Hello everyone and welcome to the BUZZ.

THE BUZZ is a great resource that brings the whole Methodist Connexion together and allows us to share what's happening in our districts, circuits, churches and church groups. If you have any stories you would like to share, which illustrate how your church is working out the four aspects of Our Calling, then please get in touch.

You can advertise your church, circuit or district events and news on the Connexional Noticeboard on the Methodist Church website. Here's the link: www.methodist.org.uk

After you've held your event, do let me know how it went. Your ideas can encourage and inspire others to try something similar and I'm sure the latest stories below will do just that. The contacts will be pleased to give you more information.

Lynne Newland

© Ellen Powell

Each year our Community Outreach Group (COG) holds a COG Slog (walk) in the vicinity of a particular church in the circuit, followed by a faith tea and service, the idea being to meet with friends throughout the area. The event is advertised in the circuit and throughout the local communities to encourage non church goers to come along too.

This year it was the turn of Hartington Street Methodist Church, Barrow, and 15 people enjoyed the two mile walk which began at the church and led to the Dock Museum, Channelside and the Slag Heap (which is comprised of waste materials left over from the smelting processes of iron and steel). This is a reclaimed area which was once Barrow Iron and Steel Works. There were great views of the Isle of Man, Black Combe, (Millom), the hills of the Lake District and Piel Island en route and the walk ended with feeding ducks on a nearby pond.

Back at the church another 20 adults and children arrived to share in a faith tea with the walkers. We felt blessed to be able to witness to the community as 50 people, including strangers, attended our first open air service, held on land adjoining the church. The land had been derelict for many years but was recently landscaped for us by the Council. The lively service, with the Good Samaritan as its theme, included readings, a sketch, a five minute talk, modern choruses and traditional hymns led by our music group, Pew2. 

It was a wonderful day of fellowship and encouragement for the churches in the circuit as we go forward in faith to serve our communities.

“Our youth project has been successfully running for two years and we are now hoping to expand”, reports John Elston, secretary of the project support group.

The aim of the project is to make a difference to the lives of the young people of the area and has the practical support of the Manchester Youth Service. The church employs Carol-Ann to work part time with 11-18 year olds in the Moston area and she currently runs sessions on the church premises on Tuesday and Saturday evenings. 

We have a small support group, appointed by the church council, to oversee the project and sometimes the young people attend these meetings. We didn’t begin the project to specifically target young people as potential worshippers but if this happens it will be a very welcome bonus.  We do, of course, invite members of the project to join in activities that are organised for the church family.

Since the project started Carol-Ann has worked with over 100 young people of whom around 90 have been members of a street dance project which is running in partnership with Sports Development. The youth project also worked in partnership with Northwards Housing on their ‘Shimmer & Shine’ project, developing calendar images and our project was one of those featured in the calendar. The project is also part of the North City Youth Activity Group (YAG) providing informal, educational and stimulating activities for young people in and around the Moston area.

The young people play a huge role in the project. They were successful in raising £10,000 for equipment, including a new carpet for the room they use. They enjoy full involvement and support each other to make decisions and help run the sessions in a very constructive manner.

It was encouraging that the President of the Methodist Conference and the Chair of the Manchester and Stockport District have both visited the project, as has our local MP who will soon be returning to see the progress on one particular project.

Funding for the project was won by the church from the Manchester Methodist Circuit in a bidding process for a period of two years.  We are now in the process of trying to obtain grants to extend this successful project.

© Eunice Palmer

During the first week of August a team of 18, mainly Methodists from different parts of the country, enjoyed a week of mission on Southport beach, but this was no ‘ordinary’ beach mission. “Each day we dug a labyrinth in the sand which, over the week, attracted between 300-400 people”, reports Eunice Palmer (Sunderland) who jointly organised the mission with Revd Steve Wild (Cornwall).
 
It proved to be a fantastic tool to lead people into a ‘God Space’ and also to create curiosity which led to many good conversations. Viewing from the nearby pier, people stopped to watch the labyrinth being dug, and when it was completed would trace its pathway asking what it was all about? 

We did not ‘collar’ anyone or force people to talk to us. We waited prayerfully for those people who gave us eye contact before offering them a leaflet and their further response determined what happened next.

All those who walked through the labyrinth took with them a piece of rubbish that represented something in their life that they wanted to be rid of. At the centre, people embedded their rubbish in the sand castle, under a simple driftwood cross, representing their giving up the rubbish to God. Folk then picked up a stone and walked away without their rubbish. The stone was to help them remember their encounter with God on the beach at Southport and also, if they kept it in their pocket, could feel it and remember that they can talk to God and give him their ‘rubbish’ at any time and place.

The labyrinth was walked by people of all ages and varying cultures and some left saying it was the best thing they had ever done and they felt clean.

On leaving the labyrinth one evening, Cliff, one of the team, said, “We looked back over the sea wall to see a man and his young son walking the labyrinth. This reminded me that others are there to take over when we leave, and God, Son and Holy Spirit are still there to welcome whoever or whatever moves on the earth”.

© Peter Deaville

‘Party in the Park’ on Sunday 27 June was our way to share and express God’s love to the whole community of Kirkby Lonsdale as we commemorated the 175th anniversary year of the opening of the Methodist church in this small country town. We had marvellous weather, a great location and around 1,000 local people joined in.

We had good support from other churches and local schools as well as from church and community organisations, all of which were contacted directly, with a personal invitation to take part. The event was publicised in the local press and on local radio. We displayed large banners around town and flyers were given to every household in the area. We worked with a planning team of five people plus the support of many others in our church doing a variety of jobs from collecting straw bales to making refreshments to praying for the event.

On the day our minister, Revd Andrew Webb, welcomed everyone and the afternoon was officially opened by Tim Farron MP, who spoke very directly about soccer and Christianity.

There was something for everyone and everything was free. At four day’s notice we even managed a live feed for the England vs Germany game of the World Cup. Needless to say, the hall was packed - shame about the result! During the afternoon there were live events, a dazzling display of bike handling and agility from Trials Display, Kirkby Lonsdale Brass Band played and Queen Elizabeth School 6th Form Choir sang some of the programme from their forthcoming Belgian tour. An ad hoc group of children and teens were led in a samba percussion session – great fun for all. We were grateful to everyone who baked cakes and to Meet2Eat who served the refreshments (M2E, a Christians Together initiative providing a weekly hot meal and friendship for anyone). Other organisations displayed information about their work, eg the Abbeyfield Society, First Responders, FairTrade and Divorce Care.

Costs were covered by gifts and grants from Methodist sources and the local Neighbourhood Forum. We had massive support from other groups in the town including the Town Council and The Institute (village hall) committee and, having planned the event for the local community, and not particularly for visitors to the town, we seem to have realised a previously unmet need for greater community involvement - something for us to think about for the future.

This was the first time we had attempted anything like this. We received advice from St Thomas’ Anglican Church in Kendal and the Revd Paul Dunstan, Cumbria District Evangelism Enabler helped guide us as we considered how to show God’s love to the community through the church and its members. Next month we are holding special services to mark the 175th anniversary of the church’s opening.