LINK. The newsle er of Whitehaven Methodist Circuit. July-September

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1 LINK The newsle er of Whitehaven Methodist Circuit July-September 2017 In this issue: Celebra%ng 80 years of Preaching Possible Circuit Amalgama%ons in Cumbria Circuit Fundraising A*ernoon Tea 20 May 2017 The Plan Methodism in north-west Cumbria Seascale Women s Outlook Celebra%on Highlights of the Circuit Mee%ng Page Page 1

2 Celebrang 80 years of Preaching On Sunday 11 June, two Cer- %ficates marking 40 years of preaching were presented by The Revd Richard Teal to David Andrews and Barbara Hunter. Many of us have benefited over the years from David s and Barbara s preaching, and it was good to have the District Chair at The Mee%ng Place, Egremont to celebrate the occasion. Thank you to Karen James for the photo. Alec Bounds Page 2

3 Possible Circuit Amalgamaons in Cumbria At the Circuit Mee%ng on 21 June, Wendy Kilworth-Mason said that over the next three years we expect to see the superintendents of the west Cumbrian circuits leaving, that there is a severe shortage of ministers and it was possible that none of these posi%ons might be filled. Keswick and Cockermouth Circuit is also pessimis%c about being able to afford a minister. There is a na%onal presump%on that we move away from single-minister circuits. A paper produced for the Cumbria District mee%ng of Circuit Stewards and Superintendents on 25 March was used as a basis for discussion. This listed op%ons of : 1. Staying as we are; (currently 12 circuits in the Cumbria District) 2. Pairing single-minister circuits (Whitehaven Circuit could be paired with Solway Circuit which covers Workington and Maryport); 3. Three Circuits in Cumbria linking to Anglican archdeaconry boundaries (the West Cumberland Archdeaconry covers Whitehaven, Workington, Cockermouth, Keswick, Maryport and Wigton); 4. A single circuit for the whole of Cumbria; or 5. Linking to Mission Communi%es. Groups at the Circuit Mee%ng discussed the op%ons and gave their ini%al reac- %ons. On the op%ons i. No group felt we could stay the same ii. There was li le support for pairing circuits, sugges%ng that it would only delay the inevitable iii. Similarly a single circuit for the whole of Cumbria was felt to be a move too far iv. However there was support for three circuits in Cumbria, with the strong sugges%on that this be linked to developing Mission Communi- %es. Wendy told us that Richard Teal had already approached the Bishop of Carlisle about the possibility of aligning circuits with archdeaconries. The Bishop had welcomed this possibility, saying that the Diocese was considering doing away with rural deaneries, which are the layer below archdeaconries in the Anglican structure. However, no decisions have been made. Church Councils will be asked for views in the autumn. Alec Bounds Page 3

4 Prayers in this Issue of Link The prayers have been taken from the global wave of prayer called Thy Kingdom Come and embraced by many churches during the period 25th May to 4th June. They were taken from Roots on the Web. The aim of Thy Kingdom Come was that Chris%ans pray that people might know Jesus Christ during a focused %me between Ascension and Pentecost. In our county this prayer could be seen as prepara%on for the Moving Mountains Mission of Gillian Bounds Belonging Gracious God, we pray for those longing to be accepted longing to be acknowledged longing to be given a second chance longing to be loved May your kingdom come and transform their longing into joy. Amen Grace Generous God, by your grace transform our hearts. Turn bigotry into tolerance, closed doors into open ones and inspire unity where there has been division. Make your Church a home for all who long for love and acceptance. May your kingdom come. Amen. Thank You I write on behalf of all the members of the West Cumbria Branch of Parkinson s UK, to thank you for the very generous dona%on of 1058 which we recently received from you via Parkinson s UK Head Office in London. This was totally unexpected but much appreciated by all. You can be assured that the money will be put to good use, helping sufferers Page 4

5 and carers in the area deal with some of the consequences of Parkinson s and will help make life a li le bit more enjoyable for many of our members. Chrisne Brown, West Cumbria Branch of Parkinson s UK We have two ar%cles submi ed on: Circuit Fundraising A:ernoon Tea 20 May 2017 The Circuit Fundraising Day took place at Cleator Moor Methodist Church, where an a*ernoon tea was celebrated by over 100 Circuit members and friends. The Superintendent Minister, The Revd Dr Wendy Kilworth-Mason, was present and pronounced the Grace before tea. The splendid Revd Nan Pryde and her brilliant team of helpers from various churches, organised and served an excellent meal of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, cakes of every descrip%on and a variety of drinks. The en%re event was very well organised, with a Chocolate Tombola and Raffles. Quizzes, with a food and drink theme, were available to test our general knowledge and to keep us alert!! During this %me there was an opportunity to view the collec%on of churches memorabilia which was displayed in the Church. Alan Coyles was on hand to share stories and reminiscences. Throughout the a*ernoon we were entertained musically by Mr Tom Wilkinson who played many well known and much loved songs. This was appreciated greatly as people recognised and enjoyed the songs. The music created a warm and friendly atmosphere. A very warm thank you to all organisers and helpers who provided such a %ptop event! Thank you to everyone who supported this event. Sheila and Tony Smith Page 5

6 The Circuit A:ernoon Tea (connued) A member of our circuit for many years said to me Nan this is great it s like a circuit rally and it was, all our circuit churches were present at this event. This was a most successful event. I can report that on the day was raised; by dona%ons and from the raffle and chocolate tombola. The final sum is as there was to be deducted, sta%onery costs. The tea was served to 80 people. For me although this was a Fund Raising event the most successful part of the tea was the atmosphere, the friendship and fellowship that was shared. There was a lady from Cleator Moor who rekindled a friendship with one of our Egremont members who hadn t seen each other for 60 years. I would like to thank all the circuit churches who donated items for the chocolate tombola and items for the food hamper and cleaning hamper. Muriel Losper from Egremont won the food hamper and Jackie Davies from Frizington the cleaning hamper. So many people loaned us cake stands etc. and donated sandwiches, scones and cakes and may I take his opportunity to thank them. Last but certainly not least can I thank the magnificent team who worked so hard on Friday night seong out the hall and the Memorabilia display also preparing and serving tea on Saturday. You all worked so hard and I was so apprecia%ve of your support and commitment. Nan Pryde, Convenor of the A*ernoon Tea Team. Page 6

7 WHITEHAVEN CIRCUIT PLAN 9/4 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2017 CHAIR OF CUMBRIA DISTRICT Rev Richard J Teal richard.teal@methodist.org.uk MINISTERS Rev Dr Wendy Kilworth-Mason (Superintendent) wkilworthmason@gmail.com (day off Friday) Rev Herbert W Clark (Supernumerary) Rev Dr Lindsay Gray (Associate presbyter) lgray782@btinternet.com Rev Ian Parker (Supernumerary) blacksailvicar@outlook.com (day off Thursday) Rev Nan Pryde (Supernumerary) revnan1@sky.com CHILDREN S AND FAMILY WORKER Katrina MacEwan / katrina118@live.com CIRCUIT STEWARDS David Andrews davidandrews.12@btinternet.com to August Alistair Bell (Finance) circuitfinance@sandwithbells.plus.com Gillian Bounds boundsuk@gmail.com Mandy Taylor mandy.taylor@shacklesoff.org.uk LOCAL PREACHERS *not currently available to conduct services 1952* Mavis Clark Alan Moore mavismoore@hotmail.co.uk 1977 David Andrews davidandrews.12@btinternet.com 1977 Barbara Hunter * Graham Worsnop graham.worsnop@btinternet.com 1987 Alec Bounds boundsuk@gmail.com 1995 Douglas McDevitte dmcdevitte@gmail.com 1996 Jackie Davies tajdavies@aol.com 1999 Viv Kendall witz8end@gmail.com 2006 Pam Carter pamcarter50@hotmail.com 2008 Gillian Bounds boundsuk@gmail.com 2009 Keith Hudson khudson@freenetname.co.uk 2010 Jean Millie milliejean67@gmail.com Page 7

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9 WORSHIP LEADERS John Pryde (Cleator Moor) Jill Hudson (Gosforth) Lorrie Larkham (Gosforth) Mary Moody (Gosforth) Mary Snape (Gosforth) Grace Adamson (Hensingham) Philip Adamson (Hensingham) Syl Hunt (Seascale) Phoenix praise all-age worship band contact Jill Hudson PREACHERS FROM OTHER CIRCUITS Rev David Hasson Tony Potts Rev Keith Rushton LAY PREACHERS FROM PARTNER DENOMINATIONS Rosalind Amey David Rudd PREACHERS/WORSHIP LEADERS FROM OTHER CHURCHES Rev Allen Banks (for Cleator Moor/Frizington Anglican) Fishing Stone c/o Liz Bailey Rev Paul Kerry (Moresby Anglican) Rev Jonathan and Sheila Falkner Revs John and Lesley Riley (Gosforth/Seascale Anglican) CIRCUIT DIARY July pm Strawberry tea St Bees pm Any excuse for a party Caféchurch with Phoenix praise at St Nicholas gardens August 7 Plan dates to Gillian Bounds th anniversary of William Pit disaster September pm Leaders of worship and preachers meeting Cleator Moor am Synod Wigton Road Carlisle pm Circuit meeting Meeting place Page 10

10 Courage Lord of Gethsemane, we pray courage for people afraid of those who govern them; for people afraid of those they work with; for people afraid of those they live with. We pray for courage for every fearful heart. Amen. Wisdom God of our universe, as we journey further in space, bless us with knowledge and wisdom, as we pioneer new treatments, develop social media, and live side by side. Bless us that your kingdom may come and your will be done. Amen. Methodism in north-west Cumbria As circuit leaders think outside the box across the Cumbria District, the Revd Philip Jackson, Superintendent of the Wigton Circuit, sees chapel members prayers bringing unexpected answers. Across the Wigton Circuit, people are finding that one of the easiest prayers to say is not necessarily the easiest to live out. Every day, across the world, people pray your kingdom come, your will be done not necessarily thinking of the personal impact. The circuit, on Cumbria s north-west coast, has seen a number of changes recently born out of that simple prayer. The small town of Silloth boasts six churches, many with dwindling congrega%ons. Trinity Methodist Church is one of these, where a faithful group struggles to maintain a cavernous building. Eighteen months ago church councils across the circuit wrestled with the need for change, acknowledging that Church as we know it does not appear to be a rac%ve, nor meet communi%es needs. In September 2015, Trinity embraced this need for change, with the Revd Philip Jackson helping members to think about other ways of doing church that Page 11

11 might work. We realised that a emp%ng to choose a tried and tested model was the wrong way. So we started with a blank canvas, recalls Philip. This involved a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportuni%es, threats) analysis of the community, and then a challenge to imagine that Silloth had no churches at all with everyone coming afresh to share the gospel with a community who had never heard of Jesus. What would they do? A*er some prayer the answer came back build a house! With the hymn Let us build a house where love can dwell ringing out loud, the congrega%on started on the difficult road of selling their church building and moving into a house as a place of worship and community. For Dorothy Wallis, one of the members, it is about connec%ng with people who don t necessarily feel comfortable with tradi%onal church. The house will provide a place to share our faith, offer the hand of friendship and show God s love. The circuit s Wigton Chapel has also been thinking big as members here struggle to contain worship and mission in their present building. Messy Church has grown to a fortnightly congrega%on of the church rather than a monthly missional ac%vity, with numbers regularly pushing the comfortable level in the hall. The congrega%on on Sundays also o*en makes the building feel full. An extraordinary Easter service with people seated in the crush hall opened our eyes to the need for more space, says Philip and so the church held its second 48-hour prayer weekend in September focusing on what the church might look like going forward. As the Cumbria District develops ecumenically, the shape of the circuit will change and this requires the circuit leadership to think outside the box. Willingness to think big has started with these two chapels, one that has been in a culture of growth for some years and another that has chosen not to accept or manage decline but to fight it and pray your kingdom come, your will be done. The Revd Philip Jackson Arcle abridged from the connexion, the free magazine of the Methodist Church, To receive your free copy, please visit Page 12

12 Making every church in Cumbria demenafriendly by 2020: Church collecon 17 September 2017 Will you help us to make every church in Cumbria demen%a-friendly by 2020? To date we have appointed over 90 Demen%a Enablers from nine Denomina- %ons in over 70 communi%es. We are looking for funding to appoint a Demen%a Project Officer to grow the project and help local churches reach out to people with demen%a and carers beyond their walls. How can YOU help? We ask you to arrange a collec%on for the project at your service on 17 September 2017 (the Sunday before World Alzheimer s Day) and to include our work in the intercessory prayers that day. To confirm that you will hold a collec%on and to order resources, please David Richardson, Demen%a Coordinator and Reference Group Chair: dardesk@aol.com Forgiveness God of jus%ce and of mercy, we pray for those whose crimes seem beyond forgiveness: for those who kill, abuse, torture and exploit. Forgive them and us, whenever we hurt others. We ask this in Jesus name who called out, Father, forgive them, even as he died. Amen. Healing Gracious God, we entrust to your love those longing to be healed: those in hospital, those at home, those whose addic%ons plague their life, those whose past s%ll haunts them. Be with them in their pain, their frustra%on and their fear. Amen. Page 13

13 Joy To those whose faith has grown stale, we pray the joy of freshness. To those separated from family and friends, we pray the joy of reunion. To those who are unemployed, we pray the joy of work. To all people in all places, we pray the joy of knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Amen. Seascale Women s Outlook Celebraon On Tuesday 30 May Seascale Women s Outlook held a celebra%on evening for its 50 th year Anniversary in the Methodist church hall. Quite an achievement! We believe that Women s Outlook grew out of a Young Wives Group in the mid 1950s and became Women s Outlook in the 1960s and was started by the then Methodist Ministers wife, Chris%ne Harding. We are an ecumenical group although some of our ladies do not a end any church and all ladies are very welcome to join us. Our celebra%on evening had a six%es theme with 27 ladies a ending, some of whom shared experiences of their lives in the 1960s. The highlight of the evening was a visit by a young lady, straight from the 60s and dressed in typical clothes from the %me, who arrived, much to our astonishment to Pre y Flamingo by Manfred Mann. The young lady was played by a very good sport, Maggs Scaife! Our evening concluded with a presenta%on of past Women s Outlook events and an epilogue thanking God for the many happy %mes we have shared together over the years we always finish our mee%ngs with a short epilogue prepared by one of our members. Then followed a delicious faith supper including a cake made by Joyce Roberts. A very enjoyable evening and a fiong celebra%on for Women s Outlook and its loyal members. Glenda Davies Page 14

14 The Pizza, Puddings and Praise evening at The Mee%ng Place, Egremont, was very well a ended, and raised 401 for the Circuit Charity (Water Aid). Thank you to everybody who supported this event. Alec Bounds Hope Eternal God, where war has destroyed and divided, kindle the flame of hope; where poverty has diminished and demoralised, kindle the flame of hope; where confidence has been drained and damaged, kindle the flame of hope. In Jesus name. Amen. Love On the cross you suffered, Lord. We pray for those suffering today. On the cross you forgave, Lord. We pray for those needing forgiveness today. On the cross you showed us God s great love for the world. We pray for that world today. Amen. Page 15

15 Highlights of the Circuit Meeng The Circuit Mee%ng on 21 June began with an open session on possible circuit amalgama%ons in Cumbria - see earlier ar%cle. Perhaps the most important issue raised was the lack of a circuit treasurer (financial steward) a*er August when Alistair stops being the treasurer. The circuit must have proper control of finance. We are also short of a circuit property steward. It was agreed to loan the Keswick and Cockermouth Circuit 90k as a bridging loan whilst they sell and buy manses. It was reported that Jill Baker, the new Vice-President of the Methodist Conference is coming to our area as part of a Moving Mountains team. It was agreed that Calderwood House would be our circuit charity for next year. This charity describes itself like this Calderwood House Egremont is a new innova%ve solu%on to homelessness and unemployment in West Cumbria. Our staff team provides support around the clock for those in need of accommoda%on. In par%cular we priori%se ex military personnel. They have an abs%nence policy (which should appeal to some Methodists!), and they have regular drug and alcohol tes%ng on site. It Is hoped that we will hear more about Calderwood house at the December Circuit Mee%ng. Alec Bounds From the Editor I would like to thank all those people who have contributed ar%cles to this edi%on of Link. The deadline for the next Link is the date of the next Circuit Mee%ng, scheduled for 20 September. Alec Bounds, boundsuk@gmail.com Page 16