Pictures from our Harvest Celebrations on 25th September, 2011. Donations of food were collected for local charity Save the Family and gifts of money for the work of the Methodist Relief and Development Fund.

Displays around Church as well as the content of our three Services this year explored the theme of 'Buy One Set One Free' and how making simple changes in our lives and how we shop can have a big impact upon other people. 

The recent Frodsham Methodist Church Stitching Class Charity Exhibition held in Frodsham Methodist Church Hall, where a variety of crafts were on sale as well as Afternoon Tea, raised a total of £370 for the Frodsham-based Rainbow Club. 

Our Ladies Group recently featured in The Chester Chronicle with an article about their recent Summer Fair and the donation made as a result to the North West Air Ambulance. To view the article, follow this link.

As the Methodist church starts a new year and I am starting my third year in this role, I thank God for all that has been accomplished. During this time I have learned a lot but most of all I am continually grateful to God who works through, in, and with our ideas and efforts to touch people and to all those who help to enable the different activities to happen. God urges, encourages, reshapes each of us into the people he wants us to be, if we let him.

Jeremiah 18 v 1-11

Here God is reminding Jeremiah that just like clay in the Potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. Even when things are breaking down it is not the end. God can take us and remake us.

With God you never know what you are going to be doing next. This looks to be the busiest year yet with assembly times changing and new lunchtime activities starting within school. I am able to attend Toddlers all the time now and am continuing to walk round the lake in Delamere with the Buggy walks. Messy Mice is flourishing and a new bible study group is starting.

Quote from Mother Teresa, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that he didn’t trust me so much.”

Andrea Ellams

On behalf of JMA, a big thank you to everyone who contributed to JMA. The
total collected for this year is £474.55.

Although this year’s total was down a little, considering the many calls for help in aid of the disasters we have witnessed in our world in recent times, we have done very well. Georgina Ellams has won the shield this year, having collected £142.87. Well done Georgina!

Pat Worrall

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When someone talks about Fair Trade, or Traidcraft, what first comes to your mind? So often we only think of tea, coffee and chocolate – or perhaps bananas as well. But there is so very much more to it than that – and the quality of the produce gets better all the time.

In a press release on August 24th, Traidcraft said the following: “The new Fair Trade Pineapple Fruit Pot is the first product where fair trade pineapple comes ‘ready-to-eat’. It contains pineapple chunks in pear juice, which are sourced from Swaziland and the pots are processed and packed by Swazican. Each pot contains only 60 calories and the contents are completely natural – there are no artificial colourings or flavourings.

The launch of the Fairtrade Fruit Pots comes after Traidcraft introduced the UK’s first Fairtrade wholewheat digestive in March This year. In the past six months, it has also launched a range of Fairtrade nuts, as well as two
new Fairtrade chocolate bars – Choc’n Toffee and Crisp’n Chewy. This means that Traidcraft now offers more than 170 Fairtrade food and drink products, from tea and coffee to pasta and rice.” Jenny File, Traidcraft’s Product Marketing Manager, says: “We’re always striving to innovate and develop new fair trade products. Since the company was started more than 30 years ago, we have developed what is now one of the widest ranges of fair trade food and drink products in the UK, but we have never rested on our laurels. We’re always looking to go that extra step and create new products that enable us to work with as many marginalised producers in developing countries as possible.”

Why not see for yourself some of this diversity, by visiting the Traidcraft stall after morning service, or the Wellspring stall at Main Street Community Church on Thursdays, or by browsing the catalogue? We also have Christmas cards in stock or to order, and Divine chocolate Advent Calendars at the special price of £3.50 (normal price £3.95).

As a Fair Trade Church, we have pledged to support fair trade as widely as possible – so that by spending just a few pence extra on a product we need to buy anyway, we can help make an enormous improvement to the lives and communities of poor people in developing countries. What easier way could there be to make a difference?

Elizabeth Holmes

Last night at Ladies Group, a presentation was formally made to Ms Susan Powell, representitive of the North West Air Ambulance, of a cheque for £800. The money was raised at the Ladies Group Summer Fair in July this year.

To find out more about the important work of the Air Ambulance, follow this link.

In early July representatives from all parts of The Methodist Church in Britain met in Southport for the annual Conference where discussion takes place and policy is agreed.

The Methodist Church is part of the lives of over half a million people in Britain and over 70 million worldwide.

The Rev’d. Dr. Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of The Methodist Church, spoke of Methodism as a discipleship movement shaped for mission. He talked about how Methodism does lots of things very well but that to continue to be shaped for mission is sometimes not a comfortable thing: sometimes it means stopping doing some things so we can do other things even better. He said:

‘Change is exciting and challenging, but also uncomfortable and unsettling and we need the gracious community of the Methodist family to explore the opportunities we, as a Church, face. I believe that because God is with us and guiding us we can go in this direction, and if we do, we will become a more vibrant, confident Methodist people playing a fuller part in God’s mission in Britain and with partners around the world.’

At Frodsham Methodist Church we are continually trying to do things better and look to the future. We are strengthening our existing worship and activities. After success last year we are hosting another Christmas Tree Festival from 9th to 11th December. We are starting new, exciting ways of being part of—and reaching out to—our community. In the past year we have started Messy Church and Messy Mice groups where there are lots of crafts and activities for young people as well as time to worship God and chill, eat & have fun together. As a response to the Alpha Group held earlier this year, a new Cell Group is beginning to meet. We have launched a new website and we have completed an extension to our premises, ‘The Annexe’, to allow more community groups to meet and to give our own groups more space to flourish. We are beginning several more groups for young people and adults in the near future so watch this space for more details.

Setting out particular priorities for the future, Martyn Atkins called on all Churches to consider:

1. Worship—rediscovering our 'wonder, love and praise' at the heart of our longing to transform the Church & world

2. Evangelism & Outreach—putting a disproportionate amount of resources into this area of our Church’s life

3. Fruitful Field—ensuring excellence in leadership and expanding ministry by lay people in the local church

4. Governance—creating more flexible, more responsive & more permissive regulations & governance

5. Partnerships—with other churches and denominations, worldwide and within the Methodist family

The leadership of the Church has a clear sense of where God wants us to go and to be: a movement that is more dynamic, flexible, and responsive; a discipleship movement that longs for ‘whole life, lifelong and world transforming’ followers of Jesus; a discipleship movement shaped for mission that wants to reach out in grateful response to God’s grace and sharefaith through loving word and deed.

This is what we think the Church shouldbe about. And we believe—passionately, excitedly—that when we do all thiswe will start to see a healthier, more confident, more fruitful Methodist Church,more obedient to God and God’s mission.

The story of the Methodist Church is your story, and we want to help thesestories to be shared. Our confidence in the future is based in our knowledge ofGod’s grace revealed already in amazing accounts of what is happening acrossMethodism and our community, and we will see more.

There are lots of good things happening in our Church, but we want to do even more. We want to hear your stories and what you have to say as we begin to respond to Martyn Atkins’ call for us to be renewed in our calling to be a discipleship movement fundamentally led from the grassroots by our Church family.

A summary of this Report to Conference can be downloaded by following this link.

Alternatively, speak to Rev’d. Pat Christopher (pat.christopher@frodshammethodist.org), Matthew Barnard (matthew.barnard@frodshammethodist.org) or any of the Church Stewards for more information or to give your response to this document.

At the start of the summer holidays, 2011, a group of 10 families from 0930 Live! braved the unpredictable English weather and set up camp for the weekend near Beeston. 

Once again, we returned to the site owned by Tarporley Baptist and Methodist Church, for our annual weekend at the start of the summer holidays. The weather held for us, after an initial shower as we pitched tents on the Friday, and we enjoyed a weekend of food, fun and fellowship. 

Our theme this year was ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ and Andrea Ellams, our Young Families Worker, had prepared lots of crafts and thoughts around this theme. The children made felt hearts and balloon faces, and created full-size pictures of themselves showing what made them happy.

On the Friday evening we all walked down to the canal in beautiful sunshine and were met by a family of swans, the parents eager to show off their seven ‘babies’. Saturday afternoon, many headed to Beeston Castle and the Ice Cream Farm, whilst the older boys struck off on their bikes to explore the countryside.

As before, the grave stones round the back of the site provided a safe place for the children to play and let their imaginations run away! 

On the Sunday we held a short 0930 Live! in the open air and then finished the weekend with yet more food and a final walk in the wonderful sunshine. So, another relaxed and happy weekend at this great location. We are planning a day there on Sunday 16th October, to walk and then share a meal, hopefully around the campfire again. We would love anyone to join us on this day and more details will follow. We have also provisionally booked the site again for next year, 20th-22nd July 2012.   

This is now a fixture in the 0930 Live! calendar, so look out for details as we plan ahead for next year’s camp. To book your place, or to get details, contact Pippa Jacobson by e-mailing pippa.jacobson@frodshammethodist.org.

A decade on from the 9/11 attacks British Church leaders are calling for the Government to examine its use of military force in response to violent extremism.

They state:

“It is clear that our reaction to the attacks on 9/11 has caused more suffering and loss than the original attacks. The ‘War on Terror’ has done little to make anyone safer, but has harmed human rights, depleted our coffers and damaged our standing in the world, and at a cost of many lives.”

The Churches will celebrate Peacemaking Sunday on 18 September. A service booklet and worship resources are available to download online here .

The full statement follows:

Prayer for Back to Church Sunday (this year coinciding with our Harvest Festival on 25th September) This prayer will be used by thousands of Christians across the country as we prepare for Back to Church Sunday. Please make this prayer your own in the run-up to Back to Church Sunday.

Welcoming God, thank you for life. 
Thank you for making us and loving us. 
Thank you for inviting us to know you. 
Help us to invite family, friends and neighbours to 
church so that they can know you too. 
Please bless Back to Church Sunday everywhere. 
Help us all to know you better. 
We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

For more information about Back to Church Sunday, visit their website. We offer a special invitation to anyone to attend our special services this day which will be followed by a time for refreshments and conversation in the Church Hall. For more details e-mail Rev'd. Pat Christopher on enquiries@frodshammethodist.org.

People who work for the Methodist Church will be paid at least the Living Wage from today. The Methodist Church is the first major Christian denomination to implement this policy in Britain.

From 1 September 2011 all people employed by the Methodist Church will be paid at least the Living Wage (currently £7.60 per hour). This is the hourly wage that will enable someone who works full time to live and participate in society (for example, by having time and some money to spend with family, being able to pay for children’s school clothes and some school trips). The Living Wage rate is reviewed annually and recommended by Church Action on Poverty, an independent charity. The legally enforced Minimum Wage ranges from £3.64 per hour for school leavers to £5.93 for those over the age of 21.

“The majority of people living in poverty are from a working household and low pay is one of the major drivers of poverty in the UK,” said the Revd Leo Osborn, President of the Methodist Conference. “As Christians we care deeply about justice and fairness. A long-hours low-pay culture can be found up and down our nation. The reality of low-paid work for many is very long hours and multiple jobs, leaving little time for family, community or leisure. In a fractured society where family and community matter more than ever, paying the Living Wage is one practical way of showing a commitment to these aspects of life.”

The UK Living Wage was founded after concern that community and family life suffer when adults in a household need to work long hours and multiple jobs to afford a basic standard of living. It allows a person to work 40 hours a week in return for a decent standard of living.

Commenting on the practical implemention of the policy, Director of Development and Personnel, Ms Carmila Legarda said: “We have encouraged our churches to pay staff a Living Wage for a number of years and we finally made it our policy after extensive research to ensure it would be affordable and deliverable. But equally we know that throughout the Connexion much work and some difficult decisions have needed to happen over the last year. We have been happy to work alongside churches introducing the Living Wage over the last year and will continue to do so as long as it is needed.

"Justice for our workers was the key reason for this policy, but another major factor was our understanding that by paying church workers a decent wage we would be helping them to be more effective employees. There may be added costs but we believe that it’s money well spent.”

Church Action on Poverty are strong advocates of the Living Wage within the faith sector and welcomed the Church’s commitment: “We are delighted that the idea of the Living Wage is gaining momentum within Churches and faith groups and this step from the Methodist Church is a clear endorsement of that. We now hope that other denominations, charities and employers more generally follow the example of the Methodist Church in signing up as Living Wage employers,” said Niall Cooper, Coordinator of Church Action on Poverty.