Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of THE BUZZ.

THE BUZZ is a great resource that brings the whole Connexion together and allows us to share successful ideas between districts, circuits, churches and church groups. If you have any success stories you would like to promote and share, then please get in touch and let us know how God is working in your local area.

Alison Pollard
  

Four more exciting and encouraging stories from around Methodism. The contacts provided will be pleased to give you more information.

‘Noah's Arky Arky’ was just one of the songs sung by our children at the first pet service to be held in Great Glen. Altogether, 55 people brought 28 pets to Glen Methodist Church to celebrate National Pet Month and to raise money for local animal charities.

‘Pets’ included a cow and her calves, a cade lamb, a tortoise, a goldfish, rabbits, guinea pigs and many different kinds of dogs. Local vet Dr Adetunji Jolaosho joined in the service and spoke to us about his life as a vet. Now set to become an annual event, it celebrated responsible animal care and reflected on what animals can teach us about being kind and caring for others.

This year we have adopted the persecuted Church as our charity and during Lent held an all night prayer vigil for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith. After a Bible study, people were invited to spend time at one of seven different prayer stations, including a focus on Jesus’ suffering for us, prayer for countries and individuals, identifying with the persecuted (by being shut in a cupboard!) and ‘prayerful action’ (writing cards or letters). Each hour we had a meditation on prayer and between 3am and 4am a praise hour. 

Those who attended learnt about and were inspired by our persecuted brothers and sisters and, of course, we trust that God is using our prayers because, after all, the first thing that persecuted Christians ask us in the West to do is to pray for them.

After hearing about The Prayer Shawl Ministry a small group of us began to meet in Wesley’s Coffee Shop on Thursday afternoons. The first shawl we made was taken to a church member in hospital who gained great comfort from the gift and the accompanying prayer. The second was made for a terminally ill friend who took it with him into the hospice and was wearing it when he died.

This ministry has grown so much that we recently took 15 shawls to the local hospice. They were dedicated by the chaplain who told us how very comforting they were to both patients and relatives. In particular we make brightly coloured shawls for bereaved children who love to wrap themselves in them. 

This is a ministry of prayer and compassion, which has also helped those producing the shawls, as some have been recently bereaved themselves. We consider the process as outreach too because as we are knitting, folks ask what we are making and meaningful conversations often follow.

Burton Road Methodist Church held a Star Wars weekend over the bank holiday, showing all six Star Wars films using a full Dolby Digital Surround Sound system and a large screen to give the full cinematic experience! The aim was to give the youth of the church something to offer to their friends (using their own ideas) and it worked fantastically well, with both young people and families attending the event.