|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Time to TalkIn September 2007 we reviewed our experience of Café Worship and came to the conclusion that it was the opportunity to talk that we most valued. We, therefore, made the decision to change the format and the title. It is now called Time to Talk. It is still worship, but there is more time to share our thoughts and ideas. It has also moved to the later time of 6.30pm, still on the third Sunday of each month. Charity of the Year 2007-2008
Treasures Revealed in Leeds
Church Anniversary 2007
Methodist City Centre Network Conference
Leeds Methodist Mission is a recognised city centre church and project. This makes it a member of the Methodist City Centre Network (MCCN). Adrian Burdon and Ken Tait attended the MCCN Conference held at the Hayes Conference Centre at Swanwick in March. The theme of the conference was Stones, Bones and Mobile Phones. The main speaker was the Revd Chris Baker, Director of the William Temple Foundation. Chris facilitated discussion about the changing patterns of populations in city centres and how the church might best respond to them. Although the discussion at the conference was wide-ranging and shared experiences from many town and city centres, it was almost reassuring that no one was offering quick-fix answers to the challenges that result from maintaining a Christian presence in the centres of our towns and cities. Our Charity of the Year 2006-2007This year our chosen charity is the Emmaus Leeds Community based in the previous St Charles Catholic School in Burmantofts, Leeds 9.
The Leeds Community opened in November 2003, although the work of fund raising and finding a suitable building to convert had started five years earlier. From their premises Emmaus run a quality second-hand furniture store, outreach cafe, hire out a meeting/leisure room and computing facilities with accredited training, and offer a community recycling facilities. As well as a wide range of furniture the shops sells books, pictures, small electrical appliances, bikes, pianos and seasonal products. Some of the Companions are also developing skills towards completing the Basic food Hygiene certificate, and First Aid at Work certificates, European languages, and computing skills. Courts Lent Lecture: Respect for Privacy in the 21st CenturyThe second biennial Courts Lent Lecture will be given on 27th March 2007 at the Oxford Place Centre at 5.30pm. The speaker will be the Right Hon. Sir Paul Kennedy, HM Commissioner for the Interception of Communication. Sir Paul is a former Lord Justice of Appeal and Vice President of the Queen's Bench Division. Full information about the lecture may be viewed or downloaded (PDF). To view this PDF file you will need to have Adobe Reader installed – this can be obtained at no cost. Neither Leeds Methodist Mission nor Oxford Place Church is responsible for the content of external sites. Guide Dogs ChallengeOn Saturday 28 October 2006, in atrocious weather conditions, we completed the sponsored challenge fundraising event for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
With your help, we have raised just over £2000 for the work of Guide Dogs. Thank you so much to those of you who have sponsored us. Change at Leeds Methodist MissionLeeds Methodist Mission – the Methodist Church at Oxford Place – is a circuit with a single church. Most Methodist Circuits have a number of churches. In September 2006 we changed the way we are organised so that we will become more closely linked to the Leeds District of the Methodist Church, and with our neighbouring circuits in Leeds. There are few immediately obvious consequences of these changes and day to day life at Oxford Place carries on much as before. At the moment the responsibilities for financial and property management are the responsibility of the people of Oxford Place. From September these will be shared with representatives of the Leeds District who will join the new Management Committee (which replaces the Circuit meeting). Church life will continue to be responsibility of the church family at Oxford Place with the main decision-making body being the Church Council. In order for these changes to occur it has been necessary to await the approval of new Standing Orders by the Methodist Conference (which met recently in Edinburgh) and its agreement that they be applied to Leeds Mission Circuit. A new member of the Circuit Team
The Revd Pat Creamer, who is a counsellor with Mind, has been a sector minister in our circuit for some years. Café WorshipUpdate In September 2007 we reviewed our experience of Café Worship and came to the conclusion that it was the opportunity to talk that we most valued. We, therefore, made the decision to change the format and the title. It is now called Time to Talk. It is still worship, but there is more time to share our thoughts and ideas. It has also moved to the later time of 6.30pm, still on the third Sunday of each month.
On Sunday 21st May 2006 we held our first hour or so of Café Worship. Most of those present were regular members of our morning congregation, but we were pleased to welcome a small number of other friends. As intended our worship was relaxed and informal, particularly when we had the occasional technical hitch. It was also sincere and worthwhile. Afterwards there was a sense of achievement that we had managed it and a little relief that we had avoided major problems. Church Anniversary
Neil started by asking why there are churches in the centres of our cities. He spoke of the church as a listening and sharing church, listening to people, listening to the heartbeat of the city and sharing by responding to the needs of the city and its people. Not only is the church listening to people, but it is listening for God, for the Word. This means that when the church sees need and injustice in the city the church cannot remain silent. The gospel requires that the church speak out and, like a good friend, the church should tell the truth. He urged us to remember that '...God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, ...' and that He loves the city, He loves each person, He will never despair. Full report...
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||