Chorley and Leyland Methodists

Dear friends,

This month's update focuses on A Methodist Way of Life. God is calling us - as individual followers of Jesus and as communities seeking to put Jesus at the centre - to go on a journey. It's a journey that's full of adventure. It's a journey that involves effort and investment, but also God's grace freely given. It's a journey that we undertake together, helping one another, and reflecting on the way. It's a journey on which all people are invited, whether they describe themselves as Christian, atheist, spiritual-but-not-religious, or simply "not sure". This month you'll read about some exciting new Methodist Way of Life resources. How might you use them to encourage your Christian community on their journey with Jesus?  

- The Evangelism and Growth Team  

This month’s story of hope

The Parklife music festival at Heaton Park in Manchester welcomes almost 80,000 people each year – and there’s a Methodist Church only a few hundred metres from one of the main gates. For the second year running, Heaton Park Methodist Church worked alongside the festival organisers to provide an off-site sanctuary space for anyone who needed it throughout the weekend. Volunteers welcomed around 2,300 people, who came for a drink of water, a safe place to recover from enjoying the festivities slightly too much, or to catch up with friends that they had lost in the chaos. Parklife’s organisers provided Methodist volunteers with free hi-vis jackets and business cards to advertise their sanctuary space. A grant from the Bolton and Rochdale District allowed them to invest in better signage and to provide more refreshments and phone charging facilities – always popular with festivalgoers.

In addition to meeting people in the space, there was also a huge reach online, with one of the #ParklifeSanctuary posts reaching over 100,000 people on Facebook. So many people responded to say thank you for what they were offering - even if they did not need it themselves. They loved seeing the Methodist Church meeting people and meeting needs in a very unexpected space.

01   Journey

God loves you. Unconditionally. No strings attached. That’s the good news. God longs to take you on the journey of a lifetime. This new animation has been created to introduce A Methodist Way of Life: to inspire us all to get on the train, go where God wants to take us, and reflect on the journey together. How might you use this five-minute video in your church, small group or New Place for New People, to inspire others on the journey? Find out more about A Methodist Way of Life here. If you're a lay or ordained church leader, there's a bonus animation for you here - to help you think about how to keep the train network running smoothly and help people on the journey.

02   Plan ahead

Have an Out of the Ordinary Christmas
Webinar | Thurs 7th Sept, 7.30pm

Christmas is, hands down, the easiest time of year to invite people to church and to connect people with good news. Out of the Ordinary: Scratch beneath the surface is The Methodist Church's Advent and Christmas campaign for 2023. The Connexional Team are putting together a resource pack to help you plan your Christmas services and community events, and will be launching a digital Christmas campaign which you can use to help you share good news online. In this 60-minute webinar, you'll see a sneak preview of the campaign, find out about the resources available, and pick up tips and ideas to help you plan an out of the ordinary Christmas where you are. Register here.

04   Open the barrier

This year's Methodist Conference featured a ticket barrier, a set of Methodist Way of Life mugs and a six-foot 'wheel of fortune'-style spinner! At the combined Connexional Team and Methodist Way of Life stand we played a game about opening the entry barrier for unaffiliated people to have spiritual experiences as part of Christian community. Conference delegates were invited to come through the barrier and then to think about opening it for others. By spinning the Methodist Way of Life wheel, they were randomly assigned a station and invited to come up with a creative evangelism or community engagement idea for unaffiliated people who love to visit that station. For example, our favourite idea for helping unaffiliated people 'notice' God was to invite ramblers on 'awe walks' in areas of outstanding natural beauty. How might your church or New Place for New People open the barrier for people who are spiritual but not religious?

05   Laugh

Madam President, Revd Gill Newton, spins the Methodist Way of Life wheel at Conference 2023!