District News – 19 May 2026

Stories from across the District

AV facilities enabled a great experience

Broome Methodist church in the Rotherham & Dearne Valley Circuit received a Missional Property Grant to upgrade their AV equipment and renovate the kitchen. This led to a slightly unexpected wedding being booked. As Revd Andrew Fox said:
"Following a conversation with a church steward, the bride contacted me to ask about the possibility of marrying in church. She was familiar with the building through running an exercise class for over 50s, but had not thought it would be possible to marry there and had made a booking at the Council run venue in town.
Having met with the couple they were delighted to be able to marry in church having been together for 37 years. A singer they had hoped to book for the wedding wasn't able to help and our improved AV facilities meant they had excellent quality recorded music played and powerpoint visuals for their service. They were delighted with the service. Having established a relationship with them through marriage preparation, I have continuing conversations with them when they are setting up for the exercise class that they run at the church."
Could your church benefit from a grant?

Cliff College Festival

How do the stories that we tell and the songs we sing shape us as Christians and as the church? What is the story God is calling us to tell in this time and this place? What are the songs burning in our hearts as we face the challenges and opportunities of being a Christian in today’s world?
As God’s people, we are called to bear witness to God’s story of joyful news for all, and to sing this news out in every situation with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Join us at Cliff Festival 2026 (22-25 May) for a morning, a day or a weekend of story and song, where we can encounter the living God in Jesus-focused, hope-filled worship and be inspired and equipped to live out our testimonies as ambassadors of God’s joyful news!
Watch a short video to find out more

Journey of a lifetime...

30 July – 1 August

Got any holiday plans? Come and join us at Bakewell Methodist Church for 3 days at our Intergenerational Holiday Club. Everyone is welcome, adults and children alike. There will be something for everyone. Join us for all or some of the days.
Contact Chloe Donoghue (07540 110 199 / email donoghuefamily45@gmail.com) – to find out more and book your place

District News and updates

Host an Eclipse Party

£500 grants now available

There will be a solar eclipse across the UK on Wednesday 12 August, the last before 2090. Methodist churches are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to host eclipse parties – opportunities to invite local communities to come together for a once in a lifetime shared meaningful experience, during which we can gently and appropriately share something of the good news of Jesus.
Excellent comprehensive guidance on how to plan and organise an eclipse party – and details of a webinar briefing on 28 May – is available online at https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/evangelism-growth/practise-evangelism/day-of-outreach/
A simple application form for a £500 district grant is available here: Eclipse Grant Application

Finding information

Quick plea from your friendly administrator – I've lost track of the number of times I have received emails or taken phone calls from people asking where they can find information about xyz. Often the information has been circulated in the District Newsletter, and it is almost always available on the District Website. Whilst it might seem quicker to ask me, it actually does take up quite a bit of my time, especially when it can be found by using the Search button on the website.
The same applies to people asking me to book them onto courses. I don't necessarily know all the information the course may require, it really is much better for you to do this yourself. If you are really struggling, I am happy to help, but do give it a go first – it won't be as scary as you might think.

Safeguarding Updates

Advanced Safeguarding Training – change of venue

The training planned to take place at Bakewell on 4 July has been moved to Castleton. This is because Bakewell Carnival is taking place on the same day. However, there are only 7 people currently booked onto this session, which means that unless we get at least 8 more booking on, it will have to be cancelled. The deadline to book is 25 May, book here

Regional Officer for Safeguarding Update:

Training Update April 2026

The Safeguarding Training Webpages, on the Connexional website, have been updated and simplified.
Significant changes are:
1. The Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church now have a reciprocal agreement to recognise each other’s core training modules, in addition to the long-standing agreement that we already have with the Church of England.
2. There is an updated list of what level of safeguarding training is needed for post holders. These details are now in a single table format to give greater clarity than the previous, separate lists.
3. The Foundation Module 2024 materials are available as online-only training.
Access is via a link sent to Circuit Safeguarding Officers in the Sheffield District, to enable them to keep track of those completing the online materials.
Christine Kennedy, Safeguarding Training Lead

As ever, if you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call on 07483 362 735 or email me at hilla@methodistchurch.org.uk
Many thanks
Alison Hill

Other News

Peace, Justice, and Care of Creation – is there Hope?

A Lay Seminar is taking place in Italy in October.
Many people are concerned about the future of our world. They are looking for sources of hope and inspiration.
We will reflect on this global theme at the 17thEuropean Lay Seminar. We will share experiences from our own church life with
other lay people from the Methodist family in Europe. The Methodist Church in Italy (Chiesa Evangelica Metodista d‘Italia) runs a conference center not far from Rome, the Centro Ecumene. We will have an inspiring time there in the southern Italy autumn. You can expect a change of perspective, cross-border contacts, spiritual impulses, time for sharing, relaxing evenings and an excursion to Rome.

More information on the booking form which can be downloaded here: Velletri-Oct-2026

Upcoming Events

Church Explorers Week at St Andrew’s Psalter Lane Church

The church will be open from 2.00 – 5.00 pm on Saturday 23rd, Monday 25th, Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th, Thursday 28th and Friday 29th May: Take a short tour of the church, chat with our stewards about our history or simply enjoy the quiet space and wonderful light of our building. Refreshments available.
See https://www.sheffield.anglican.org/support/for-churches/church-buildings/church-explorers-week/ to find out about other churches taking part!

Facing The Storm:

Exploring Christian contemplation and activism as a response to the injustice in the world.

Date: Sunday 31 May 7:00 pm
Location: Whirlow Spirituality Centre Whirlow Grange Close Sheffield, England, S11 9SY
Join Rich Gower and Aaron Shah for an evening of music, poetry, reflection, and discussion at the Whirlow Spirituality Centre on Sunday 31st May, exploring how Christian contemplation and activism can help us navigate the injustices we see in the world.
This is a free event.

Grandparenting for Faith

2 June from 3 – 4:30pm on Zoom

This workshop will introduce Anna Chaplains and Anna Friends to the resources BRF’s Parenting for Faith ministry provides for grandparents. Becky Sedgwick and Kate Irvine from Parenting for Faith will share information about the 6-session Grandparenting for Faith course. The course is based on Becky’s BRF book, ‘Grandparenting for Faith: Sharing God with the children you love the most’. Anna Chaplain Karen Olorenshaw will also share her experience of running the course. The session will address some of the pastoral concerns of Christians grandparents and the need for contexts in churches where they can share.
Please click the booking link here to book your place. These workshops are always popular so we recommend booking quickly.
When making your booking, please ensure that you follow the process right through to the end and that you get a confirmation. Please note we are unable to book you on as it is an automated system.
If you try to book and it says it is not available, that will indicate that the workshop is full. If you wish to be added to the waiting list if a place should become available, please do email annachaplaincy@brf.org.uk

And finally ...

A Prayer for courage to clear in order to grow

Everyday God,
we confess that we often hold on to things for longer than we need to.

We keep objects because they hold memories,
traditions because they remind us of precious times gone by,
structures because they once served us well,
and patterns because they feel familiar and safe.

Sometimes we clutter our cupboards, our diaries, our churches,
and even our hearts,
with things that were once necessary
but are no longer life-giving.

Give us wisdom to know what is precious and worth carrying forward,
and courage to let go of what has simply accumulated over time.

Teach us that laying things down is not always failure,
and endings are not always loss.
Help us to release things gently, thankfully, honestly,
without bitterness or fear.

Where we have burdened others with unfinished business,
unnecessary complexity,
or responsibilities nobody can sustain,
forgive us.

And where we are afraid to change
because we confuse preservation with faithfulness,
give us grace to trust that your Spirit is still creating something new.

May the legacy we leave behind be not simply buildings, paperwork, possessions, or committees,
but love, courage, kindness, justice, hospitality, and hope.

Help us to clear space for those who come after us, so, they inherit possibilities rather than exhaustion.

And in all things, teach us to travel more lightly with you.
Amen.
Vicky Atkins
Sheffield District Chair