Dear Friends

It is good to be back with you now that I have returned from my sabbatical. Taking time away from the everyday activities of ministry and the challenges of recent months has enabled me to have time for rest, recreation and learning. It has been a time of great blessing for me and I feel refreshed and renewed in body, mind and spirit.

During my sabbatical Dave and I made visits to the New Room at Bristol, the world’s oldest Methodist building in the heart of the Bristol city centre. The New Room dates from 1748 and has been a centre for worship and serving the needs of the local community since that time. Following redevelopment the rooms previously used as a home for John Wesley and his preachers were opened in 2017 as a museum telling the story of the Wesley’s and 18th century Methodism and its relevance for today. Charles Wesley worked in Bristol for most of his live and we were also able to visit the house where he and his family lived.

On another trip we visited the Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum of Primitive Methodism and spent time in Epworth visiting the Wesley family home at the Old Rectory as well as explore the town and its links with the Wesley family. I also travelled up to London to visit John Wesley’s Chapel and museum in City Road.

At each of the places that I visited there were extensive displays of various artifacts and knowledgeable guides on hand to explain their significance and answer questions. Visiting the various buildings, sites and monuments and reading about the development of Methodism helps us to understand where we have come and can guide us as we continue our journey into the future.

Throughout my sabbatical I had my own reminder of where I had come from in the form of a small pebble from a local beach. The pebble had been polished and marked with a small cross and was presented to me at my last service at Little Common before going on sabbatical. Although this gift had no monetary value it was a great treasure to me and I carried it with me as a tangible reminder of the community of faith of which we are all a part.

In the early days of Methodism John Wesley and his ministers and followers faced considerable challenges in sharing the gospel. But they were filled with great joy and a desire to share the love of God with everyone they met, to reach out to those in need and promote social justice. This is still our calling today: may God bless us as we follow in their footsteps and seek to share the love of God with all whom we meet day by day.

Every blessing to you

Tricia

July 2019

Focus for Prayer – July 2019

“My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ.” (Philemon vs 6)

Give thanks for those who have shared the Good News with us and helped us to know God as Father and for all who continue to help us to learn and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Give thanks for those who offer leadership to the Methodist Church and pray for the members of the Connexional Team and the new President Revd. Doctor Barbara Glasson and Vice President Clive Marsh as they take up their new responsibilities. May they inspire and challenge us with new ways of serving God today.

Give thanks for the many ways in which our circuit churches are reaching out into the local community and sharing the good news of Jesus. Pray for all who offer leadership as Ministers, Circuit and Church Stewards that the Holy Spirit may guide us as we look to the future and enable us to discover new ways to develop our mission in serve others.

Pray for ministers who will be leaving their Circuits and moving on to new places and situations at the end of the month, remembering especially our District Chair, Revd John Hellyer and Revd Peggy Heim. Pray also for Revd Ian Pruden and his wife Lis that their health may improve and Ian will be able to return to ministry.

Give thanks for the work of Action for Children and the difference that its services and care have made to the lives of millions of children and young people in the UK and throughout the world. Pray for the work that continues through its range of support services, care centres and projects enabling families and
children to have a better future.

As another term comes to an end, pray for all children and young people preparing to leave school and move on to the next stage in their education and training or into the world of work.

Pastoral Prayers – July 2019

Please pray for the following during the coming month:-

Lisa Pestell - Pastoral Visitor

Richard, Michelle, Dougie & Olivia Benge,. Richard, Harvey & Emily Conely, Ray, Wendy, Catriona & Elena Dennis, Sarah Newsome, Mandy, Jay Harriet & Peter Pleece, Gwen & Mary-Ann Potter, Lorna, Darren, Liam, Alex & Lana Thomson, Sheila Ripley and Vicky & Emmitt Turner, and Ben, Sam and Abigail Hotton.

We have had prayers requested at our services during last month for Maud Miller, Richard, Harvey & Emily Conely, Sandra Taylor, Val Hames and Pam & Dave Wickens.

Let us also also remember the housebound and frail members of our Church family who for various reasons don't manage to get to our services now.

I wish you all a happy and relaxing summer.

Every Blessing to you all,

Virginia Cole

Pastoral Secretary