Talent Summer 2022 A5 PDF

TALENT Summer 2022Magazine of the Tamworth and Lichfield Methodist Circuithttps://www.tamworthandlichfieldmethodist.org.uk/

LETTER FROM ROGERDear friendsEnd of an era!Ministers come and ministers go… that s how its been for Ruth and I for the ’last 36 years. Thankfully we have only moved house four times in that time.In each circuit I have served in it has been a joy getting to know everyone and counting everyone as family, and eventually being able to call everyone by name. It has been a joy to call you by name.It has also been a joy to lead worship in your churches, a privilege to share in personal and difficult times with you, and to celebrate with you in joyful times and occasions. It has been encouraging to share in mission and ministry with you (I remember especially Church without Walls) for mission and sharing the gospel is the church s first calling.’There have, of course been challenges in various ways in the circuit, but God has guided and provided and led us through those challenges and even recently it has been wonderful to see how the Holy Spirit has brought people together in an amazing way.It is through his grace we can move forward to become the people he called us to be.So I have been encouraged and blessed in my ministry among you. Thank you for the love and support you have shown through these years, not least through my own personal health issues.Now it s on to a very different life in which I shall miss being with people, ’leading you in worship and sharing in your lives. Everyone tells me I ll be ’busier than ever… we ll see!!!’I thank God for your support, for your partnership in the gospel and your work for the Kingdom of God in this circuit. Challenges lie ahead but God will lead and guide you and bless faith, and trust in his power to transform and renew.We will be moving to Shrewsbury, Shropshire and will be near our family, and shall worship in the church that they attend. There will be gardening, dog walking and child minding among other things that will keep me busy.Bless you all, and thank you.Roger.

THANK YOU FROM ROGER AND RUTHA very big thank you for the wonderful service of thanksgiving and celebration on 24 July. Ruth and I were blessed by such thlove and affection shown. A very special thank you to all who contributed to the most generous monetary gift received at the farewell service. We also received a photo book of various circuit and church events which I featured on which will be a lasting memory to treasure! Thank you, and Ruth adds her thanks for the beautiful flowers.Finally thank you all for the love and care you have shown throughout these seven years of my ministry in the Tamworth and Lichfield Circuit, I have loved getting to know you all and working alongside you. Bless you all. Roger & Ruth.Many churches and communities had special celebrations for the Queen s Jubilee Event—’here are some photos to share with you from the outdoor community event at St Andrews, Tamworth.

Writing the Next Chapter??Have you ever been so caught up in a drama series on TV that you could barely wait for the next episode to come out? Or have you had the experience of reading a good book late at night – promising yourself I ll just “ ’read one more chapter – and before you know what s happened you ve read ” ’’two or three chapters and it s way past your bedtime?’As we gradually emerge from the covid crisis, many churches are asking “what s next?’” There has been so much talk of the new normal“”, but what might that mean for us and our fellowships? Some people can t wait to get ’on with the next thing – whilst others are more cautious. Some people want everything to go back to how it was before the pandemic. Others feel ready for a change. I wonder how you feel? On 15 May, we had our Circuit Event at Lichfield, drawing people together thfrom across our churches to think about how we can assess where we are right now, and discern where God might be leading us.We called the event “Writing the Next Chapter?”in the hope that it would provide an opportunity for stories and experiences to be shared and for people to feel encouraged and supported. (To help us we used a resource called Our Church s Future Story – we have copies in the Circuit if you want “’” to have a look at the whole resource.)We began by asking people to consider the story of their church – the story “so far”….. What events have influenced your church s life? ’What have been the high points and low points for your congregation? Next we thought about the present story – where is your church today in “” terms of its faith and ministry? We also had an opportunity to explore our personal feelings about our own faith journeys. The crunch questions came next! Where and how might God be leading our churches into the future? What might the future story be like? – how can we start the next chapter“” “”? To help us in this part of the discussion, small groups were asked to use a “Wants and wishes grid – to think about:” What have we got in our church that we want to keep?What don t we have that we wish we had?’What do we have that we don t want?’What don t we have that we don t want?’’(If you weren t able to join us on 15 May, you might like to spend a moment ’ththinking and praying about how you would answer these questions with regard to your church).

Another grid then asked us to consider:The things that we already do well (our church s first chapter)’The things we dream about for the future (our church s next chapter)’What people, gifts, talents and resources do we have in our church to help us write this chapter?What might we need to let go of to enable this new chapter to begin?(Again – have a quiet think about your own answers to these questions).Many people found this a very interesting and useful exercise – and from it some good ideas started to emerge. (You can read some of the feedback from the event in this Talent magazine on pages 8,9 10).Wouldn t it be wonderful if each church could commit to praying all this ’through so that new chapters in our church s lives could begin to be written ’as we slowly start to do new things for God in our communities?When our church councils come around in the Autumn, we will revisit some of the work done on 15 May – and we will see how it links into our Circuit thMission Action Plan, which we adopted last year.The Mission Action Plan focuses our attention on three key areas as we consider the next chapter for the whole circuit: “” Developing and growing confident disciplesPlanning and developing our future life as a circuit (looking at staffing, property, and proactively seeking a way forward for the Tamworth churches)Developing our online presenceElsewhere in this edition of Talent you will read about some of the people who are joining our team this September to help us to continue moving forward with our Mission Action Plan, so that God s love might be shared in ’our communities.Please be patient as the new team gets to know each other, and as we start our work together. Please pray for us. And remember the circuit may be under new management-“”, but the Boss remains the same!As we approach a new Methodist church year, may God, our eternal Boss, bless you and guide you and surround you with love.Rev Jo Thornton

INTRODUCING OUR NEW STAFFRevd Wendy Walker : Minister I fell in love with Jesus when I was a child, in the context of a nurturing Methodist community in South Africa. Having been involved in lay ministry related to youth, families and worship for the past twenty years, I responded to the call to ordained ministry in 2017. I ve lived in the United Kingdom for six years ’along with my husband and two sons. I m ’working towards a PhD in preaching, a black belt in karate and an ever increasing dependence on the Spirit as my comfort and guide. We re all looking forward ’to becoming a part of this community! Mrs Gemma Grice : Families Worker for Lichfield and AlrewasHi, I m Gemma and I m really looking forward to ’’being the new Families Worker for Lichfield and Alrewas. I live with my husband and 3 children (ages 13, 11 and 8) in a small village called Clifton Campville. My eldest son attends school in Lichfield and my parents live in Alrewas so I know both places well. I was teaching until recently but felt God calling me to explore a new role. I have always had a passion for families work and have lots of experience of running activities, from toddler groups and messy church to family events and Bible studies. I have had the opportunity to lead several events for families in our church at Clifton this year and have also been volunteering with the Scout group in Alrewas. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, going walking and reading a good book. I love meeting new people and sharing God s love ’with families around me and feel very blessed that this will be part of my job in September! I can t wait to meet you all! ’

PLEASE COME!Tuesday 6 September at 7.30pm, that Lichfield Methodist Church.Welcome for the Revd Wendy Walker,commissioning for two new lay workers, Gemma Grice and Hannah Hawkeswood, and reception of the Revd Jo Thornton as Superintendent.The preacher will be our new District Chair, the Revd Novette Headley. Mrs Hannah Hawkeswood : Circuit Digital Development EnablerHi, I'm Hannah and I'm looking forward to being the new Digital Development Enabler for the Tamworth and Lichfield Circuit. I live with my husband and 4 year old daughter in Rugeley. I spend most of my week going into schools around the local area as a visiting Music Teacher. However, during the Covid Lockdown's, I seized the opportunity to explore something new. Having been involved in creating social media posts for Lichfield Methodist Church, I discovered I had a creative flair and, alongside the posts, I created youtube videos sharing the Gospel particularly for younger viewers I feel strongly -that digital platforms can be used effectively for mission. Having grown up in Lichfield Methodist Church, I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the churches within the circuit and showcasing God's good work on our Digital platforms. Please do pray for our Circuit Staff Team, for Wendy, Gemma and Hannah joining the team; for Jo with her new responsibilities as Superintendent and for her church congregations adjusting to this change. We pray for Joy as she continues to minister in Tamworth, and for Gill assisting colleagues with admin support. This is an exciting time for the circuit as we seek God s will for this next chapter.’

Feedback from the Circuit Event Writing the Next Chapter -15th May 2022So much was shared that it s impossible to tell you everything that happened – but ’here is a snapshot of some of the things people talked about. You will notice some themes emerging. If you were not there at the event – how might you answer these questions – or complete the two grids – for your particular church? Is there a commitment you could make?What is your church s story so far?’It s a story of Love, pastoral care’Outreach opportunities opportunities for the whole church to come together for -projects A story of changeOur Church net – a story of how we all held together during the pandemic‘’ Church trying to modernise and appeal to younger peopleWhere is your church now?Floundering – recovering? Emerging. Recuperating. Trying.Short of moneyShort of direction – stuck?Covid as cause or excuse?Tension between wanting comfort of familiar routine but also needing to acknowledge things and people have changed.Optimistic, supportive and caring, God is in the mix for our futureFeeling the way forwardExcited to be back in fellowship againNeeding to change to reflect new situationAcceptance of technology in taking worship out into the community via zoom and online services Aging congregationWhere are you now personally? Weary / struggling / confusedGrowing and learning but not very challengedFloundering a bitWe are optimistic! God loves us!!Aware of my shortcomings – aware of God s forgiveness’In need of a boost to my faithEncouraged. Hopeful. More willing to share my faith. Still as convinced of my faith as a disciple of Jesus but concerned at the decline the church in the country is experiencingStill questioning and seeking the truthCommitted to Jesus but indecisive about MethodismMuddled and sometimes doubting – but then I always come backFrustrated by people wanting everything to be how it used to beI am closer to God and do want to work toward promoting our church but how?Confident in Christ s love through all his people’Glad that I can be part of a church where we are trying to be see a way forwardRecognition of needing more of GodLooking forward to new things! Change is inevitable we must embrace itGrowing aware of the need for more Church without walls events and change “” within worship to make it more attractive to young people

WANTS AND WISHES (these responses are taken from discussions across all the groups – so don t represent one particular church family)’WHAT WE HAVE THAT WE WANT TO KEEPFellowship and loveMixture of worship styles communion-Our link with our community and the friendship we have with them.Support and pastoral careOnline servicesEach other people-MusicToddler groupsResources that we want to make best use ofCaring, faithful congregationEcumenical linksAccess to local schoolsHouse groups and fellowship groupsPeopleMeeting and greeting peopleWHAT WE DON T HAVE THAT WE ’WISH WE HADKnowing God s plan’A younger congregation willing to take on some of the responsibilities of the churchMore VolunteersPhysical strength to undertake church s mission’People using our facilitiesStable incomeMore encounter with the Holy SpiritMeeting people where they areMore opportunities for outreachMore house groups/class meetings/ zoom groupsMore faith/Bible conversationsStrong bible teachingRelationships with other churchesWHAT WE HAVE THAT WE DON T ’WANTToo tight a groupServices that cannot be understood by any visitorsDivision and clique Little groups keep--ing to themselvesUnderutilised buildingImbalance of age profileOverload on key peopleAwkward buildingWhat are we going to let go of to make room for the now?Lack of volunteersThe uncertainty of the future of our churchWHAT WE DON T HAVE AND DON T ’’WANTA gloried social clubSchismsGossipingIncenseShared cupBishopsCliquesA Godless church

GRID 2: BUILDING A NEW STORY FOR OUR CHURCH – (again these -responses are drawn from discussions across all the groups – so don t ’represent one particular church family)THE FIRST CHAPTER OF OUR STORY IS ABOUT ALL THAT WE ARE DOING WELLWelcoming new peopleOutreachCare and pastoral supportToddler groupsFellowship groupsGroups for children and young peopleFlower ministryGood preachingCoffee ShopMusicSupporting each otherFROM ALL OUR DREAMS, THE NEXT CHAPTER OF OUR CHURCH WILL BE ABOUTRaising our profile using social me--diaChurch without WallsA vibrant church of all agesDigital presence and awareness in-creasedContacting people in all the new developmentsMaking building more welcoming and comfortableDevelop Night Shelter‘’Recognising people s gifts’Growth – more familiesServing the local community better and contributing more to the wider worldDeveloping our work with familiesExploring Eco possibilitiesLetting people know God loves themBe inclusive to allGod centred and not survival cen-tredHearing the Holy Spirit and meeting with JesusAll people to realise the gifts and talents they have been givenTO HELP US WRITE THIS STORY, WE HAVE THESE PEOPLE, WITH THESE GIFTS AND TALENTS, AND THESE RE-SOURCESNew minister and New Lay WorkersChurch Council – stewards – pastoral visitorsEnergy and ideasOpenness to changeWillingness to try new thingsMusicians all sortsMore technical skillsMore social media skillsPeople who can empathise with peo-ple, talk to people, where they arePeople willing to give their time not just on a SundayYoung adultsWe need assistance from other churches; Leadership to engage in what is neededBuildings, Teachers, Theologians, Family WorkerMiracle Worker, Technological peopleTO COMPLETE THIS STORY WE WILL NEED TO LET GO OF THESE THINGS WHICH WE HAVE OR ARE DOING AT PRESENTLethargy (if we can be bothered!)A fear of the futureTraditions that no longer work!Doing it how we ve always done it’‘We always do it this way’‘That person always does that’Activities that do not reach outCould we let go of rigid ecumenical ‘’ events?PrejudicesNot enough reliance on the Holy Spirit leading‘Someone else will do it’

At the end of the afternoon people were asked to make a commitment to doing something new in their churches – here are some of the commitments made:PrayStart or join a house groupHealing and prayer ministryActing upon the matters we have discussed todayDo our best to give our new minister a warm welcome and a fine startLichfield – that the Coffee Shop continues to flourishContinue to worshipContinuing my current input and effortDoing at presentSupport the new minister and Family Worker and Digital Enabler and Jo as new superintendentCommunicating better with other people in the churchContact lost/missing membersPray discerninglyTalk to people and find out their giftsCome along to the next Circuit Event on Sunday 16th October 3.00 pm at Glascote Methodist Church (bring and share tea) to share and explore further “Writing the Next Chapter”We are delighted that a group of young people and their leaders will be attending the 3Generate Youth Weekend this year. Please pray for them as they discover more about faith and have a great weekend away.3Generate, the children's and youth assembly of the Methodist Church, aims to create an inclusive and diverse space for the prophetic voice of children and young people to emerge and be heard. It enables them to speak courageously, and listen to God and each other. Through the 3Generate process, children and young people are equipped to become participants in advocacy, change and growth and have an impact in their local Methodist communities. 3Generate calls the Church to listen to, and be in relationship and dialogue with and amongst, children and young people, so that change can happen together as a community.

The Methodist Conference 2021 committed us all to celebration of diversity and to eradicating discrimination within the Methodist Church. There s a ’new support service for anybody experiencing discrimination or harm and it s available within this district.’This is called the DARS, the Discrimination and Abuse Response ServiceThe phone number is 020 7467 5131Or email [email protected] details can be found next to the safeguarding poster in your church. Please feel free to use this service yourself if you need it and remember to tell others about it if you think it might help them to get the support they need. Thank you.CIRCUIT STAFFSuperintendent Minister: Revd Jo Thornton 01543 253744Ministers:Revd Wendy Walker 01543 262368Deacon Joy Sykes 01827 62456Lay WorkersCircuit Administrator:Mrs Gill Woolf 01543 256333Circuit Digital Development Enabler:Mrs Hannah HawkeswoodFamilies Worker Lichfield and Alrewas:Mrs Gemma GriceCIRCUIT SAFEGUARIDNG TRAINING DATE If you are an office holder within the Church, you are invited to attend -the Foundation Safeguarding Training Course on Saturday 10th September, 9.30 am—12 noon at Lichfield Methodist Church. Please book a place via Gill at the Circuit Office, email [email protected] you are unable to make this date—please keep a look out for the next available date.Note : If you have recently attended the Advanced Safeguarding Training there is no need to attend the Foundation Course. PREACHING PLAN AND CIRCUIT DIRECTORY The New Plan is available — this covers the three month period September, October, November. There is a copy on the Circuit Website, and is available in each church from the stewards.A new Circuit Directory has been produced covering the period September 2022—August 2023. If you would like a copy please email Gill at the Circuit Office, [email protected]