MelbourneMethodistChurch
Annual Report 2011/ 2012
“A year in the life of our Church”
Minister’s Report
From Rev. Dennis Smith
I have had the privilege of being the minister at Melbourne for almost eight years now. Over those years you have been patient with my shortcomings, and given me great support and encouragement. I am still genuinely excited to be a part of what God has done and is doing here.
Our reports show the variety of activities that take place here. There are examples of outreach in the local community and beyond, and a real sense of hunger to learn more of God and to follow him more closely each day. I have been absolutely astounded at the level of devotion that some members of our church show in their Christian service, both in their commitment here at Melbourne and in what they offer to the wider mission of the Church in general and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way, big or small, to the mission and life of this Christian family.
As we review the last twelve months, there is much to encourage us, but there are also dangers of which we must be aware as we embark on the next part of our journey. With so many different things happening, it would be very easy to forget that we are the body of Christ and as such we support, compliment and rely on each other. Important though each individual work is, it is when you put everything together that you see the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and each contribution, whether large or small is equally important to God. Therefore, I would like to share a few thoughts which will help us in the next part of our journey together.
First, of paramount importance is prayer. Everything we do as a church must be grounded and underpinned by prayer. Prayer is the way we discover where God wants us to go and how he wants us to get there. Prayer will prevent us wasting our energy on things that might divert us from God’s way. We need to pray both corporately and individually, so I would hope that we will continue as a church to give much time to prayer.
Secondly, as a church we must be hungry for the Word of God. Our future plans must include provision for us all to learn more, to study more so that every one of our members can grow into a deeper maturity as a Christian. The responsibility to feed God’s people is heavy on those who preach or lead Bible study week by week. The Bible is a complex but rewarding book to study. It is God’s Word and as such is one of the ways he reveals himself to us.
Thirdly, it is important that we continue to build up relationships within the Church. At the communion service we sometimes say “We are one body” but sadly it is not always true. In a church like Melbourne with such a variety of Christian background and experience and with a number of different aspects of ministry going on, fragmentation is a very real possibility. That doesn’t mean we must find the lowest common denominator, it means we must truly respect each other, love each other, be willing to learn from each other and encourage each other in whatever work we do.Part of this is the realisation that we all have a job to do; all of us havegifts which God has given us. God calls each and every one of us tocontribute to the life of the church Perhaps there is a reason, like ill health, age or infirmity, but if that does not apply, then please prayerfully consider how you can become more involved.
Of course, we are called to spread the good news of Jesus and to ensure that those who need it, can find His love. That is why we do what we do. The Holy Spirit is the one who actually makes disciples; our job is to put people in touch with the love of God in Jesus and the power of God in the Spirit. We do that by lifting Him up in all our work and in all our worship. We do that by blessing the community and the people we serve with acts of love.
We begin in September in a new Circuit which I am sure will bring fresh challenges and opportunities. My hope and prayer is that as a church we will grasp these recognising that we are ‘part of the body’ with a part to play. As our Church continues to be part of the Circuit and the Community in Melbourne I am sure that God will continue to bless that work He has called us to do.
Dennis
MelbourneMethodistChurch
A year in the life of the church 2011 / 2012
There are six sections in this report.
They are…..
- Our Church – the Bigger Picture
- Our Church – on Sundays
- Our Church – on Weekdays
- Our Church – Day to Day
- Our Church – in Melbourne
- Our Church – Contacts
June 2012
1. Our Church – the Bigger Picture
The MethodistChurch
MelbourneMethodistChurch is part of the national MethodistChurch organisation. Methodist Churches are organised into large district groups. This church is part of the Nottingham and Derby District.
The District is then divided into small groups of churches known as ‘circuits’.
MelbourneMethodistChurch is part of the Castle Donington Circuit but from September 2012 our circuit will join with the Ashby and Coalville Circuit to form the National Forest East Circuit.
People from our church are part of the circuit leadership and help in a variety of ways.
Three of our members, Alan Brady, Mark Dale and Pauline Farrer are Local Preachers and lead services at churches within our circuit. Peter Vinton is training to be a Local Preacher and takes services as part of his training.
Joy Young and Pam Worrall are Circuit Stewards, Matt Lee is Circuit Treasurer and Peter Vinton is Circuit Property Steward.
As you may be aware our minister, Dennis Smith, is moving to part-time Ministry from Sept 2012 and will retire in September 2013. Rev. Alan Dawsonwill be the superintendent minister of the new National Forest East Circuit.
The new Circuit structure is likely to have its ups and downs. Please pray that all the changes made will help to further the work of God in this area.
Please feel free to talk to any of us at anytime about any circuit issues.
MelbourneMethodistChurch Organisation
Within our church (as in all Methodist churches) there is a structure in place to help the church run smoothly. All major decisions made by the church must be agreed at the Church Council which meets between four and six times each year. The Church Council is made up of representatives from the church Annual General Meeting and from all the main groups within the church.
The Annual General Meeting of all church membersalso appoints the Church Stewards who, along with the minister, form the main leadership group of the church. The stewards meet monthly and help the minister with the overall running of the church. The stewards this year were Alan Brady, Mark Dale, Neil Grenyer, Christine Lee, Lol Robinson and Andy Whinray.
The Mission Action Planning Process and Document
In 2010 the church leadership team decided to adopt a recognised process to assist in the strategic mission development of our church. The process selected was MAP - Mission Action Planning. After various discussions and much consultation, the first version of our MAP Document was produced in April 2011. The process and resulting document enables clear communication about where we think the church needs to be in a few years time and what will need to be done to get there.
Our MAP process commenced with a survey of both church members and the local community, the output of which was considered by the leadership team. With reference to a new set of Church Values, that had been proposed and agreed, priorities were set and detailed visions and plans written into the new document. Some plans are short term ‘quick hits’ and others are longer term.
It is envisaged that the process and document are never complete, but are continually developed over time. It enables everyone and anyone connected with our church to understand what we collectively plan for our future in Christ. For a more complete explanation of MAP please see the latest MAP document.
Mark Dale
2. Our Church – on Sundays
Sunday mornings are busy times at MelbourneMethodistChurch.
- People meet at 9am to pray together.
- The worship leaders, music group and sound desk team meet at 9.30am to finalise preparations for the service.
- JuniorChurch leaders arrive to prepare the rooms ready for teaching the children and young people.
- The focal point of our church week happens at 10.30am when weall meet together to worship God.
- Alongside this worship there is a very active programme for the children and young people with all ages catered for.
- Following on from the weekly work with the children, a Holiday Club takes place for a week in August.
- We mark the seasons of Easter, Harvest and Christmas each year in a variety of ways.
Reports about each of these follow.
Prayer Group
The Prayer Group meets at 9am on Sunday mornings. The people who started the group felt called to consistent corporate prayer for MelbourneMethodistChurch. Anyone is welcome to join the group either regularly or occasionally.
The group initiated the idea of the Prayer Board which is now in use in church.
Everyone is welcome to write their prayer requests on the board.
Please contact Val Hart or Adrian Booth for more information.
Worship Group
Members of the worship group continue to meet most Thursday evenings to either prepare for the following Sunday or to look at new songs to introduce on a Sunday morning.
It’s been really encouraging to see lots of our young people getting more involved with playing instruments, singing and some leading, and we’re definitely looking to encourage this to happen more in the future.
It would be great to have more people involved in any aspect of Sunday morning worship. Anybody is welcome to come along on a Thursday and sing with us, either just for fun, to get to know the music better or to spend time with us finding out more about what’s involved and what we do. If you have any interest at all in being involved, then please do speak to one of us.
Helen Booth
JuniorChurch
“The children and young people will now leave for their groups” announces the preacher and, despite being a Junior Church Leader for several years, it still fills me with excitement when, at that moment, I see all the children and their adult leaders set off into Wesley Hall and The Athenaeum for their different groups. The preacher may not feel the same when it appears that half the congregation are disappearing too! We are a church blessed not only with children and young people but also an amazing group of over twenty adults willing to give up their time to ensure we cater for our children in a fun and safe way. Once out in their groups, the children have fun worshipping, hearing Bible stories and learning Bible verses, playing games, praying and getting creative. Together, week by week, we discover how wonderful and sometimes challenging it is to belong to the kingdom of God and as adults we seek to introduce the children to Jesus and his great love for them. And because we teach Jesus’ love is for everyone it is important we are always seeking ways to enable new children to join JuniorChurch.
In JuniorChurch we make provision for children aged 0-11 after they have spent the opening part of the service alltogether in church. The children are usually in three age groups:
Crèche 0-3yrs; Bubbles 3-6 yrs; Xstream 7-11yrs.
However, the grouping of the children aged 0-11 can be flexible depending on the numbers of children in the groups. The children always move to a Youth Group in the September they start Secondary School. We currently have 27 children on the Junior Church Register but we do have other children who join us on an occasional basis. The number of children attending week by week fluctuates quite widely so there may be 10 children one week and 24 another! This can make planning quite challenging as can the varied length of time of the sessions, but all the leaders do an amazing job at adapting to these situations. The groups are staffed as follows: Crèche- 2 helpers; Bubbles- 1 Leader and 1 Helper; XStream- 1 Leader and 2 Helpers.
The table below shows the groups as they are and will be from September.
Groups / Number of Leaders/ Helpers involved / Number of children now / Number of children in SeptemberCrèche
0-3yrs / 8 Helpers / 3 / 4
Bubbles
3-6 yrs / 4 Leaders
and 3 Helpers / 7 / 7
Xstream
7-11 yrs / 3 Leaders
and 7 helpers * / 17 / 16
* This includes helpers who give 1-1 support to one child each week.
- One child will move to the younger Youth Group in September
All JuniorChurch workers are asked to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate from the Criminal Records Bureau and these are up to date or in process of being completed. Some of the Leaders and Helpers have completed the most recent safeguarding training as required by the MethodistChurch and there will be further opportunities for others to complete this soon. Dennis has recently given me the newest version of the Methodist Safeguarding Handbook to read.
Resources used by the two groups are:
Bubbles Group- Scripture Union Light Material
Xstream Group- Kidzone materials produced by Children’s Ministry.
The Xstream Group has just finished a course informing them about the Communion Service in order that they understand more about the background and significance of this important part of church life.
Highlights of our year have included the Bubbles Group party in June, another fun and exciting afternoon of magic and circus skills with Paul Brown of Magical Mayhem, the ongoing growth and regular use of The Ark Library and The Nativity Service.
On a baking hot Sunday afternoon at the end of June the Bubbles Group and several adult helpers enjoyed an afternoon of games, trampolining, cake decorating (and eating!) craft and fun at Lucy Russell’s house.
On October 9th Paul Brown came and transformed Wesley Hall into a circus skills workshop venue and the Xstream children, along with invited friends and enthusiastic adult helpers spent the afternoon trying to master juggling, plate spinning,walking on stilts, unicycle and small bike riding, and balancing peacock feathers. Paul used his magic to present a Christian message about our worth in God’s sight and great fun was had by all.
The Ark Lending Library continues to offer children the opportunity to borrow Christian books and DVDs and the collection is gradually growing. Thanks to Joanna and Neil Grenyer who are cataloguing new items in the library.
In December the annual Nativity service had a large cast of enthusiastic participants and extra seats had to be brought into church to accommodate the congregation.
Thanks to all who worked so hard to make the service possible.
We already have two exciting events planned for this year, another Bubbles Group Party in September and a trip to Snibston for the Xstream Group in October. The JuniorChurch team are also invited to a walk with refreshment stop in July. Watch out for the dates.
I am conscious that none of our work with children could be done without the commitment of a dedicated group of adults who are prepared to give up their time both on a Sunday morning and at other times preparing the sessions and coming to meetings. I am also aware that many of the team are committed in other areas of church life too. So if you are a member of the JuniorChurch Team thank you for your willingness to serve in this way. It is greatly appreciated. I am sure that like me you are often challenged to think about issues of faith by the children and learn as much from them as you teach them! We look forward with excitement to all that God has in store for us in the future.
Anne Brady
Church Youth
The younger youth group have really grown together. We have recently looked at people who encountered Jesus during his earthly ministry and now we are looking at different aspects of God’s character. The group obviously enjoy meeting each week and it’s great to watch them develop and mature.
Last November a mix of both groups went to Hartington Youth Hostel, where we considered the pressures we all face today and were encouraged to stand out from the crowd.
The older youth group have continued to challenge themselves to consider what they believe and how these beliefs will shape their opinions and attitudes on life. Towards the end of last year they asked to study the subject of how Christianity and politics fit together. Having had some interesting discussions on this and considered their views, they asked to study Christianity and Science. As a result they have explored...
- evidence for the Old and New Testaments
- when does life start?
- abortion
- fertility treatments
- cloning
- euthanasia
- the morality of using the results of Nazi experiments during WW2
It has been a privilege to be part of these discussions and we should all be proud of their maturity and desire to bring their faith to life.
Holiday Club 2011 - Mission Rescue
Using the story of God rescuing his people from Egypt,last year’s Holiday Club became a group of Secret Agents discovering God’s plan for us. We learnt about Moses, and also about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
We played games, sang songs, and had five days of fun, finishing with a service on Sunday.
We had 50 children regularly attending, and for one of ourchildren, it was her final year at Holiday Club – she had attended every year since she was 5.
This year, we are holding a holiday club from 20th – 24th August, and it is Scripture Union's Landlubbers.
Julie