17 Lincoln and Grimsby District
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Tea Time Whether it’s lapsang souchong or a mug of builders’, it’s hard to beat a nice cup of tea. Unless it’s a nice cup of tea that could help make a fairer world. On 19 September, Christian Aid are asking people across the world to get together, put the kettle on and help give poor communities the chance of a better future. What is Tea Time? It’s a unique fundraising event that puts the tea in the fight against poverty. Last year, the first ever Christian Aid Tea Time saw more than 2,000 tea parties from Sheffield to Sri Lanka raise an incredible £195,000. This year we’d love to beat that total. And all you have to do to help is invite your friends, family, colleagues or neighbours to join you for a cuppa on 19 September. You can host your Tea Time anywhere you like – at home, in the office, your local hall, or somewhere more adventurous. (Last year one Tea Time took place up a church tower.) It could be a posh do with hundreds of guests, or your best pals and a cracked old teapot. Just ask everyone to give a donation to Christian Aid in return for a refreshing brew and a tasty biscuit or two. Simple. What’s it all for? The money you raise will help us in our mission to end poverty across the world. Christian Aid works in around 50 countries, helping people, irrespective of religion, to tackle the problems they face and build the life they deserve. We can’t think of a better reason to take a tea break. Order your free event pack now By now you’re probably gasping for a brew so let’s get on with it. To receive everything you need to organise your Tea Time, including invitations, colourful posters and delicious cake recipes, simply complete and return our online registration form at www.christianaid.org/teatime And in the meantime, we’re here to offer any advice, ideas or support you need along the way too. Just give us a call and we’ll talk Tea Time – 0870 076 7766  
Our rededication service went well. The Church was full with representatives from other churches in the town and from across the Circuit. We also had representatives from the builders etc. The service started with Church Stewards from across the Circuit standing outside the door to receive the building from the Architect Mr Sebastian Rowe. We then entered to the hymn 'God is here as we his people'. Greetings were given by David Perry on behalf of the District and Rev Leigh Goodwin. Pastor to Louth Christian Fellowship on behalf of Churches Together in Louth & District. Leigh gave us 1 Kings 8:22-23 to reflect on. Acknowledgements were given by John Barker MBE who co-ordinated all the building work (liaising with builders, architect etc.), including designing the new Communion table. Martyn Atkins preached asking us if we saw our 200th anniversary & rededication as a 21st birthday party or a 90th! A time to look back in the glow of all that has gone before us, or a celebration of coming of age for God's mission in today's context - looking forward to all the potential that is before us. David Newlove 
How many times have the media reported the closing of a church or chapel and the conversion of them into houses or businesses? Well, here is some really good news about a small rural circuit in Lincolnshire which has converted a redundant doctor's surgery into a new church. Five years ago it took some very difficult decisions to close several small chapels. Their members went to worship at Coningsby Methodist Church and together they became the United Methodist Church, Coningsby. In September 2002 the circuit amalgamated with Horncastle and Bardney to become the Mid-Lincs Circuit and this proved a real blessing to all as the enlarged circuit was able to share the talents and enthusiasm of members. Coningsby Chapel itself was in urgent need of restoration or re-building and it was decided to rebuild on the existing premises which are on the edge of this large village. This was in spite of the fact that car parking was a problem and it was in an obscure position. However, 3 years ago, members saw an advert in the local newspaper about a Doctor's surgery that was to go on the market for sale by tender . This building is situated right in the middle of the village with a large free council owned car park behind and had only been built in 1983.It comprised many small consulting rooms and an upstairs so it was very difficult to imagine it as a Church, but there was great excitement amongst many members. A vision was born to build a new church and community resource in a high profile position and the phone lines were very busy that week. Could we afford it, would it be able to be converted, would the Church hierarchy agree ? All these and many more questions were raised and debated and anguished over as the final date for tenders drew near. In all the discussions and decision-making we were very strongly supported by our Superintendent Minister Reverend Dr Jonathan Hustler and the Circuit Leadership Team. The vision for the new church would not go away and with the prayers and practical help of the circuit - raiding the Circuit Advance Fund for a start - an offer was put in. Fund raising took off, people were so generous with talents, time and money and slowly the momentum and excitement built up. Nothing was straightforward but after a year's negotiations, form filling and help from Trevor Stephenson, the Circuit Property Steward, the surgery was finally ours in December 2005. It took another year of plan making, decisions and submissions to the District Council and Manchester till in January this year work finally began . It included gutting the whole of the downstairs area, installing steel girders to support the upstairs, move the stairs, install a lift and other disabled facilities so that the building would be accessible to all. There were all new windows and doors to install and special matting was laid to an outside area so that our Under 5's group will be able to play outside in safety and also any other children using our premises. The front of the building had a conservatory style entrance added and the outside was block-paved. In spite of hold-ups outside their control, our builders have been magnificent. They never missed a day and even worked weekends and August Bank Holiday to enable us to open on time on Thursday August 30th 2007 with an opening service and a Flower Festival through to Sunday. On Wednesday 29th all the flower arrangers arrived to find a chapel full of builders, electricians, painters and window cleaners still beavering away to finish. Somehow, at 7.30pm on 30th August, the church was ready and looking magnificent with its arched windows, new Communion Table and pulpit and wonderful flower displays. The PA and loop system were in place and all was set for a wonderful four days Sixty official guests had been invited and it was anticipated we might have another 60 people but at the start of the service there were over 200 people in the church and adjoining function room. Extra chairs even had to be fetched from the local Community Centre ! The service was led by Rev Dr Jonathan Hustler who has done so much to help and encourage us and it was magnificent to hear the hymns sung in such a bright airy modern setting. There were refreshments after and Lorna Curtis and her helpers who also provided a lunch for over 70 people on the Sunday of the Flower festival are to be thanked for all their hard work in the kitchen. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Flower Festival saw hundreds of visitors to the new chapel with it's beautiful worship area and many rooms for hire. The comments in the Visitor's Book have been so encouraging to us and we thank all who came for their kind words and interest in what we hope to achieve . The local community has been very supportive both practically and spiritually ever since the sale was made and we hope to be a resource and a blessing to them There are far too many people to thank for enabling us to reach this point but as Senior Steward I want you to know how grateful the Church is to you all. What a start we have had - it has been a vision that is being realised but all at UMC realise that the work must carry on to become the people of God to our neighbours and to live out God's purpose where he has placed us. Good News - I'll say it is Good News - Thanks be to God. Sue MacFall Senior Steward
 For several years now I have reworked the parables of Jesus for all age worship in local Methodist churches and the schools in which I have led assemblies. My intention in this book is to record for you some of the stories I have used. I almost always tell the stories (rather than reading them) adapting the names and some of the events to suit the context in which I find myself. I have ‘road tested’ these written accounts with a variety of audiences, and I trust that you will feel they get the point across if you choose to read them out loud. However, I do urge you to throw caution to the winds and tell them wherever you can. The details, after all, are not so very important – it’s that central, lifestyle challenging idea that’s vital. As a Methodist preacher and primary school teacher I have become increasingly convinced that the very essence of these powerful and authentic stories of Jesus is being lost to generations of listeners. I feel this is partly due to our tendency to read rather than tell them in acts of worship or assemblies. More significantly however, I believe that the obscure contexts in which the parables are set makes them almost impossible for many listeners to engage with. I vividly remember from my childhood a dramatised version of the Good Samaritan set in a railway carriage. Suddenly the story came alive for me, because I could relate to the characters and events as being real rather than biblical. This was a story about life as I knew it, rather than life in some distant time and country. This was connected to my own experiences, my own hopes and fears, rather than being the stuff of slides of the Holy Land and Sunday School photocopies. When I have finished reading or telling one of these stories I invariably ask “Who told this story first?” When someone replies “Jesus”, I explain that I have changed the setting, but that hopefully the meaning stays the same. It’s amazing how rapidly heads start bobbing, fingers fiddling and eyes wandering as soon as any attempt at interpretation starts. Following the example of Jesus, the master storyteller, I have found that it is far better just to let the parable speak for itself. I suggest therefore that the follow-up work included in this book would be best used at a later time, perhaps in another place, although I am currently experimenting with short periods of paired talk in my services and assemblies, to enable immediate responses from the listeners. Some of the stories are not immediately or easily recognisable to those who know the originals. I have located them all either in a primary school setting, or one readily recognisable to children of four to eleven years of age. They are intended to be contemporary, although such is the pace of change in education (and society in general) that I am sure they will soon appear dated. I have used them in a multi-faith context as part of acts of worship of a ‘broadly Christian’ nature at school. At the end of each story I have given a biblical text explaining where my inspiration came from, although it is not my intention that readers or listeners would go straight to their bibles in order to look up the original. This would defeat the purpose of using a contemporary setting to challenge children in a new way. I recommend that the preparation and follow-up activities are completed without reference to the bible, although of course I would encourage children to look up the texts in an appropriate translation later if they are interested. My main intention, of course, has been to provide a resource which will open up the parables to a new audience, whilst remaining faithful to the vision of their originator, whose words have proved life-changing to so many for so long. 
TECHNOLOGY IN WORSHIP AND MISSION May we recommend the publication from the Methodist Church Technology in Worship & Mission . Why ? Well Lincoln & Grimsby district is cited (among others ) as users of Good Practice in this field. Please follow the Links on the article from E News October 2005 and get your own copy.
This new guide is updated and expanded from the original 'Using Technology in Worship' that came out in 2004. The guide:
Using Technology in Worship and Mission is available to download
at: Print copies are available free from: Top of Page |
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Using Technology in Worship and
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