RevdIan Howarth (Chair of District)

36 Amesbury Road, Moseley, Birmingham,B13 8LE

Tel:0121 449 0131Birmingham District

e-mail:

Dear Synod Member,

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our Spring Synod at Quinton Methodist Church on Saturday 14th April from 10.00 – 3.30.

Our thanks go out to Quinton and the Birmingham West OldburyCircuit for their hospitality; they will be providing coffee from 9.00 a.m.

During the morning we will be welcoming Revs Elizabeth Clark, Al Barrett and Ray Gaston, to lead us in thinking about Christian presence in particular communities. In the afternoon Hilary Walker, the former Connexional Safeguarding Officer, will be lead us in our thinking about how we keep appropriate boundaries in our church life and work.

In addition, we will be receiving updates on Church Without Walls, and our links with Zimbabwe and Berlin, and as well as dealing with usual business and any memorials we want to send to Conference.

In relation to the link with Zimbabwe, on 20th April,six members of the District are visiting Kadoma our link District, and have been asked to take part in their Synod, a three day affair!

As part of their Synod we have been asked to make a presentation about Birmingham District and we would be greatly helped if we could have some photographs of the variety of life within the Birmingham District to share with them, both in a projected presentation, but we hope also to get some printed out so that every member of their Synod can go home with a photo of something from Birmingham District that they can use as a focus for prayer.

As a result, it would be great if you were able to send to the District office any photos that you have of your churches and their life that might be appropriate for that use; or bring them to Synod if they are in hard copy.

We have also been asked if we could use some room in our baggage allowance to take some appropriate clothes, for those in the poorer circuits. we do not have that much space, but if some suitable clothes were brought to Synod, we would have a basket to put them in and we will take what we are able.

I look forward to seeing you on 14th April,

Every blessing,

Ian Howarth