Back Home

A long time ago I was born in Beeston about 5 miles from Nottingham and I candidated from my home District. So it was great to be able to spend 5 days with Wes and Anne Blakey visiting many parts of the Nottingham and Derby District.

We began at Ashbourne Road Church in Derby for a meeting with ministers and shared in an Ash Wednesday communion together. It was good to meet up with so many who came for the morning together and to begin to catch a sense of some of the imaginative and exciting things that are happening across the District.

Wes took me to visit the MHA headquaters for lunch and then a time with Roger Davies, the Chief Executive; Carol Artis, their new Operations Director and Keith Albans the chaplain. The work of MHA has grown 3 times over the last 8-9 years and continues to need our prayers and support. This organisation, one of the jewels of Methodism, values the links with the Church and wants to deepend relationships at both local church level as well as with the connexional team.

Keith then took Carol, Wes and I to visit one of the newer homes, Maple Leaf House at Ripley.
(Michael Redshaw (local chaplain), Wes (District Chair) and Keith Albans in some deep discussion!!)

This specialises in dementia care and, as with all my MHA visits this year, I was impressed by the level of love and care being offered to all the residents. A nice touch was that all the 46 residents doors are painted a different colour....and here I learned that the average age of admissions across MHA is 91 years of age....I've got a little time to go!!

(having tea and cakes with some of the residents)

Chaplains Conference

I was able to share two days with our Methodist chaplains at their annual Tri- Service Conference at the Armed Forces Chaplaincy centre, Amport House. There were 21 chaplains and 6 lay people working with the Forces along with Rob Jones who is overseeing many areas of our Church's chaplaincy.

I was impressed by the commitment of our chaplains in the Army, RAF and Navy to the care of both those serving in the Forces and their families. It is pastoral ministry in a very specific context yet there are the same needs, issues and opportunities as anywhere else. Some of the chaplains shared about being in areas of conflict, especially Afghanistan, and of the traumas this brings.

There continue to be opportunities for those in ministry to serve as chaplains to the Forces and we need men and women with specific gifts to continue offering the high level of pastoral care that I was privileged to discern by being among them.

As we continue to pray for peace in every area of conflict also pray for the ministry of our chaplains that God may continue to use them as signs of His love and grace.

New Initiative in Chester & Stoke

Towards the end of half term I visited the Chester and Stoke District and had a great time. It began with being taken to the Beacon House of Prayer, a really innovative project where a house in Stoke has been transformed into a 24/7 house of prayer. We shared in their regular Thursday evening gathering and I heard that there are a few similar initiative beginning across Britain.

The following morning the Chair, Peter Barber, and I went to Englesea Brook


where we were met by the newly appointed warden, Kevin Watson,


and Margaret Veal dressed in costume, the education and museum officer. A number of the other trustees and volunteers also turned out to greet us



and having heard so much about Englesea Brook it was great to spend time there and I was not disappointed - if you get the chance you must make a visit to this living museum of Primitive Methodism and the way of life in the 18th and 19th century. Each year over 3,000 vistors come to Englesea and through going into schools there is contact with about 10,000 - a real imaginative mission opportunity.

The afternoon was spent with the supers and some of the ministers from the Stoke circuits sharing together some of the pains, challenges and opportunities they are experiencing. One of their concerns was the problem of setting up hopes that aren't delivered either connexionally or more locally - something we must take seriously as so many circuits and Districts are re-organising for mission.

There are many excellent projects and new initiatives within this District. We went to visit the Methodist Book Centre and I heard there about the Salt Box and of their developing telephone minsitry to the housebound. In the adjacent building there is an exciting development of a ministry to the 'night life' of Stoke through the 'Church without walls'.


The District had organised a Discovery Day on the Saturday and over 100 people gathered to be challenged about using their gifts and responding the calling of God.

This was held at the Potters House which is an incredible story.

if you go to www.this isstaffordshire.co.uk/news/best-church-Britain there is a marvellous article about the way this church plant has grown and developed a whole school site for worship, mission, ministry and community use with 31 enterprise units. The photo is of the Chair (Peter Barber) and the VP with Phil Barber (senior pastor of the Potters House) and brother Brian. it obviously helps to have the surname Barber in this District!

We then went off to Congleton for a marvellous District World Food and Worship Festival. This had been organised by Jill Baker and a hard working group of people. Hundreds from across the District came to see the stalls, sample the food, listen to testimonies and choirs from different parts of the world.

This led into a sit down meal for 200 people -


the food was great and David and I were privileged to share some of our stories about the World Church....this is the cross David brought back from Guatemala and is a great visual aid.

Throughout my visit I was hosted by John and Joan Bell who cared for me wonderfully. They took me to Frodsham Church for a special circuit service on the Sunday morning...after lunch we visited one of supernumerary ministers the Rev Roland Twinn and then onto share in the evening worship with Ashley Cooper at Swan Bank. For me it was a day of rich worship and the opportunity to meet some wonderful people who continue to give such dedicated service to God. This is a District where there are many exciting and new things happening alongside many hard questions and decisions that have to be taken....please rememeber them in your prayers.

Bread of Heaven

The Cardiff circuit had organised a circuit youth weekend at Radyr, near to where the Chair of District lives. So we popped in to see them and share in their planning for worship the following day...and also had some lunch




Then off the the Game

One of the difficulties of this Presidential year is having to go where the Chair decided....so it was hard to say no to a ticket to watch Wales v England at the Millenium Stadium.......so proudly wearing my Welsh Rugby shirt I shouted myself hoarse as Wales beat their opponents........


Sunday was a very special day.
We travelled down to Pembrokeshire in the morning where I was sharing in a very special service at Carew Church.


It is set in a lovely village and over the years has been led and sustained by many people and particularly John Brock.


Their membership has grown through the years to over 60 and they have a waiting list for their youth group....and I was there to not only share in worship but to rededicate and open the new extension to the chapel and refurbishment of the Sunday School.
getting ready to cut the ribbon!

The children led this All Age worship....and not realising it was I threw away my sermon and did something much more interactive in this packed village chapel...it was great to be there and afterwards the children were queuing for my autograph....a first for the year!!!



Then in the evening back to Cathays Church for a circuit service.





(Irfan and othets members of the Urdu congregation)

It was an emotional home coming and so wonderful to see so many people young and older from our time there. The church continues to offer a caring and at times dynamic ministry within the community, under the care of John Rowe,



and it was a privilege to share worship with so many who mean so much to Myrtle and I.....and just to cap it all our daughter Tamara, for whom this church had been so central in her childhood years, rang just before the service to say she had just said yes to Pete and they were now engaged!!!!!

Ministry and Mission at its best!

On the Friday of my visit to Wales I visited two places that were very familiar. the first was Cardiff prison! I used to take groups of MethSoc students to lead worship and also passed the outside almost everyday. Stephen and I spent a couple of hours with Mark, the senior chaplain and other members of the chaplaincy team including Tony Davies our Methodist chaplain who has just been appointed to work in the prison in Preston.

The chaplaincy team in Cardiff were the inspiration and pioneers of the SORI programme which has been further developed by Alan Ogier (our Prison chaplaincy co-ordinator) and it is being delivered in a good number of prisons across Britain. Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside is about helping prisoners face up to what they have done, sometimes meeting the vicitms or their families, and the emphasis is on resorative justice. It is proving very effective.

We then travelled to visit the Amelia Trust Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan. This is one of the best kept secrets of Methodism. About 20 years ago a man wandered into worship at Trinity Methodist Church in Cardiff and afterwards asked the minister what he would do if offered a farm with a large acreage. This was as a 'thank-you' to the Methodist church who through a minister in the South-East had cared for his mother (Amelia) in her latter years. Thankfully the Rev John Stacy-Marks was the right person to ask and over the years he has transformed a run down farm to a living community.

This working farm has people coming to be there as volunteers, young people who have been excluded from education are taught the national curriculum in the recently built classrooms and also experience life on the farm as well. People with learning difficulties, those with special needs all have a place within this vibrant community.


Schools from all over Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan come on educational trips and churches, youth groups and thousands of visitors each year continue to flock to this place.


They now employ 17 staff with a budget of £600-700,000 and the new Director, Deacon Lorraine Brown, (above) is doing a great job building on all the good years of John's ministry and seeking to make it more and more young people centred.

It was good to revisit this precious jewel in our Methodist family and see it so vibrant and meet such dedicated trustees and staff.


I met Mike, who I remember vaguely. He shared how he had been in John's youth club in Splott and like many of that era and area was never far away from trouble. He found his way to the farm as a volunteer and learned things there that led him to get work and now 18 years later is employed as a member of staff to give back to this Church 'project' that transformed his life and contiues to offer life and hope to hundreds of young people each year.

If you are ever in the area (between Cardiff and Barry) you must visit...

Back Home in Wales

It was wonderful to be back in Wales where I had served for 11 years as university chaplain in Cardiff and also sharing ministry with Myrtle at Cathays Methodist Church. Stephen Wigley, the present Chair of the Wales Synod was university chaplain in Swansea and the other chaplains during some of my time there were Peter Barber at Aberystwyth and Will Morrey in Bangor...... what is it about Wales?

Stephen took me to visit the redeveloped premises at Mumbles where the Tourist Information Office is in the church alongside a wonderful coffee shop. Seen here with the minister and super Howard Long.



There was a well attended lunch time service where I met many people who remembered me from long ago and also new Christians who have found faith through the ministry of this church.


Later in the day we were at St Michael's College in Llandaff where some Methodists are completing their Foundation training as well others for ordination alongside a good number of those preparing for ministry in the Church in Wales. It was good to meet with the 3 Methodist students along with Luke Curran to encourage them and listen to their stories.

This visit has been one of re-connecting with people who have greatly influenced me through the years. When we gathered with ministers and spouses, active and retired, it was starnge speaking to a group in which were my former super, Tom Davies and my former Chairman, Donald Knighton.


I met new people over the lunch preared by the wonderful Judy, who has been the District administrator for over 20 years and is as lovely and effeicient as ever! It was a joy to meet Irfan John and his wife Raheela who came from Pakistan, fleeing from persecution, as a Presbyterian minister but is now working in the Cardiff circuit and wider District with ethnic minosrity congregations. Teddy Kalongo came to us 18 months ago from the United Church of Zambia and is having a good ministry in Penarth and for me it was good to share with him as I worked as a VSO in Zambia 30 years ago!

The Wales Synod, like many Districts, has been looking at reconfiguring for mission over recent years long before the term mapping a way forward came into being....so it was both interesting and exciting to meet with supers and some lay people who are forming two new circuits...one will encompass Pontypool, Ebbw Vale,Abergavenny, Abertillery, Blackwood and Cwmbran with 35 churches and 7 ministers. The planning for this has already brought rejuvination and new energy. The other new circuit will encompass Newport, Chepstow and Monmouth having 22 churches and 7.5 minister. Here too their is a new buzz but for all there were the cvoncerns of how we can do new things within an old frame work and the need for Standing Orders to enable these new and ecxiting ways of working.

wandering around the land of song

It seems that it is a few years since the President has visited the Cymru District and I was warmly welcomed by the Chaor of the District, Patrick Slattery, at the Methodist Chapel in Llanfyllin, Powys.


In the morning I was able to share with ministers, spouses and widows, from both the Welsh speaking and English speaking congreagtions and this was followed by a lovely lunch in the hall. The heating didn't seem to want to warm us up in the chapel so we were glad of the heat in the hall and the food....as well as good conversation.

The numbers were sweled in the afternoon by many lay people from the nearny circuits as IO shared about our place within the World Church. I shared some the challenges which this btings. During one of my stories I mentioned that we had a minister from papua New Guinea in the Nortyh lancashire District so many people were thrilled to tell me of one of their own, Susannah rankin, who had served for years there.

the plaque is in the chapel famous for being the home of the hymn writer Ann Griffiths.
there are many challenges facing the Cymru District and I assured them of our prayers