District News – 15 June 2021

This Week's News

2020 Ordinations

We are delighted that the ordinations postponed from Conference 2020 are now going to be taking place on Saturday 18 June at 3pm

In particular we uphold Ben Scrivens, stationed in the Barnsley Circuit, Joy Ventom, now stationed in North Staffordshire, and Ah Moi (Josephine) Soon, now stationed in the Vale of Stour.

Ben and Joy will be ordained at Central Methodist Church in Chesterfield and you can watch it live on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/vx15_BPMcJw.
Josephine will be ordained at Marlborough Square Methodist Church Coalville: https://youtu.be/IysQDmsoq3I

District Safeguarding Update

Last week I sent out, via email, the Annual Safeguarding Audits for churches and circuits. After feedback please can I just reiterate the following:- Audits were sent to the people in Pastoral Charge of churches and the Circuit Superintendents as I have their contact details. However, the email should be forwarded onto members of the church / circuit meeting, 3 of whom will take responsibility for completing the form.

* The audits are a review of Safeguarding in this current Connexional year. Please only include Safer Recruitment details for those who have been working / volunteering in this specific time period.

* Please do not ask your Church / Circuit Safeguarding Officer to complete all the form. The Safeguarding Officer will have some of the information you will need and therefore should be involved, but it is not their responsibility to complete all the form on their own.

* Please don't worry if you know you are behind on safeguarding this year. For the majority of this Connexional year buildings have been closed and projects have not been active. I already anticipate many people will have out of date training etc. Completing the audit will let me see how high a mountain you will need to climb to get on top of your safeguarding and allow me to offer help and support.

* I have planned 4 sessions where people with questions or concerns will have 1 to 1 time with me to talk things through. Please book on if you are struggling or worried but please note these are not group sessions and I will not be delivering any training etc

• Tuesday 22nd June: 2.00 – 3.000pm
• Wednesday 30th June: 7.30 – 8.30pm
• Friday 16th July: 10.00 – 11.00am
• Tuesday 20th July: 7.30-8.30pm

I have asked for the audits to be returned to me by 31st July 2021 so that, in the quieter month of August, I will have time to review each audit and write actions plans if needed. The plan was churches would have finished the GDPR audit and so would not have to be juggling to much paperwork. I'm sorry that the GDPR audit has been extended and that churches are also now working hard to reopening buildings and projects etc.
I don't want to inflict anymore pressure so please be assured that the audit should only take an hour or two to complete. If you find yourselves unable to answer a question or provide evidence then don't go to extreme lengths, just explain the issue in the box and move onto the next question. Again, it will help me help you if you are completely honest. Support will be put in place where needed, without judgement or condemnation.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 thanksAlison HillDistrict Safeguarding Officer

Data Protection Checklist

A reminder that the completed checklist and processor record need to be returned to Katrin Hackett, the District Data Champion, by the end of July.
There have been several training sessions on GDPR and the checklist, but we are aware that this information has not necessarily been passed on to the relevant people.
Please get in touch if you need any help or support in completing this.

District Office

Katrin will be attending the Methodist Conference from 26 June to 1 July. Emails will be monitored, but may not be responded to until after Conference. There will be no District Newsletter that week.

Squares for Summer

Whirlow Spirituality Centre

Our exhibition of fabric squares, Together in Isolation, has hung in The Chapel of the Holy Spirit for over a year. It has accompanied us through lockdown and we are soon to bid it farewell – replacing it with something new!

The next collaborative exhibition at Whirlow will celebrate hope, light and embrace summer.
Anyone who contributed to Together in Isolation can replace their square with a new one – and all are invited to contribute for the first time. More information can be found here

Make technology work for you

Do you ever think "I wish there was an easier way of doing this" when using your word processor? I am offering to run a series of short sessions looking at some of the tools which might be useful.
If this is something that might interest you, please let me know by completing this form: https://forms.office.com/r/2S3nx9CZ6t

Events

Positively Rural – Countryside challenges

Wednesday 7 July from 1 – 2:30pm

Focusing on the issues facing rural communities and how we can respond to them.
Speakers: Rachel Hallos, the West Riding NFU chair and Claire Maxim, CEO of Arthur Rank Centre
To book your place and obtain joining instructions, follow this link: http://bit.ly/PositivelyRural5
Positively Rural is an online community hosted by the Yorkshire Plus Learning Network, but open to anyone of any denomination involved or with an interest in rural ministry, including volunteers, lay workers and clergy. More information can be found here: https://www.sheffieldmethodist.org/news/events-courses/communities-of-practice/positively-rural.html

Cliff Summer School

26-30 July

Cliff College is delighted to be hosting its popular Summer School from 26-30 July. Enjoy learning, fellowship, worship and celebration together with other Christians in the beautiful (and COVID-secure) environment of Cliff College. Choose from two different streams; take a deep dive into the book of Ephesians or learn more about how to read the Bible and strengthen your personal discipleship. Over half the spaces are already taken, so don't delay – book today!
Book on our website: https://cliffcollege.ac.uk/courses/summer-school/summer-school
Contact: c.thacker@cliffcollege.ac.uk

Vacancies

Young Evangelism Officer

Cliff College

Cliff College is seeking to appoint to the new role of Young Evangelism Officer within its Evangelism and Mission team. This is an exciting time ias the College is about to launch Vision 21, a strategy that takes the College on a journey to become a global centre of evangelism and mission, and Methodism continues to implement its God for All strategy, that commits the Church theologically, culturally, and financially to deepen its mission to be a growing, evangelistic, justice-seeking, and inclusive Church.
This collaborative role will focus on evangelism amongst the young in a variety of contexts and we are looking for someone who:

• is an effective communicator of the Gospel
• is passionate about encouraging, developing and supporting young Christians
• has experience of working with young people, in a missional role or as an evangelist
• has a heart for mission and evangelism
• is willing to play a key role in the life of Cliff College and the Methodist Church

More information here

Lay Development Worker – Hoyland and Birdwell

The Barnsley Circuit is seeking to appoint a full-time worker to help engage with local communities, especially those in the Hoyland and Birdwell area.

Deadline for applications: 18 June
Further details can be found here: Lay Development Worker

Building Management Coordinator – Emmanuel Methodist Church

We are looking for someone with the enthusiasm and energy to join our buildings team.- making a positive contribution to Emmanuel and the wider community.
Deadline for applications: 18 June
More information can be found here: Building Management Coordinator

Children and Youth Co-ordinator

Sheffield Methodist District

To increase the scale, impact and sustainability of children's, families and youth ministry in churches and circuits across the district for such a time as this.

As an experienced and highly networked children's, youth or families worker with excellent interpersonal skills you will:

• support, encourage and equip paid workers and volunteers
• lead an integrated programme of district-wide events
• nurture young leaders
• facilitate enhancement of local ministries and birth of new projects and Christian communities

Salary: £26,628 plus contributory pension scheme.

There is a genuine occupational requirement that the post-holder be a practising Christian.

Closing date for applications Mon 12 July

Interviews on or around Tues 20 July

Further details at www.sheffieldmethodist.org/recruitment/vacancies.html

District Leading Team members (volunteer position)

We are seeking people who are:

• Excited by the opportunities before us in For Such A Time As This and committed to its implementation
• Comfortable offering and hearing dissenting opinions during discussion, and embracing collective decisions
• Enablers and inspirers of missional change through the many people of our membership – learning, changing, and joining in
• Able to apply their own experiences to support and encourage a range of models and approaches
• Able to work as a geographically dispersed team
• Approachable with regard to the work of the district in their other contexts
• Holders of confidence and managers of conflicts of interest within a Connexional church

Further information on the District website www.sheffieldmethodist.org/recruitment/vacancies
Please submit expressions of interest by Thursday 1 July.

To maintain the diversity of the team we are particularly keen to recruit members who are women, lay, younger adults or BAME at this time.

News from outside organisations

DRC News

The DRC News is designed to celebrate the positive contribution of rural
communities in Derbyshire and offer some helpful information. Many farmers speak to have missed the banter at Bakewell Livestock Market whilst others have expressed how much they have appreciated where they live, the land, and the animals they care for with a renewed perspective and gratitude.
You can read the full newsletter here: DRC News June 2021