District Magazine – Autumn 2024

Autumn 2024 Magazine

Welcome to this autumn edition of the Sheffield District magazine in which, once again, you will find many inspiring stories about the extraordinary things that ordinary people from our churches and circuits are doing in the name of Christ in the communities that make up this district.

I'm delighted that, as I return to the life of the district, the focus of this magazine and this Autumn's District Gathering is "Hidden Treasures." It's a theme upon which the ex-Vice President, Deacon Kerry Scarlett and I were glad to encourage the Methodist people to focus during the last Connexional year, remembering God's promise to "give us the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places!"

It was my privilege to discover many "hidden treasures" across the Methodist Connexion and you can read more about that in the article on pages 10-12 of this magazine. But there are plenty of treasures to be found in this district too! The other pages of this publication provide evidence of that truth and pay tribute to the treasure hunting and treasure discovery that has been happening all around us!

There are stories here from every part of the district, reminding us that treasure is to be found on our streets, in our schools, in our care homes, in creation, in scripture, in our learning, in our worship, in our difference, in our creativity and perhaps most especially in our relationships with each other.

But please remember that "one person's trash is another person's treasure!" So, what may be treasure in one context, may not be so in others! The treasure in your community and in those around you, may look very different from the treasure that has been discovered by others! So, keep your eyes peeled! There will be treasure for you to discover that God has hidden for you and not from you!

As you read these stories, I hope you, like me, will be excited by what God is doing, but more than that, I hope you will also grow in your awareness of how each one of us is a valued treasure to God, whatever our life experience, whatever our past achievements or mistakes! All of us are unique individuals, created and loved by God. So, it's worth spending time with and getting to know those around you – you never know what treasure you might discover!

It is my prayer that your experience of the District Gathering and/or your reading of these amazing stories, will inspire us all to continue looking for, digging for, noticing and discovering the many and varied treasures that God longs for us to discover as we share our journeys and as we join in the mission that God has called us to share.

Gill Newton
District Chair