A huge thankyou to all who contributed to this Gift Weekend appeal as a result of which we were able to collect an incredible total of £ 2,187.00.
Of this £1,093.5 went to Chester Aid to the Homeless (CATH), with the rest split equally between Methodist Homes fo the Aged (MHA), Runcorn and District Food Bank, and the Methodist Church Fund for World Mission. In addition, we were able to send a cheque for £180 to the Toilet Twinning organisation which gives grants towards provision of toilets in schools and other community buildings in the developing world, and a further donation of £191 to the Leprosy Mission, for whom we had an envelope collection just before lock-down. Many thanks to all who contributed so generously to these gifts. John Holmes, Church Treasurer
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Covid 19 and our response as a Church by the Church Leadership Team
The Church Council met on 17th July 2020 (by Zoom) and recommitted itself to worship, study and prayer. We agreed to continue to pray for each other and seek discernment and wisdom at this time. Whilst the Church Council retains legal responsibility for the reopening of the church, it delegated the task of making and executing decisions regarding the phased reopening of the church to the Church Leadership Team. During the whole of the Covid-19 the Church Leadership Team has met together every three weeks online via Zoom to pray and carefully consider/plan how as a church we can continue to worship and grow as disciples, love and support each other, and how we can serve our wider community. We are reminded that through this difficult time we remain a community who love and care for each other. We have agreed to continue the online service via YouTube every Sunday morning at 10am for at least several more months. We also have a separate printed service sheet issued every week to those who can’t access the online service. We have taken the decision to not open or start Sunday services with people attending church in September – due to all of the restrictions we would need to impose, it would be very strange and different to what we remember as normal. There would be no singing, we would need to wear masks, seats would need to be booked, lots of people would not be able to attend, there could be no refreshments or social time after the service, and we may only be able to get up to 20/30 people safely in church. We are therefore considering and setting out a plan to get us from September to the New Year – this plan can be amended, speeded up, or slowed down to reflect changing local restrictions and government direction/legislation. Regular updates on the gradual reopening of church will be provided as we continue to react to the swift changing situation and national and local guidance, including guidance from the Methodist Church. We welcome any views on these proposals via email to leadership.team (@) frodshammethodist.org, via your pastoral visitor or to one of the Church Leadership team. Every activity/event which we propose and which eventually starts will be the subject of a detailed Covid-19 risk assessment, with the wider effect and risk assessment of the church and any collateral impact from one event/activity on another also assessed. We have noted that for some of these events and activities to take place, zoning of the whole of the Church premises including the hall, annexe etc. would be required (we would need to separate parts of the church premises to make sure no one from one event/activity went into another zone of church which was saved and cleaned for a separate activity) and/or enhanced cleaning will be needed. As part of this plan we hope in September to be able to move the online service to be streamed live from church. There will be no congregation present, but it will enable more flexibility and permit more than one person to be present and help lead it. There is also the potential for funerals restarting at church later in September, but numbers attending will be significantly restricted. It is possible that we may be able to restart youth group at church in some format and maybe the regular walking group. As we move later into October, there is a possibility that we may be able to permit a very small number of people to attend our live streamed services at church, but the services will continue to be streamed on YouTube for all to attend online or listen via their phone. Even later in October we are looking at if we can start some sort of short spoken prayer service for a small number of people, possibly midweek. During November and December, and into the New Year, we will look to gradually reopen activities and events at church. Sadly it is too early yet to give any real detail of what this may look like as, at the time of writing, we have no knowledge of any potential second waves of Covid-19, how Government advice may change, of the effect of local lockdowns etc. We will keep everyone updated and we appreciate everyone’s patience, love and support as we try to carefully pick our way through this difficult situation. The Leadership Team Frodsham Methodist Church Today is the day that some of our local businesses reopen, we hope and pray that all things go well for you.
We also remember and pray for those businesses that remain closed and for people with job insecurity and uncertain futures, as well as those working in education, health and social care and all essential services. Festival at Home, a free online festival happening from 22 to 25 May hosted by Cliff College, a Christian theological college in Calver, Derbyshire. With worship, seminars, challenges, prayer, teaching and more for all ages, this is the place to be over the bank holiday! Join them online or on YouTube. PLUS Cliff College are also hosting two virtual open days, on June 2 and 3 – you can find all the information on their website. Jeremiah implores us: "seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.....and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare". Although it might be a stretch to think of Frodsham as a city, nevertheless all of us around our circuit want to communicate the sense that although our buildings are closed, our church fellowships continue to pray for our communities. Members of Frodsham Methodist Church have hung bunting that celebrates God's presence and each flag carries a prayer for people in our community who are leading or serving at this time. Below are just a few of the flags, but do take a closer look when out for your daily walk. With this Friday, 8th May, being the commemoration of VE Day, the Methodist Church has a podcast episode available which features a chat to Methodists from the island of Jersey who were liberated from occupation. A fifteen minute reflection from the team at Methodist Central Hall Westminster is to be broadcast across all 39 BBC local radio stations at 3pm on Good Friday. The reflection has been produced following current guidelines. You can find your local BBC station here.
The statement is supported by churches in membership of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, along with Churches Together in England, Cytûn, ACTS and the Irish Council of Churches.
Holy Week Statement from British and Irish Church Leaders God’s world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. In the nations that make up Britain and Ireland the Covid-19 virus continues to affect people at an alarming rate, health services along with many of our institutions and organisations, both local and national, are under extreme pressure and people are getting used to living in a very different way, many in extreme isolation. As with all such crises, there is a danger that the most vulnerable in society will be most badly affected. Christians the world over are entering an important time in the church year as we look to the events of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. At the centre of our common faith are both the depths of despair and the heights of joy. In the Bible and in the songs and liturgies of the Church, we see Jesus entering fully into human suffering. In His rising again, that suffering is redeemed and transformed into hope and joy. After Jesus’ death his disciples were afraid and all seemed lost and hopeless, but the risen Christ met them in their despair and restored hope through his victory over death. We pray that the world today might know this hope in place of despair. In the Book of Daniel we read about God’s people being taken into exile in Babylon. Daniel could not pray in the Temple in Jerusalem, but he continued to pray in exile – opening his window to face Jerusalem. Though he was on his own he joined with the prayers of the people wherever they were. Now we too are separated from each other physically, but when we pray in our homes we join in with this ancient tradition of our home as a place of prayer. Wherever we are, whenever we pray, when we speak and think of Christ, there he is in the midst of us. We join our prayers with all those who pray in our own churches and communities and around the world. As church leaders from across the many and varied churches of these Islands we urge all people to join us in prayer this Holy Week and Easter; to pray for those who suffer, those who face untimely death and all those who care for them; to celebrate our common faith at a difficult time; to help and support our neighbours in need; and to observe all the safeguards in place to slow the spread of disease. Our Prayer Loving God, in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for our salvation, cast out the darkness of our anxiety, fear and mourning, enfold us in your love and give us joy and hope this Easter. Amen.
As we cannot meet together face-to-face at present, during the online worship on Easter Sunday there will be an opportunity for the Frodsham Methodist Church Family to greet each other.
If you want to be part of this, please send a photograph or video of you and your family wishing the Church Family a Happy Easter by Thursday 9th April to: webmaster@frodshammethodist.org This could be recorded on a professional camera but a phone is also fine. Be as creative as you want. Your message could be delivered orally, in writing, or anything else you can think of! But do try to keep the message short so the service does not overrun (too much!). Do note that the service will be broadcast on YouTube so everyone in the photograph or video should be comfortable with their image being included in the service. And we will try our best to include all submissions received, as long as the format is compatible. Please help to spread the word! Frodsham Methodist Church have received the below information that may be relevant to residents of Cheshire West and Chester about some of their services that are continuing online, even at this time: Libraries (online services)
New Leaf (skills and money advice)
Announcing the launch of "Frodsham and District Open Hands" (a project of Frodsham Open Hands Limited, of which Rev'd. Andrew Emison is the director), which launched on 30 March in full co-operation and support of Cheshire West & Chester Council, Chester West Voluntary Action in partnership with Frodsham Town Council and Frodsham Churches Together.
We are hoping to put up our Easter cross outside Church as a symbol of hope for the community and those passing by.
But we will need lots of flowers to decorate it. The Church Stewards planning to put the bare cross up on Good Friday and will leave a bucket of water by it, so that people out on their permitted walk on Friday evening or Saturday you can leave flowers there. Please try not to touch the cross or the bucket itself so that we can keep each other safe. The Church Stewards will then put the flowers on the cross on Easter Sunday morning. Thank you. We, the leaders and representatives of ten British Church denominations and networks, speak together as the UK prepares to leave the European Union on Friday 31 January 2020.
Three and a half years after the UK voted to leave the European Union, the point of departure has now been reached. The process of arriving at this point has been bruising and divisive. For some this date will mark the realisation of a long-held ambition and a moment of celebration. For others, however, it will be an occasion of great loss, marking the moment when deeply held desires for the nations of the UK are placed beyond reach. Church members in good conscience continue to hold a wide range of views about Brexit. As Church leaders and representatives, we are united in wishing to seek God’s guidance and a sense of common purpose as we move from this chapter of the Brexit process into the next. As the UK leaves the EU there are important choices to be made about the values that we as a country live out. As Christians, we affirm our belief that all people are equally created in God’s image. Our country should be one that offers sanctuary to refugees and is intolerant of those who hate because of a person’s race or nationality. Both Leave and Remain campaigns agreed on this – we must now make it a reality. The continuing challenges of the climate crisis, global inequality and conflict will require both resolve and close international cooperation to be addressed effectively. We greatly value the love and friendship of our sisters and brothers in other European churches, and a group of us are writing to them publicly today to assure them that these relationships will continue. We also recognise that 31 January will bring uncertainty and anxiety to many EU citizens living in the UK and British citizens living in the EU. Leaving the EU cannot mean abandoning our responsibilities towards these families. Brexit exposed and exacerbated divisions in British society. The deeply held convictions that fuelled the Brexit debate will not simply go away, but our Christian faith urges us to be people of peace and reconciliation. If the bitterness of the last four years is not to persist in polluting our national life, we will all need to resist the temptation to hold on onto the hurts of the past, or to act in ways which will be perceived as triumphalist. We will only be able to move towards having a sense of common purpose, despite our differences, when we choose to act with kindness, humility and respect towards those with whom we disagree. We call on our political leaders to set an example over the next weeks and months as we move towards negotiations which will require further decisions about priorities for the nations of the UK. For our part, our Churches will be working and praying for: a society where the poorest and most marginalised are at the centre a society that welcomes the stranger a just economy that enables the flourishing of all life a planet where the environment is renewed a world which actively works for peace a politics characterised by listening, kindness and truthfulness. Rev'd. Dr. Barbara Glasson and Professor Clive Marsh, President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference Rev'd. David Mayne, Moderator of Council, Baptist Union of Great Britain The Right Rev'd. Colin Sinclair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Rev'd. Nigel Uden and Mr. Derek Estill, Moderators of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church Most Rev'd. Father Olu Abiola OBE and Archbishop Fidelia Onyuku-Opukiri, Council of African and Caribbean Churches UK Yvonne Campbell, General Secretary, on behalf of the Council of the Congregational Federation Rev'd. Dr. Noel A Davies, Chair, Cytûn: Churches Together in Wales' Working Party on Wales and Europe Bishop Simon Iheanacho, Overseer, UK World Evangelism Churches Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain Most Rev'd. Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church What a wonderful Christmas it has been. It was wonderful to see so many people in Church for the Community Nativity, Carold by Candlelight and on Christmas Day itself as we welcomed Christ into our world and into our lives. The picture below is of worship on Christmas Day as we all shared the gifts we had received!
We are pleased to advise that the craft fair was another successful event. We had 23 stallholders in the Church and the hall selling a wide range of original art work and hand-crafted items including jewellery, textiles, glass and ceramics. Hilary demonstrated her skills on the potter’s wheel and even allowed some customers to have a try themselves!
A total of £1500.40 was raised, which will be divided between Chester Aid to the Homeless and Church funds. There are more photographs from the event on the Facebook page. A big thank you to all who made the event a success by attending, volunteering or helping in any way. Frodsham Churches Together are looking to appoint a Registered Nurse to serve as the Volunteer FCT Parish Nurse in Frodsham, Cheshire. Hours to be agreed. The volunteer would liaise with the Frodsham Churches Together and their care teams in supporting the spiritual and physical well-being of the people of Frodsham and surrounding area. This may also involve some links to surrounding nearby villages. The support offered to the local community will be regardless of their faith. As the appointment requires the person to offer spiritual care and prayer when requested, it is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for the applicant to be a practising Christian. Applicants must be willing to undertake the Parish Nurse Ministry training 4th-7th November 2019 in Birmingham. All expenses will be paid by the Project. To register an interest in the appointment please email: parishnurse@emison.net. An application pack and full job description will be forwarded by email. Appointment to commence on the first day of training. Closing Date for Applications: Monday 16th September 2019.
In an address on Saturday to the Conference outlining the theme for her Presidential year, ‘So what’s the story…?’, the Revd Dr Barbara Glasson used stories from her own life and ministry to reveal how we can find a “fragile strength” and from being present in difficult places we can, “surprise ourselves once again with the way of Jesus”.
She said: “We are called to tell stories, to listen to stories and to wrestle with stories, to search for truth not fake news, to challenge the malicious stories we tell about each other and to go on believing that as people of creation, exodus, crucifixion, wilderness wandering and even in exile we can still claim the hope of resurrection and the gracious promise of life in all its fullness.” Dr Glasson’s ministry has been with the Bread Church in Liverpool, Touchstone, a Methodist interfaith project in Bradford, and with people who have experienced abuse following the Past Cases Review. She arrived at the Conference, being held this year in Birmingham, on foot having walked 133 miles from Huddersfield, stopping frequently en route to share and listen to the stories of communities along the way. On a trip to China in 2017, Dr Glasson heard of the story of nineteenth century Cornish missionary, Samuel Pollard, brought up to date in a country with the fastest growing Christian population on earth. On another journey to Myanmar she encountered Shanti Kana, or safe space, a project run by All We Can for women, so that they can feel safe and cool and rest, away from the cramped, claustrophobic and often violent shacks of the nearby refugee camp. The people of these stories she said, “live the Jesus story and so can we, we who are Methodist and Methodish, we who are marinaded in faith or just dipping a tentative toe, Conference buffs and Conference rookies, big wigs and small fry, gay or straight or trans or undefined, broken, diffident or downright scared, all of us, each of us is called to this simple, costly way, living out our stories within the eternal, challenging, costly, glorious stories of God - because nothing in all creation can separate us from it.” In her address Dr Glasson called for more than just telling of stories but to push for change and to listen: “We will need to be people of reconciliation and peace in an increasingly angry and divided Britain. We will need to commit ourselves to not only making the church inclusive, but allowing those who we might think ‘on the edge’ to challenge and transform us. We need to listen in three dimensions to what is told and what lies in the dark spaces between the words.” To watch a video and read the full text of Dr Glasson delivering her address click here. |
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It is normally distributed by e-mail on a Thursday and is available in Church each Sunday and throughout the week.
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