Frodsham Methodist Church were delighted yesterday, Sunday 12th June 2016, to host visitors at all three worship services. At 0930live! we were joined by visitors from Manor House Primary School and guests from Ghana. At 10.45 we welcomed our Superintendent Minister, Rev'd. Neil Stacey, who preached and celebrated Holy Communion.

​And at 6pm there was a Circuit Service attended by Methodists from all over Chester and this part of Cheshire where we celebrated the work of MHA (housing and care charity for older people) and launched the Circuit Project for 2016 to 2018. The project, which will run from June 2016 to January 2017, aims to raise funds and awareness for Cheshire Search and Rescue. We thank God for these expressions of his love in connections with community, country and internationally. ​

It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make. After the Christmas break, children return to Toddlers taller and wiser (perhaps) than before, and many 'bumps' have grown in size too! People are looking ahead and planning changes or events in the coming months.

In these dark winter months we look ahead to warmer longer days, but let’s not just wish our lives away. Recently these quotes have been used at 0930live!, when we were reminded that every day is a gift.

At the first Messy Mice of the year, we reminded ourselves of Psalm 39 v7-10 that God is Everywhere.

Exciting events are planned for the coming months - from a Pancake Party on 9th February - to an evening for people to come and try new recipes and create their own recipe book - to film nights, and the usual Church activities such as Toddlers, Messy Mice and 0930live!. Opportunities to come and learn more about each other, support each other and grow closer to God.

So I started this report with," It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks makes", but really what a difference a day makes! What difference can you make today? I pray that God directs us so we see the opportunities each day that can make a difference to others.

Andrea Ellams
​Young Families Worker

As we approach our twelfth anniversary in February, we thought it worth remembering how good God has been to us all through the years. We have watched children grow up and families come and go, and through it all we have tried to stick to our original aim to provide teaching and fellowship.

We have covered many of the characters from the Old and New Testaments, Parables of Jesus, themes from the Letters, as well as general thoughts about what it means to live a Christian life in today’s society.

There has been some superb drama with Oscar-winning performances. The Band has gone from strength to strength and there is an embryonic Young Band waiting in the wings…

Families have prepared and read prayers in the services, and the fellowship in the hall afterwards over coffee and bacon butties is a key part of 0930live!

We have shared some great times socially, especially on our annual camps, and the teaching for our primary aged children has been enhanced by the excellent videos and discussion Andrea holds after the service.

And the future? Only God knows that! We are just called to provide an opportunity for people to come to know Him.

Pippa Jacobson
Community and Schools Worker

On January 2nd I walked into Sainsbury's and immediately through the door I was confronted by a display of Hot Cross Buns! And I thought to myself, "Goodness gracious me - we haven't finished with Christmas yet; we haven't welcomed the Wise Men yet, we haven't celebrated Epiphany yet, and here we have already swept Christmas aside to make room for the next commercial venture - Hot Cross Buns for Easter!"

It stopped me in my tracks and made me pause to think: I found myself meditating on the Cross, because just as the Christmas message is not just for Christmas, but for all people, for all time, so the message of the Cross is not just for Good Friday and Easter, but for all people and for all time.

The cross ✘is one of the simplest forms of calligraphy, and it conveys rich meanings for people throughout the world. Give a child his/her first pencil, and what will he/she do? Grab it like a chisel and gouge out a ✘ on the paper. It is easier for people of all educational standards to make a ✘ than a ✓; that is why at the next general election we will be asked to put a ✘against the candidate of our choice, rather than a ✓, and in doing so we are saying, "This is the person for me". The ✘is a symbol of CHOICE.

The CROSS of Christianity is also a symbol of choice. It symbolizes that God is choosing you and me and all humanity to be His disciples and follow His ways, and live to His Glory. He wants the best for us, wants us to live lives full of meaning and purpose and hope (John 3:16; 10:10). To respond to the call of the ✘means something so simple and basic as learning to LOVE GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOUR AS OURSELF (Mark 12:33). This is what God is calling us to - what wonderful people we would be if we really responded - what a wonderful world it would be if we all responded.

We all agree that this is the basis of satisfying, responsible civilised living - it sounds so simple - but is it? The answer sadly is NO.

Another meaning of the ✘is NO -STOP IT : START AGAIN. Cast your mind back to your school days - you have just submitted your maths homework to be marked, and when it comes back there are more ✘s than ✓s on the page!
WRONG - START AGAIN - WORK IT OUT AGAIN -TRY HARDER.

And so it is with the Christian ✘. It means there are certain things in life we must avoid, acknowledge as wrong, and as responsible human beings we must always endeavour to do what is good and right, not what is bad and wrong.

The General Confession (in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer) reminds us that "we have all strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep", and St Paul quite blatently tells us, " we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God. (Rom 3:23)
​
The only way out of this mess is to choose Jesus, let His Spirit penetrate our very being, make our confession, receive His forgiveness, (1 John 1:19) and experience NEW LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS. (2 Cor :17)

And so we come to the crux of the whole matter. How we have struggled with our children to get them to write Thank You letters for their Christmas and birthday presents. When they eventually got around to it they were very short on words but very profuse in kisses, ✘✘✘ - would cover half the page, and of course ✘means "I love you".
This is when we make the Cross of Jesus our own, when we cry from the depths of our being, I LOVE YOU.

He has already shown us how deep His love is for us, by His sacrifice on the Cross. This is what makes Christianity unique. In the Cross we see the depth of God's love agonising, weeping, yearning for you and me to choose the right way, to choose Him and follow Him.

The Cross becomes personal when we can say with St Peter, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. (John 21:15)
Yes, it is too early for Easter, but never too early to say YES to Jesus.

I take, O Cross, thy shadow,
for my abiding place.
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of His face;
content to let the world go by,
to know no gain nor loss -
my sinful self my only shame,
my glory all - the Cross.                     (Hymns and Psalms 165 v3)

Rev'd. F. Bernard Dodd, January 2016

How wonderful to see such an age range at our worship this evening: from just a few months old to ninety-five!

​And how special to be able to celebrate a Baptism so close to Christmas.

​Peace In a world where Peace, for some, seems to be in short supply. May we this Christmas time know God’s peace within and spread his love and goodness through our daily lives.

As we move closer to Christmas, we as a Church have supported Operation Christmas Child by filling 59 boxes with gifts to go to children in war torn countries, and to refugees. Thank you to all who helped, by knitting, collecting items, wrapping and filling the boxes and taking them to the drop off point.

Over the last few weeks new families have come along to the Toddler Group and Messy Mice. Some have just moved into Frodsham. A warm welcome goes out to you all and I hope you will soon feel you belong. There is one Messy Mice before Christmas, on the 7th December.

Traveling Crib

Our knitted nativity set will be travelling from home to home this advent time. If you would like to host the crib for a couple of nights please text Andrea 07749877823.

Put yourself in the picture

Have you ever wanted to dress up as one particular character from the Christmas Story? Now you can. You are warmly welcome to join our Community Nativity on Sunday 20th December. Starting at 10.45am. Come dressed as a character of your choice and join in the story.

Afternoon tea and Christingle

Come and Join the celebration. On Wednesday 23rd December. Afternoon tea and making of the Christingles 3-3.45pm. Messy Christingle at 4pm. Donations received for the Children’s society. May you have a peaceful Christmas and travel with God in the coming year.

Andrea Ellams
Young Families Worker

In the 1940s, at Thornbury Methodist Church in Bradford, there would always be 2 or 3 rows of young people at the back of the church for Sunday evening worship. They were not particularly religious - but where else were they to go on a Sunday night in the 1940s?

One Sunday evening a friend and I dared each other to sit on the front row, im-mediately beneath the pulpit, in an effort to discomfit the preacher. This was in spite of the fact that I knew my mother would be leading the choir onto the rostrum and would glare at me mercilessly, and would tell me off when we got home - but for some unknown reason my mother didn't appear at church that night, so I escaped both the glare and the telling off!

In a teenage flush of bravado, we were trying to disrupt the worship - but what is worship? One definition is GIVING GOD HIS WORTH, so let's start with that, and see where it leads.

As with Bible Reading and Prayer, the touchstone of worship is Jesus, and St Paul reminds us that JESUS CHRIST IS THE VISIBLE LIKENESS OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, so it is to Him that we offer our worship.

WORSHIP is GIVING God our ADORATION. This is what the Wise Men were doing when they knelt before Jesus and offered Him the most precious commodities of the ancient world - gold, frankincense and myrrh. In our worship, the poetry and music of the service help us to express the inexpressible; better than ordinary prose, poetry helps us to express wonder and delight, shame and sorrow, hope and aspiration. It can transport us to the very gates of heaven and bring us to the feet of Jesus. We are helped to sense the glory that words cannot express; our hearts are warmed, our souls thrilled and we catch a glimpse of the Glory of God, and give Him our adoration.

WORSHIP is GIVING God our ATTENTION. We are here to listen to scripture and its exposition by the preacher, to deepen our understanding and our commitment to Jesus and His ways.

Don't worry if you can't remember last week's sermon - how many memorable meals can you remember? 2 or 3 in a lifetime. But you can't exist on 2 or 3 memorable meals in a lifetime - you need 3 ordinary meals every day to keep you going! And so it is with the life of the Spirit - 2 or 3 sermons in a lifetime may stick in your mind, but you need one ordinary sermon every week to sustain you on the journey of life (2 Tim 3:16).

WORSHIP is GIVING God our ATTRIBUTES. In worship we find ourselves face to face with Jesus and we realise nothing we have or are is our own, and we find ourselves committing all we have and are to Him. (Rom 12) So whatever gifts and graces we have, we commit to Him to be perfected and used to His glory and the good of others (Mark 10:45).

As human beings we also have ANXIETIES - cares and worries for ourselves and others - these are also ATTRIBUTES we must offer to God, for how threadbare life would be if we did not have compassion for one another. And amazingly, as we lay our anxieties at His feet, so we find ourselves sustained, strengthened and upheld (Ps 46, Matt 11:28).

WORSHIP is also RECEIVING from God PEACE and GRACE. Grace is God's unconditional love for us and for all humanity (1 John 4:10), as revealed in the nail-marked hands of Him who 'flung the stars into space' (John 3:16). Peace is receiving forgiveness for our stupidities and knowing that we are forgiven (Eph 1:7, John 14:27). This doesn't lead to arrogance but to humility and a readiness to serve (Eph 4:24).

Worship is RECEIVING PURPOSE from God. There is an old chorus that goes like this:
Be like Jesus this my song, in the home and in the throng.
Be like Jesus all day long, I would be like Jesus.

This is the whole of our purpose in life, this is PUTTING ON CHRIST (Rom 13:14), this is loving God and our neighbour as ourselves, this is life's higher calling.

Worship is RECEIVING POWER from God. In spite of the trials and tribulations of life, in the warm embrace of Jesus we find comfort, joy and hope as we are empowered to live a Christ inspired life (2 Tim1:7, Eph 6:11). We put on the whole armour of God and face life boldly drawing strength and power from the promise of Jesus. "I am with you always, to the end of time" (Matt 28:20).

So, let us sum up our thoughts on worship in the words of the familiar Christmas hymn:
What shall I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man I would do my part,
Yet, what I can I give Him - give my heart.

If you feel a call to preach, or to be a Worship Leader, please speak to me, or to Elizabeth Holmes, who is the secretary of the Circuit Preachers' Meeting.

Rev Bernard Dodd,
​November 2015

It was fantastic to see so many people back again after our long summer break. This term we will be looking at God (obviously!) – more specifically, aspects of his character:
On 13Th September we looked at – God of compassion
On 27th September we looked at – God of promises (Harvest)
and coming up ... 11th October - God of inspiration
25th October – God of justice
8th November – God of peace (Remembrance Sunday)
22nd November – God of power
13th December – God of love (Advent)

Following on from the questionnaire that many filled in earlier in the year, we would like to involve and include as many people as possible in the services. Drama is always a good way to do this and we have some excellent acting skills across all ages. Reading the Bible passage or preparing and/or reading prayers is another good way to get involved.

Vicky Jones wrote the prayers for ‘God of compassion’ and they were beautiful and fitted perfectly with the theme. It would be great if individuals or families would like to offer this.

We plan to get the Young Band playing again in services, so if you are Grade 1 or above, play any instrument and would like to get involved, please let me know.

As we say thank you and farewell to TJ (off to London University), it was brilliant to welcome Max Lewis on alto sax into the main 0930live! band. It’s a great way to encourage our teenagers. Again, if there are others out there who would like to join, please contact me.

We are going to have an easy to learn song that we will sing for several services. Our song of the moment is ‘Great big God’ – a good action song! So hopefully there is something for everyone at 0930live! and we look forward to welcoming you there.

Pippa Jacobson
​Community and Schools Worker

Recently I went to a "We are Family" conference based on a report, commissioned by the Methodist Church, which can be found here. 

Below are some thoughts expressed during the day:
​
More and more people advocate the idea that generations should do faith together - learning from each other.

Faithinhomes.org.uk is a good website for practical advice about living faith in family situations at home.

Tips about faith at home:

Be flexible with your approach - no right or wrong way. Build God into the everyday, build faith into existing faith patterns.

Get started - it’s never too late. Learn together. You don’t need all the answers!
Meeting to talk - that’s where God is.

The face of families has changed over the last ten years or more.

Trust God, pray, walk alongside people.

God bless,
​
Andrea Ellams
Young Families Worker

We have discussed a different book each month, with our discussions often ranging far wider than the book itself!
We watched the film of The Book Thief by Marcus Suzak, having already read the book last year. We had wondered how this book could be interpreted in film but we were very impressed.

Our next novel was Love, Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenny Éclair. None of us had read any of her writing before, and most of us agreed that it was an enjoyable experience.

In March we had a meal out while we discussed Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville. This novel is set in Australia, and continues the tale of early English settlers from her previous novel The Secret River.

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith is set in Russia and has recently been released as a film, with many twists and turns to the plot.

When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman was our May read, followed by Longbourne by Jo Baker, a historical novel, a rewriting of Pride and Prejudice, from the view point of the servants.

Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale led us into the world of Art, and was also discussed over a meal!
Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford was our classic novel which split the group into those that loved it and those that really didn’t like it at all, so it led to a good discussion.

We are all completely besides ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler kept us gripped during September and surprised us with the ending!

We will be discussing Americanah by Chimanda Ngazi Adiche on October 21st and Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant on November 18th.

If anyone is interested in joining the group then you would be very welcome. We meet at 7.30 in the Quiet Room on the third Wednesday of the month.
​
Patricia Barnard

The President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference are elected at Conference, and take up their year of office 12 months later. This ensures a degree of continuity with the previous year’s officers. The President is always a presbyter (ordained minister) and the Vice President is always either a lay person or a deacon (who is also an ordained minister….but let’s not complicate things!).

This year’s President, Rev'd. Steve Wild, became a Christian at the age of 14 during a Cliff College Mission – later in life he worked at Cliff for four years as a tutor and director of evangelism. He has worked in circuit ministry, held posts as an evangelism enabler, and worked part-time for Westcountry TV, presenting programmes about Christianity. In 2008 he became Chair of the Cornwall District – you may have seen him in an episode of the BBC’s “An Island Parish”.

Steve has a real heart for bringing people to know Jesus Christ for themselves. In his inaugural speech to Conference, he urged every Methodist church to “ ... take God seriously ... to put mission on the agenda ... to make one new member this year.” (A speaker at our District Synod in September described that as a ‘very modest aim’ – what are we going to do about it?!)

Dr Jill Barber, the Vice President, is the wife of our own District Chair, Rev Peter Barber. She grew up in Kent and studied English and Librarianship at Aberystwyth University, where she met Peter. She has worked as a children’s librarian, a history teacher and an archivist. Since 2011 she has been Project Director at Englesea Brook Museum of Primitive Methodism, near Crewe (only small, but well worth a visit if you haven’t been). Her professional experience has shown her the importance of ‘telling our stories’ as a way of connecting with those outside the church.

Speaking to Conference, Jill suggested that we need to re-discover as a Church what she called the ‘four Ps’ – Prophecy, Prayer, Passion and Protest - so that we can use our voice to speak out and make a difference. Certainly Jill’s passion for issues of justice shines out through her lively, bubbly personality. She was the lead signatory in a statement from the non-Conformist Churches in August about the refugee situation in Calais.

Jill will be the guest preacher at a Chester and Delamere Forest Circuit service at Rowton on Sunday October 18th at 6.30pm. Why not join friends from across the Circuit on this occasion – Jill is well worth hearing.
​
Liz Holmes

Like many children, I was taught to say my prayers at a very early age – and it was the typical childhood prayer, “God bless mummy, God bless Daddy … God bless the cat and dog …God bless Aunty Flo …and, oh yes, please make Bernard a good boy”. I continued praying in this way until my teens, partly because I felt I aught, and partly because I had the idea that something bad might happen if I stopped! Gradually the long list of prayers every night became a chore, so I came up with a very clever ruse: Sunday night I would pray through the whole list. Then on Monday I would pray “God bless the people I prayed for last night”, and jump into bed. I would then quite happily stretch this out to last for a week, or even a fortnight, before praying through the list again.

I can’t remember when I learnt the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6: 9) but that was reserved for Sunday School and church on Sundays. It was when Jesus became real to me that the Lord’s Prayer became precious, and prayer itself took on a whole new dimension.

Just as Jesus is the touchstone in understanding the Bible so he is the touchstone in understanding prayer. We pray IN THE NAME OF JESUS (John14:18) and so the Spirit of Jesus must be the guiding hand in how we pray and what we pray for.

Life becomes a prayer (1Thess 5:17) – prayerfulness is how we live. It is not just praying through a list of names, prayerfulness is an attitude of life towards God and others: it is a thankfulness of spirit, a yearning of the heart, an anxiousness for people and for the world, a regret for stupidities and a trust in God’s grace and mercy. I also discovered that in prayer a whole new world opens up. In prayer I can soar into outer space, I can encircle planet earth, I can draw close to any situation or any person in any part of the world.

I discovered that prayer is not just praying to God, but actually becoming a co-worker WITH God for His good purposes (2 Cor 6:1; Heb 3:14). In prayer I am not battling with reluctant God, I am actually striving ALONGSIDE God for his good purposes and crying from my heart THY KINGDOM COME THY WILL BE DONE.

A useful mnemonic came my way to help me embrace the whole range of prayer – A.C.T.S.

A - ADORATION

The view from Frodsham Hill – awesome.
The airwaves that give instant communication around the globe – awesome. The birth of a baby – awesome.
“Hands that flung stars into space to cruel nails surrendered” – awesome.
When we are overwhelmed by a glimpse of the love and creative words of God, we fall silent and adore – this is prayer.

C – CONFESSION

The Bible is brutally honest, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23) – including me and you. None of us is as good as we should be, or could be. But the nail marked hands of Jesus help us to glimpse the agony in the heart of God, and gives us the assurance that “if we confess our sins … he may be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us” (1 John 1:9).
Difficult to grasp but it is true, we are forgiven – there still may be consequences to face, but we are forgiven – this too is prayer.

C also stands for COMPANIONSHIP, and this we enjoy with Jesus, for He is our friend (John 15:14), and has promised to walk alongside to the end of time (Matt 28:20) – this is prayer.

T - THANKSGIVING

We are all pleased to receive gifts, but often slow to say “thank you”. How we have struggled with our children over thank you letters! But what joy a simple thank you can give; what joy in the heart of God when we say thank you in our prayers (Eph 5: v20). There are so many hard experiences in life it is sometimes hard to find something to be thankful for – but that old song has a lot to commend it – “Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done” (Eph 5:20; 1Thess 5:18) and it is amazing how our spirit can be lifted as we learn to say THANK YOU – this too is prayer.

S – SUPPLICATION

Here we can have the list of names and causes for which we want to pray. (Phil 1:4). It is helpful to have a notebook and spread our list over a few days – some we pray for everyday, some every week, some every month, some every birthday. Prayer is never wasted. Just as we tap the airwaves when, with our mobiles we speak to our loved ones in Australia, so in prayer we set off vibes which can reach to anyone, near or far. We are co-workers with God and are striving with Him for the blessing of those we love and for all creation – this too is prayer.

To “pray without ceasing” is not spending 24 hours a day on our knees. It is being consistent in joining with God in seeking to clothe needy and wayward humanity in the streams of goodwill that flow from the heart of God – this is prayer (1Thess 5:17).

But what about unanswered prayer? I have no ready answer. But if it is true that in prayer we become co-operators WITH God, then our prayers become part of God’s striving and yearning to draw all creation unto Himself (Col 1:20) so no prayer is wasted and no prayer is unanswered.

So, hand in hand with our Bible Reading Notes, and the Methodist Prayer Handbook, take your time to explore the wonderful world of prayer. Let Jesus lead you step by step, as you pray in His name and for His sake (Acts 2:42).

THE METHODIST PRAYER HANDBOOK helps us to pray for the world wide church month by month throughout the year; if you would like a copy for 2015/2016 please add your name to the list in the church foyer.

Our own INTERCESSORY PRAYER GROUP meets every Monday morning at 9.30am in either the foyer or the Quiet Room. Contact: Marion Greer

Rev'd. Bernard Dodd
September 2015

On Saturday, 5th September, a group of 15 – 70 year olds left church to do a two hour walk in Frodsham. We were led by two highly experienced Sherpas, Ros and Jim Caldwell, who also carried out their vigorous checks and risk assessments!

We walked down Bradley Lane, past Watery Lane, and took the first footpath, and after that Kevin and I didn’t have a clue where we were, having never been in that direction before, despite living in Frodsham for 18 years! We walked through fields and over a couple of stiles until we eventually reached our summit near Kingsley. Jim, who loves nature, also did some pruning on the way! One puzzle though, half way round a taxi turned up and no-one admitted to ordering it. However, the scenery was amazing.

​At the same time, Andrea Ellams led a shorter work of an hour for adults and children. Our reward for all of us was tea/coffee and cake back at church. It is a wonderful activity walking and chatting with different people and having lots of laughs. We are extremely lucky to be living in Frodsham and to have all these wonderful walks.

Alan Gerrard will be leading the next walk on Saturday, 24th October, leaving the Church car park at 2pm, so why don’t you come with us and even if you don’t walk you’ll still get coffee and cake, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
​
Sue & Kevin Fairbanks

I hope you agree that all the celebrations we had for our Harvest Weekend were truly magnificent! The amount of special memorabilia that folk routed out of their lofts and from the back of cupboards etc, and brought along for the displays was great - and provoked much discussion and fond memories. It was lovely to see how many people pitched in and cheerfully helped throughout the weekend, and so many thanks to everyone who helped - I won't name you all as I am bound to miss someone out, but these events can only happen with this input from all our church family.

We were delighted to have the WW1 display, and also a display by the Snow Angels social enterprise. In the church, which had been dressed beautifully, the evocative images of historic pictures projected onto the wall was a perfect backdrop to the choirs who entertained us during the day. Many thanks to Frodsham Townswoman's Guild choir, and also to Frodsham Sings, the Frodsham Community choir. (Both choirs have promised to return at some point ...!)

The three Sunday services were all very well attended, and the Bring and Share Lunch provided a chance for us to sit and relax with some lovely food and good conversation.

Finally, Monday afternoon's Harvest Praise service rounded off the weekend, when we welcomed many of our older friends to join us for a short service led by Edgar Gregory, followed by tea and cake in the Hall.

Although the weekend was not about fund-raising, we did manage to make a profit of £250 from the sales of food, and this will be divided between our two church charities, Salvation Army International and the International Justice Mission.

​Marg Jacks

Below is a Pastoral Letter regarding the current refugee and migrant situation in Europe from The European Methodist Council.

We have met, as the European Methodist Council, in recent days in Bulgaria near the crossing-point with Romania. As Methodist representatives from all over Europe, much of our time has been spent in conversation on migration in light of the reality of hundreds of thousands of desperate people crossing the borders of Europe, fleeing conflict and persecution and seeking the possibility of a future for themselves and their children. We have prayed together and been strengthened in our fellowship in the Methodist family. We have drawn hope and inspiration from stories of Methodists working in many places to assist migrants and refugees. Often these are small groups of our sisters and brothers tirelessly fulfilling our common commitment to Christian hospitality and care.  We give thanks to God for their vision, courage and continuing service in the name of Christ. May we all draw inspiration from their example. 

 In renewing our fellowship, we have recognised our differences and drawn strength from the knowledge that our primary identity comes through our union with Christ which transcends ethnicity and nationality and is always open to receive those who differ or disagree. We have been reminded, through study of the Scriptures,that the people of God have often been on a journey and frequently known what it is to be outsiders and even refugees. We have been challenged to recognise the neighbour rather than fear the stranger. However, the experiences we have shared show our tendency to forget the commandment to love when God unexpectedly gives us new neighbours.  

We know that migration raises a complex set of issues that cannot be solved with simplistic solutions. We struggle together as Churches whose members continue to hold a variety of political and theological views. We seek to move beyond a sterile discussion about the rightness of migration to engaging with the many complicated issues involved in the crisis affecting our continent. In all this, we are aware of our own limitations and the need of the help of others.  

The following general principles are offered as a basis for further conversation and action as Churches seek to formulate a co-ordinated response from their members. We are called to:

• renew our understanding and practice of the obligation to radical Christian hospitality to all, recognising the practical implications for congregations and individuals

 • acknowledge that migration has and always will be a part of the human story

• recognise that we experience and interpret the reality of migration to and within Europe in different ways, depending on our context

• resist false narratives, generalizations and negative stereotyping and challenge those who would play on people’s fears

• reaffirm our Christian commitment to honour Christ in the face of the stranger regardless of religious background or the prevailing political situation

• encourage and support those who dare to open their doors and offer hospitality to those in need

• pledge both our continuing solidarity with those parts of world from which migrants and refugees come and our active engagement to achieve a just and peaceful world.  

God calls us to continue our journey together. We believe that God also calls us to welcome those who arrive as our fellow pilgrims. We commit ourselves to immediate actions and the long-term perspectives that the issues raised by migration require. With a united voice, the European Methodist Council calls on our fellow citizens across the continent to join us in reflection and action. 

May Christ bless us all, as we seek to faithfully express and reflect his love and mercy in our lives and ministry.

Don Kerr and Christian Alsted
Co-chairs of the European Methodist Council

​At our Gift service on the 15th November 2015, we will be dedicating Christmas Shoe Boxes which will be transported to children around the world. Take a look on the Operation Christmas Child Samaritan's Purse website for details about what you can put in a shoe box.

You can help in different ways:-
1) Finding a shoe box.
2) Collecting items to fill a box and either fill one yourself or bring items to Church to fill boxes together.
3) Use the knitting patterns on the website to make something for the boxes.
4) Donate £3. Each box needs £3 to help with transporting costs.
5) Come on Wednesday 4th November at 3.30pm and Thursday 12th November at 7pm to help decorate and fill boxes.  

Thank you, 
Andrea Ellams
​Young Families Worker

Frodsham Methodist Church's Vision and Strategy for 2015 - 2020 has now been adopted by the Church Council. It can be viewed on this website following this link, or downloaded as a PDF here. 

This coming weekend, 26th and 27th September is our Harvest Celebration Weekend. Do join us for A Harvest of Memories on the Saturday from 11am to 4pm. Services will be held on the Sunday at 9.30am, 10.45am, and 6pm. Gifts for Frodsham Foodbank and Chester Aid for the Homeless will be collected. The items most in need are: 
Milk (UHT or powdered)
sugar (500g packs)
fruit juice (carton)
soup
pasta sauces
sponge puddings
tinned tomatoes
cereals
rice puddings
teabags / instant coffee
instant mashed potato
rice/ pasta
tinned meat/fish
tinned vegetables
tinned fruit
jam
biscuits or snack bars
any toiletries and baby products

It’s been a busy year in lots of ways. Life doesn’t stay the same, and we have just said our farewells to nine children from our Toddler Group. We wished them all an exciting time as they move into full-time education.

The children in our church family are moving on to new beginnings, either to a new class/teacher in Primary School, going to High School in September, or going off to university. We wish everyone a happy, busy, enjoyable summer and best wishes for September.

In September, Messy Mice starts again and I am wanting volunteers to help once a month at this event - to prepare the children’s snack, serve tea and coffee to the adults, and help clear tables for the snack. Of course there is always the washing up too! Messy Mice is a thriving group for the under 5’s, meeting twice a month on a Monday morning from 10 - 11.45am. If you can help please talk to me.

Plans are going ahead for a sleepover event for our children on the 10th October. I have adults who are prepared to sleepover! But offers to help make tea or breakfast would be really appreciated.

May you all find some time this summer to recharge your batteries and enjoy the warmer weather (I hope!).

God bless.

Andrea Ellams
Young Families Worker

Cheshire Show

Frodsham Churches Together joined forces with the Soroptimists at the Cheshire Show to raise awareness of Human Trafficking. This involved a 'Street Art' display from 'Stop the Traffic', a large box that people could enter. The outside of the box gave enticing wishes about gaining employment, new skills and money - the inside of the box told the true issues on Human Trafficking. More than 300 people visited the display and the tent and over 200 people signed the petition for 'Stop the Traffic'. The two days at the Cheshire were very hot and the tent provided some cover.

Coffee Break!

Frodsham Churches Together again joined forces with the Soroptimists at the Parish Hall for an 'Open Coffee Morning'. Again we saw a lot of people and money was raised for the Victims of Human Trafficking.

In the Park

Churches in Frodsham were represented at the Open day in the Park. One of the activities, Face Painting, raised further funds for Trafficked Victims. The weather started warm and sunny. However, we all appreciated the tent when a downpour came. We were very pleased to offer our Member of Parliament, Mr Graham Evans, cover from the rain! Through our activities this summer, £300 has been sent to City Hearts, a UK charity that provides direct support to Victims of Trafficking.

Stephen Pickett