Gloucestershire Circuit of the Methodist Church

The Circuit affirms Our Calling from God within the Methodist Church: enabling Christians and congregations, individuals and communities,to recognise and fulfil their calling by encouragement, support and by the exploration of new visions in God’s world.

The Circuit is committed to support and promote Fairtrade,to further encourage the use and sale of Fairtrade products and to serve only Fairtrade coffee and tea at meetings for which it is responsible.

Prayers

We ask you to remember in your prayers this week the worship, work and witness of the congregation at Drybrook.

Superintendent’s Lunch Club

The Superintendent's Lunch Club takes place every Thursday at 12.30 p.m. at the venues below:-

24 May - NO LUNCH CLUB 31 May - McKenzies, Castle Street, Cirencester

7 June – Fromebridge Mill, Whitminster

15 June - Moon Under the Water, Cheltenham

22 June - White Hart, Broadoak

EVERYONE is welcome to come along to eat, drink and natter about all sorts of things and nothing in particular.

“CREATING SAFER SPACE” Safeguarding Training

Just a reminder that the Connexion has stipulated that the following people are required to receive Safeguarding Training before 31st August 2012 – workers with children and young people, pastoral visitors, local preachers/worship leaders, representatives from church council and circuit stewards. If you have not attended and should have, may I ENCOURAGE you!! 284 people have already attended and found it a positive learning experience as we share together our experiences in our various roles.

Karen Burridge and I are organising a further two training sessions:

Saturday 30th June 2012 at Wotton-under-Edge United Church (9.30am – 1.00pm)

Saturday 29th September 2012 at Bishops Cleeve (9.30am - 1.00pm)

By the end of the module you should:

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Understand that safeguarding and creating safer space is everyone’s responsibility and an integral part of being church.

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Have a better understanding of the safeguarding processes within the Methodist Church and your role within them.

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Know when to have concerns about the safety and welfare of a child or vulnerable adult.

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Recognise potential blocks within the church to responding well.

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Be able to respond appropriately to concerns about the safety and welfare of a child or vulnerable adult using the Methodist Church policies.

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Recognise that there are experts within the Church to help you respond to concerns, and be able to identify who is the expert in your church

Please book your places early (only 30 places available per venue)

Contact: Peter Gardner 01452-790564 or email peter@familygardner.plus.com

Miracles can and do happen and at Marah and at Foodbank we have come to rely on them. We want to be bold this year and aim to feed 5,000 people who, without you and us, will be going hungry. Food poverty is a reality in our community, often unseen but no less real.

We would love you to be part of what we are calling “THE 5K FEAST”, an event aimed at feeding 5,000 people who will, through making a modest donation, enable us to provide 5,000 healthy and nutritional meals to the most needy in our community.

It’s a real challenge but we are up for it and hope that you will want to be part of a modern day miracle and this is how you can get involved. We are inviting individuals, community groups, companies, churches, youth groups, to name but a few, to invite friends and neighbours to share food together. It may be coffee and cake, a chocolate feast or a simple or grand supper or maybe a good old English breakfast with the expectation that all the participants will make a contribution, according to their resources, to “The 5K feast fund”

We will be providing all the resources: invitations, party ideas, posters etc, but we need you to share the idea with your friends and colleagues, maybe host a party yourself but generally gossip the idea. It’s happening between the 16th and 22nd July. Please register your support and get more information at strouddistrict.foodbank.org.uk/5kfeast, call us on 07725 874231 or reply by email return.

Thank you

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

From the 7th of April to end of July each year, Rwanda commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. As the Gloucester United Reformed Church, involved in theological thinking and linking it to 'the burning issues' in our immediate and global Community, we would like to invite all who have supported Rwanda in prayers and action and those who are interested in knowing its history and how it is changing and affecting the rest of the World to come and listen to the Rwandan High Commissioner, His Excellency Ernest RWAMUCYO on the 16th of June 2012 at 3.00pm at Park Road, Gloucester GL1 1LS.

Plant Sale at St. Albans Church, Parliament Street, Stroud

SATURDAY 26TH MAY 10.00AM - 12.30 PM

We will have lots of flowers, shrubs and vegetable plants for sale as well as a garden bric-a-brac stall.

Also, we will have a cake and produce stall and we will be serving refreshments.

Gloucester Street Pastors

Hi everybody. Just a short email to publicise the 'going live' of our Gloucester Street Pastors website at: www.gloucester.streetpastors.org.uk Please click on the above or copy and paste into your website browser and have a look. Please also pass this email and link on to any folks in your church who you think might be interested and note the 'Want to join us?' tab with my full contact details and 'Application Overview' available to be downloaded from the website for any interested church leaders and/or individuals who wish to consider joining us. I will be seeking to update the website regularly, particularly with training dates as they are planned in for 2012 and with regular news updates re development with the work of GSP. Many thanks and let's spread the word of the work we're doing to serve God in the city and make use of this additional tool to do so. Steve Cresswell Administrator Gloucester Street Pastors

Hospital Chaplaincy Volunteers Training Course

Wednesday Mornings

19 September – 21 November 2012

Do you like meeting new people? Are you good at listening? Do you have a personal belief? Can you accept and care for those who may have very different beliefs or values from your own? Are you concerned for the well-being of other people? Are you able to pray for people? If you answer YES to most or all of these questions, you may want to consider becoming a hospital chaplaincy volunteer.

The Department of Spiritual Care (Chaplaincy) at The Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust is looking to recruit and train new volunteers to a variety of different roles which will support the spiritual, religious and pastoral needs of patients in hospital. These roles include visiting of hospital wards, helping with activities for patients including those with dementia and assisting with sacramental ministry.

It is not about proselytising or converting people to a particular set of beliefs. Volunteers will be expected to offer and provide support to those who want it whilst adhering to strict hospital guidelines.

For further information and an application form, please contact Reverend Mark Read on 08454 22 6200 or mark.read@glos.nhs.uk

The Spirituality Network for Gloucestershire

(A Body in Association with Gloucestershire Churches Together)

Saturday 7th July, 2012

THOMAS MERTON & the Camera as a Tool for Contemplation

Speaker Esther de Waal, Well-known author on Spirituality at Sacred Hearts Church Hall

Moorend Road, Charlton Kings Cheltenham from 10am to 3.0pm

Cost of the Day £10

To Reserve your Place Contact Revd. Dr. Alison Evans

Tel: 01453 824034 Email: Malcolm.Alison@btinternet.com

(Please make your cheque out to The Spirituality Network for Gloucestershire)

Bring a packed lunch - Drinks provided

Family Fun Day

A number of Christian organisations in Stroud have come together to deliver a Free Family Fun Day in Stratford Park. Stroud, on Sunday May 27th, the weekend between the Olympic Torch coming to Stroud, on May 23rd and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee the following weekend.

With support from PSALMS, Ignition Gloucestershire, Churches Together and the Diocese of Gloucester, the Family Fun Day will include live music from the bandstand, a Sports Arena, Human Table Football, interactive Arts & Crafts stalls, Face & Nail Painting, Badge Making, Parachute Games, Giant Jenga & Chess, BBQ, Cream Teas, Ice Creams, a ‘Tiddlywinks’ Under 5’s Play Area, Sumo Suits and Bouncy Castles. The miniature railway will also be running in the park for a small charge.

The Sports Arena will include Water Balloon Volleyball, Badminton Challenge, Sack Racing, Skittles, Croquet and Tug-of-War.

Music will be provided by award-winning international singer/songwriter Philippa Hanna and her band who are stopping off in Stroud especially to perform on the bandstand following a concert at The Pavilion in Cheltenham the night before. Philippa will be joined by local favourites The Rebel Cheesecutters and ventriloquist Keiran Powell, winners of The

Door’s 2012 Undiscovered Youth Talent Contest. Her latest video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9gW0skdGtE

“The whole idea of this event is to bring people together to celebrate the Olympics & the Diamond Jubilee, two great moments of history which take place this summer, in an atmosphere of joy and fun,” says organiser Phil Coysh of the Christian event charity, Ignition Gloucestershire.

“PSALMS has held a number of free Family Fun Days inside Stratford Park over the last 18 months which have attracted up to 400 people,” says Phil. “We want to bring this regular event outside for the Olympic Torch and Diamond Jubilee celebrations and, thanks to support from Stroud District Council and local organisations, we can make it even bigger and better. We have designed the event so that there is someone for everyone, from toddlers right through to young at heart grandparents!”

The event starts at 2.30pm and ends at 5pm. It will be based around the bandstand area in Stratford Park, Stroud, unless wet when it will move into the main hall of the Leisure Centre.

For more information please contact Andy Harding of PSALMS on 07845 460163.

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The Methodist Circuit of Gloucestershire,

Circuit Office Address: Northgate Hall, St. John’s Lane, Gloucester, GL1 2AT

Telephone: 01452 415769 Email: gloscircuit1@btconnect.com