The Methodist Church - Cumbria District

Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund

Those people wishing to donate to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund can do so through:

       Cumbria Community Foundation
       Dovenby Hall
       Cockermouth
       CA13 0PN

Please mark the back of the cheque “Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund”.

A Call to Prayer from Cumbria

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

In the presence of God:
       We wait to see what the immediate future will bring
       we grieve with those who are facing great loss
       we yearn for respite and peace
       we pray to God for strength and courage

Pray with us:
       For those whose homes are at the mercy of the floodwaters
       for those whose livelihoods have been washed away
       for those working selflessly for the good of others

Give thanks with us:
       For communities that help each other in times of trouble
       for volunteer and statutory rescue services working together for good
       for our church families playing their part in bringing healing and hope

(Rev Richard J Teal: Chair of the Cumbria Methodist District)
(Rev Rachel Poolman: President of the United Reformed Church in Cumbria)

Faith in England BBC Podcast

Anna Drew has drawn our attention to the BBC’s weekly faith podcast. Called Faith in England, it is presented by Songs of Praise host Diane Louise Jordan and BBC London presenter Jumoke Fashola.

Each week the podcast captures what’s going on and what’s being discussed in communities served by the 40 BBC local radio stations. The 30 minute programme can be heard worldwide and will interest people living abroad as well as those at home.

Please do check it out. Barely a week goes by without someone coming to me raising concerns about the future of religious broadcasting on the BBC. So, here’s a fantastic example from the good people at BBC regions. Like all BBC podcasts, it’s free and the BBC are encouraging people to link to it through their own church websites.

You can access it here, and we’ve also added this link to our Useful Links page.

Churches Trust for Cumbria Website

Cumbria has over 600 places of worship, as diverse as the communities which they serve. The buildings are a focus for a wide range of community activity. The Churches Trust for Cumbria brings together everyone with an interest in securing the future of these special places and their communities.

The trust has a website at www.ctfc.org.uk to which we have a link on our Useful Links page. You may find their Events page of particular interest.

Pilgrimage to The Holy Land

Graham Shaw, together with ITS, is organising a pilgrimage to the Holy Land next February. He has issued a single folded A4 brochure giving full information, including a detailed itinerary and how to book. You can view it by clicking here for the outside, and here for the inside (both in .pdf format).

Church and Community in Cumbria – June 2009

The Social Responsibility Forum and the faith community representatives on Cumbria’s strategic partnerships have recently issued the June 2009 issue of their leaflet Church and Community in Cumbria. It is available in some churches as an A5 booklet. You can view a .pdf version of it here.

Note: We are considering eventually moving this link and links to other regular leaflets etc to a dedicated Newsletters page.

Unpaid Work – An Opportunity For Doing Up Your Church Premises?

Unpaid work is one possible requirement of a community order that can be sentenced to an offender by the Court.

Unpaid work allows offenders to give something back to the community. The type of work that they can be participating in includes:

graffiti removal
environmental projects
renovating communal areas
cleaning up children’s playgrounds
renovating buildings e.g. church halls, community centres

Communities benefit from offenders doing unpaid work by receiving thousands of pounds worth of free labour. Each year over 103,000 hours of unpaid work are carried out in Cumbria.

Through completing unpaid work, offenders are able to rehabilitate themselves which in turn leads to a reduction in offending. The new skills that they learn and carry out can lead to them obtaining qualifications and gaining relevant experience that can help towards employment opportunities.

The Cumbria Probation Service would like to hear from churches that could benefit from unpaid work, for example by having the church hall decorated. The church provides the necessary materials and Probation organises and supervises the workers.

If your church could benefit from unpaid work, please contact:

Eden/Carlisle:
steve.arnold@cumbria.probation.gsi.gov.uk
Tel. 01228 522333

Allerdale/Copeland:
karl.muller@cumbria.probation.gsi.gov.uk
Tel. 01946 598120

Barrow/South Lakes:
lynn.huddart@cumbria.probation.gsi.gov.uk
Tel. 01229 820870

For more information, or to propose a church project for unpaid work visit http://cumbriaprobation.org.uk/delivering-interventions/community-payback.php.

Opportunities for Learning in the Cumbria District

This is just a reminder that a number of courses, including the major ecumenical course “Called to Serve”, are available in the Cumbria district. These are delivered by a team of people, mainly from within the district. You can find full details here. Our programme is co-ordinated by David Edmondson, our regional training officer. Please contact him with any enquiries or requests.

“Walking in the Wesleys’ Footsteps”
An essay by the Rev Michael Holland

At a ministerial synod some time ago, it was suggested that the probationary study “Walking in the Wesleys’ Footsteps” by the Rev Michael Holland should be made available to the district via this website. The essay is an exploration of the passionate spirituality that drove the work of John and Charles Wesley and underpinned Methodism, its faith, discipleship and mission. You can read it by clicking here.

THE SURREAL WORLD OF BANKING IN ZIMBABWE

TIME FOR ZUMA TO STAND UP TO MUGABE

GETTING THE BEST FOR LOCAL PREACHERS

CHURCHES CALL FOR AN END TO “CREDIT SLAVERY”

APPEAL FOR DISASTER VICTIMS IN INDONESIA, SAMOA AND TONGA

You can access more news items from our National News page.

OPENING OF EXTENSION AT HAWES JUNCTION CHAPEL

CUMBRIA DISTRICT JOINT SPRING SYNOD, 2009

You can access more news items from our District News page.