Sept 7th Update

Greetings to you all, and thank you for the warm welcome to the Newark and Southwell Circuit. It has been a real joy to meet with the circuit staff this past week, as well as your church representatives who serve so faithfully on the Circuit Meeting.

I am writing to all church officer contacts in the directory so that everyone is aware of three things.

First every Monday mornign I will be bradcasting a short livestream called Next Sunday Now on Facebook and YouTube (replay available). We'll take a brief look at the Methodist Church Worship Resources site, note any special Sundays, consider the lectionary readings (with a particular focus on the gospel), and include the Methodist Church Prayer for the Day. The aim is to offer a simple starting point for personal prayer and reflection, and a helpful resource for worship leaders and local preachers. I recognise this won't be for everyone, but I hope it will grow over time and serve those who find it useful. You'll notice it links with the Worship Academy idea in the circuit strategy, which we may wish to develop further. A PDF notice is attached with links (also in my email signature). Although I'm broadcasting via my own profile/YouTube channel, I can also share the stream to church pages where possible. However there are some limits.

Second, as I mentioned at my welcome service, I am developing a mobile app called 'Flourish' to help people connect faith with daily life. I am looking for around twelve people to help me pilot this. If this interests you, please contact me directly.

Third, may I remind you that the President of Conference will be visiting North Muskham Chapel at 10am on Saturday 20 September. Refreshments will be served on arrival. This will be an opportunity to view an exhibition of artefacts from the original chapel building and to hear more about the collaborative plans being developed by the Community Café Team. The presentation will begin at 10:30am.

I look forward to meeting more of you as time goes on.

With every blessing,

Langley