News from the Circuit and Beyond

A Circuit Together event was held in February 2018 at Trinity Methodist Church, to celebrate and give thanks for seven Local Preachers with a total of 275 years service.

The event started in the afternoon with a workshop led by Rachel Lampard, past Vice-President of the Methodist Church and who is currently Team Leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, churches working for peace and justice. see http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk

The workshop was entitled “Politics is too important to be left to politicians and political parties! What can WE do?”. Rachel was engaging and enlightening and the workshop was enjoyed and appreciated by over 40 participants.

Holmes Chapel Methodist Church have made a commitment to become a Dementia Friendly Church. Small adjustments have already been made to the building to make it a more suitable and welcoming environment for those living with Dementia and their carers however our major project has been the launch of the ‘Memory Cafe’.

David Bradwell, refugee co-ordinator for 'Scottish Churches Action for Refugees', is visiting Lampedusa, and Italian Island near the north African coast, to take part in a Protestant churches' conference on borders and to attend a service commemorating the thousands of people drowned in the Mediterranean while trying to reach safety. He has sent his reflections....

I've seen more police than I would have expected for a community of just a few thousand inhabitants. They are a reminder that tiny Lampedusa is now at the vortex of global forces driving displacement.

Congleton High Street and Town Hall

It is more than four years since our Circuit Meeting agreed unanimously to enter into a Licence Agreement with Ascension Trust to seek to set up the Congleton Street Pastors Project.

This was along with three other Christian denominations in the town – C of E, U.R.C. and New Life, the four of us working together. We have roughly 20 Street Pastors, whose training has been spread out over a year.

Weekly Street Pastor Patrols have been taking place now since June 2014. Initially, they ran for a year on Friday evenings only, from 8pm to midnight with a break in the middle. Over time it became obvious that to be more effective later times and Saturdays needed to be incorporated.

By the first quarter of 2017 patrols were on duty on Fridays between 8pm and midnight, and Saturdays between 10pm and 2am. Street Pastors patrol in uniform in a group of four and are backed up by a prayer team at Westwood House, Trinity Methodist Church, who are in touch by mobile phone and also provide refreshments for the break time.

Our Street Pastors are overwhelmingly held in high regard by those they meet in the town, young and old.