District News – 28 May 2024

This Week's News

Podcast – Faith, Hope and The Journey – Worship Leading

Episode 9 of Faith, Hope and The Journey is now available to stream online. Mel Hall from the Barnsley Circuit talks about how an Alpha Course played a major role in her faith journey. She also shares stories about her life, her career, her friends and how she became a Worship Leader. You can listen on our website or from your usual podcast provider. We'd love to hear what you think about this podcast, drop us an email at comms@sheffieldmethodist.org and let us know.
https://www.sheffieldmethodist.org/podcast.html

District Celebration

Sunday 9 June from 4pm

We are looking forward to our District Celebration on 9 June from 4pm at Grove Street Methodist Church, Retford, to celebrate all those involved in children, youth and families work (including schools).
We want to thank each and everyone for their dedication to this important work!
A service for everyone to come along to with friends and family to share this special day.
To help with catering, please book here: https://buytickets.at/sheffieldmethodistdistrict/1252076

Walking for Wellbeing

District Communications Officer Sam Roberts, walks to improve her wellbeing. Find out about her visit to the Trans Pennine Trail with the walking group from Hoyland & Birdwell Methodist Chapel. Do you think a walking group might benefit your church? Read more here:
https://www.sheffieldmethodist.org/news/news-stories/walking-for-wellbeing.html

Positively Rural – A place to call home?

Wednesday 3 July – 7:30pm

Exploring some of the issues around rural housing and homelessness
Positively Rural are running two webinars on aspects of rural homelessness.
The first on 3rd July which is being held during Rural Housing Week will look at the provision of affordable housing, or local needs housing for those who live in our rural communities.
In Spring 2025, we will be looking at rural homelessness and how it manifests itself in rural contexts as so often it is hidden, overlooked and disregarded by many agencies as to its existence.
For this session a small panel of speakers, including Beki Winter from Housing Justice, will share their experiences around some of the issues with rural housing.
Book your place here: https://240703-Home.eventbrite.co.uk
The session will be held on Zoom and the link emailed out to those who have registered nearer the start time.
Positively Rural is an online community hosted by the Learning Network and is open to anyone of any denomination involved in rural ministry, including volunteers, lay workers and clergy

Action for Children Online Forum

Wednesday 10 July – 2:30pm

Action for Children is launching a quarterly online forum for Methodists and other church supporters to hear first-hand about their work and how your support makes a difference. In just under an hour, you can hear interesting updates from their staff who work in frontline services, young ambassadors, and fundraisers. You will also be able to sign up to take part in their petitions and give them direct feedback. Sign up to get invitations to each forum: https://forms.office.com/e/y2701CkN5e

General Election 2024

The President of the Methodist Conference, Revd Gill Newton, and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, Deacon Kerry Scarlett, have released a statement to encourage you to love, pray and vote for this year's general election.
"Our hope is that this will be an election campaign where people will be able to discuss and disagree with kindness, where truth will be upheld, and where the needs of people who are vulnerable will be honoured."

Yorkshire Churches Day 2024

Taking place on Saturday 14 September, Yorkshire Churches Day (YCD) is a chance for every place of worship in the county to open up and showcase the amazing history and heritage found inside their buildings.
The aim of the day is to encourage people to explore local churches even if they have never stepped foot inside one before. It will be a day for those who are curious about history and the heritage of their local surroundings.
Is your church taking part in this? We'd love to hear your stories! (and yes, we are aware that this clashes with our District Gathering!)

District Office Updates

GDRP Annual Checklist

The deadline to complete the checklist is fast approaching (31 May), but I am really pleased that 86 of the 118 churches and circuits have already submitted their form. Both Barnsley and Derbyshire North East Circuit get a gold star for being the first to do so!
If you have not yet managed to do so, I will be in touch to see what support you need in order to show you are complying with the General Data Protection Regulations and thus staying within the law!
Katrin Hackett – District Administrator and Data Champion

District Safeguarding Update:

Safeguarding Audit for 2023/24

The District Safeguarding Officer and the Sheffield District Safeguarding Group have a set of 13 Standards, against which they are externally inspected.
Standard 5 requires that 'Good practice in the Safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults across the District is consistently promoted. All necessary information is disseminated at a local level to support this work'.
To meet this standard, one criteria state's that 'A programme of audits or other means of assessment is instituted to establish compliance, good practice and issues that require attention'.
As a result, each summer, we ask churches to provide us with basic safeguarding information relating to their church. We then collate the information provided, to demonstrate that compliance is established, and good practise is evident. If issues are identified, then help and support is provided in a variety of ways.
The audit form will go live on Monday 3rd June and will close on Wednesday 31st July. We will contact your Church Safeguarding Officer with more information. If you don't have a Church Safeguarding officer, we will send the information to the person nominated as your church contact.
Please be assured that this review is not find fault or to undermine the work of the church safeguarding officer or members of your church council. Please don't worry if your review highlights a few areas for development. Systems are in place to make sure you receive all the help required.

As ever, if you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call on 07483 362 735 or email me at safeguarding@sheffieldmethodist.org
Many thanks
Alison Hill -District Safeguarding Officer.

Events

Employment Q&A Drop-in days

1-1 Employment Advice With The District Employment Advisor

If you are an Employee or an Employer in the Sheffield, (Darlington or Yorkshire North & East) Districts of the Methodist Church, and if you have an employment or workplace question or concern, you can book an in-confidence conversation (by Zoom) with Andrew Crawford, District Employment Advisor.
There are two dates available. If you follow the link on your preferred day to get tickets, the time slots are the tickets you pick.
Tuesday 4 June – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/Tuesday-employment-conversation
Wednesday 5 June – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/Wednesday-employment-conversation

Methodist Women in Britain (MWiB)

MWiB are holding a Quiz evening at Stafford Rd Victoria Methodist Church on Friday June 7th 6.30pm for 7pm followed by a buffet. Jenny Carpenter is hosting the Quiz.
Come along and make this a successful evening donations will be for our MWiB project Roundabout and Street Pastors.

Line Management

Monday 17 June – 7:30pm – online

Line managers are incredibly important in the life of the church. They are in a position to help others flourish in their vocation. Their hard work, support, guidance and encouragement is key to employees being able to fulfil their roles well. Join the team who developed the new Line Managers' Handbook as we share some of our learning and the content we created for the handbook.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/line-management-registration-883184908837

Hope Weekend

21-23 June

Hope Weekend is an annual social action weekend for church based youth groups from across South Yorkshire and the East Riding. It's a chance for young people to show their Christian faith in action in their communities.
For more information, email hubs@centenaryproject.org.uk.

And finally ...

A prayer on the announcement of a General Election

Loving God,
Now that an election has been called, hear my prayers for our country and the campaign ahead.
I pray for those who are standing for election, for their safety, and for their willingness to listen and to speak.
I pray for truthfulness and kindness to prevail as the issues are debated.
I pray that each of us will be inspired to use our voice and our vote for your goodness and glory.
Inspire me, God, to Love, to Pray and to Vote.
Amen.

A prayer for God's revelation in our lives

Hidden God,
you are known to me as absence
more than presence yet
just occasionally the
point of a needle breaks
through the fabric of my life,
makes one perfect golden stitch
and disappears again
into the depths.

It's not much, but
enough to know that
the thread is unbroken
and for that
I thank you.

Rachel Parkinson, District Chair, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District