hrs registration
05/04/25
– New Road Methodist Church DY4 7DE. – 0945hrs
registration
04/10/25
– Brierley Hill MC Vale of Stour 0945hrs registration
Also
for online courses use this link – its uploaded with new options
regularly – if someone requires on line option can they please
email me so I can create an account with MCBX as there is pre
course work with this option -
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nottingham-and-derby-methodist-district-32226456073
Online courses –
24/3/25 – 10am x 12pm
24/3/25 – 7pm x 9pm
12/6/25 – 10am x 12pm
12/6/25 – 7pm x 9pm
With on line options there is a requirement to complete the pre
course work via MCBX so anyone wishing to choose online course
need to email myself, Stephanie Bradley at StephanieBradley@birminghammethodist.org.uk so
I can create an account with MCBX as there is a requirement
to complete pre course work on MCBX – some people are just
attending the course without completing the MCBX work. The online
option is far more time consuming than face to face and the
feedback I receive is that the MCBX work is repeated at the on
line session – just for people to consider.
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New
District Website and Socials launched
If you are looking for updates and news of the progress of the
District merger, the launch of the new website and socials
has now taken place so please click the link below to sign up for
news regarding the new West Midlands District so you don't miss a
thing!
https://www.wmmethodists.org.uk/
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District
Children's Activities Fund
If
your Church is looking to run Children's activities and
want some hep with funding, (up to £500)don't forget to apply to
the District Children's Activities Fund using the application
form linked to this and forward to Tim Lorimer at childrensfunding2024@gmail.com
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