Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson

Children and Family Worker (full time)
Ashbourne Methodist Circuit
Salary £17,500-£18,500 depending on qualification and experience

Contact Name : Mr. John Hurfurt (01335 342859)
Web Site : www.ashbourne-methodist-church ...
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

It was a beautiful summer’s day and the lure of a bike ride was irresistible. So off we scampered through the nearby estate and along the canal banks until mid-morning – or to put it another way – ‘coffee time’. Yes, we stumbled across a Starbucks and rested our legs for a short interval. We read one of their brochures which described the choices confronting you when you enter their premises. Coffees in all shapes and sizes with skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole or soy milk. Macchiato, espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte – you name it they provide it. The brochure made the proud boast that Starbuck provide a staggering ‘86,000 different drink combinations – all customised to your own individual needs’.

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Originator : Miss Frances Hopwood

Amber Valley Circuit Resource Administrator

Contact Name : Mrs Ruth Beresford (01773 743345)
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Originator : Ms Jane Measures
Team : District Training Forum

Are you a Local Preacher or Worship Leader?
Do you write prayers for your services?
If so then the District Training Officer would love to hear from you

Contact Name : Jane Measures (07812 003525)
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Originator : Mr Geoffrey Saville

Service Of Thanksgiving

Contact Name : Geoff Saville (0115 928 2689)
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As we come to that time of the year when the thought of holidays take priority over the normal routine of daily life and Ministers prepare to move to new churches and circuits, it made me reflect on how different life is today compared with just twenty or so years ago. Nick Clegg was reported as saying that voting patterns in the UK will be radically different from now on as some in his party are asking, ‘What’s the point of voting Lib-Dem?’ I attended the leaving ceremony for Graham Horsley and Derrick Norton at Methodist Church House this last week and felt a strong sense of a new era dawning in the realm of evangelism in Methodism as these two long-standing and highly valued servants of the Church move on. Wes Blakey, chair of the Nottingham & Derby district says goodbye at his leaving service tomorrow. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.

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Originator : Mr Geoffrey Saville

Emergency Appeal for West Africa

Contact Name : Geoff Saville (0115 9282689)
Web Site : www.mrdf.org.uk
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

The year 1617 was the centenary of the Protestant Reformation in Germany. At that time, hostilities between Catholics and Protestants were at their height and in 1633 they led to the 30 Years War when a Protestant backlash by Bohemian Nobles in Prague caused the death of two ministers and private secretary of the Catholic Emperor when they were flung out of a fortress window.

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Originator : Mr Geoffrey Saville

New Methodist Hymn Collection

Contact Name : Geoff Saville (0115 928 2689)
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Originator : Mr Geoffrey Saville

Methodist Youth ask advice on cohabitation

Contact Name : Geoff Saville (0115 928 2689)
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

At last week’s Regional Gathering on Mission and Evangelism, we were privileged to welcome Rev. Dr. Phil Meadows as our guest speaker. Phil is the lecturer in Missiology and Wesleyan Studies at Cliff College and is also the director of the new Inspire Network. The morning was devoted to a presentation by Phil on the purpose of this new network which is working in partnership with the Methodist Church, Methodist Evangelicals Together (MET) and Cliff College.

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Originator : Mrs Irene Jones

Reflections on the Easter Journey

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Tony Hayward is a name which was formerly unknown to most British people until he recently caused Barak Obama to see red. He is the Chief Executive of BP and is at the centre of the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico as BP work frantically to stop the leakage from the damaged oil well. Sadly, under pressure from the circumstances he found himself in, Hayward made statements like, "the Gulf is a very big ocean", implying the spillage would not have a major impact. He also said, "I want my life back" meaning he wanted the crisis sorted so that he could return to a normal lifestyle. The US President, who lives under constant and immense pressure, was not impressed. When all of this has been sorted we will probably find out what caused the explosion (if it's not already known) and will discover that the blame does not rest on one man's shoulders.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Over 200 Christians from across the denominations gathered together with members of charities and other NGOs at Westminster Central Hall in London on 19th March 2010 to engage with matters of social justice in the lead up to the 2012 London Games.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

At the Connexional Olympics Resource Forum held here in December 2009, people requested resources from the Connexional Team. Recently we met with the Share Jesus International leaders Andy Frost and Emma Morrice, who are heading up the Creative and Performing Arts aspect of More Than Gold.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

More Than Gold is a brand that Christian Churches have been using since 1992 leading up to the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games. Its unique label has been used for Christian outreach efforts at major international sporting events such as the Commonwealth, Pan Am, and Winter and Summer Olympic Games all around the world.

Web Site : www.morethangold.org.uk
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Illustration for Speakers - We’re all important!

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

My latest excursion into Alpha courses has taken me into the realm of running what Holy Trinity Brompton have called SENIOR ALPHA. It is an Alpha Course aimed at retired people and we are over half way through the course now at Trinity Methodist Church in Kirkby in Ashfield. We have a team of around half a dozen leaders, some of whom have led talks whilst others have coordinated food or led table discussions.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Once again, Nicky Campbell on his Big Questions programme on BBC1 on Sunday morning (10am) touched upon some excellent theological issues, one of which was our understanding of original sin. Bishop Desmond Tutu has recently released a book, Made for Goodness, in which he states that all people are born perfect, thus disagreeing with the doctrine of original sin. I must say I have not yet read the book and will simply focus on the debate on BBC1 where Jonathan Bartley, director of the Christian think-tank, Ekklesia, said the doctrine of original sin has poorly explained by the church over the generations and he would endorse the doctrine of original goodness too. He even apologised for the Church’s mishandling of the issue.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

We are well into the election campaign now and the polls are swinging about like a flag in a gale. No one seems to know how the election will turn out and there is constant speculation as to who will support whom in the event of a hung parliament. But, how important are opinion polls anyway? Do people cast their votes on the strength of opinion polls, not wanting to vote for a ‘no-hoper’?

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

We have just returned from ECG (Equipping, Calling, Going) which took place at Llandudno’s Venue Cymru in the week after Easter (6th – 11th April). Having attended Easter People in the past, this is our first visit to ECG which has continued in a similar style since the late Rob Frost felt it was right to ‘lay down’ Easter People. The event has been organised by Rev. Ashley Cooper, Rev. Steve Lindridge and others on the management team (alongside their responsibilities within the Methodist Church).

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As always, Easter has illuminated the gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus in a new way. This year, however, what struck me most about the resurrection was the place of ‘doubt and uncertainty’ in the hearts and minds of the followers of Jesus. A close inspection of the narratives shows that these two words overlay practically every encounter with the risen Lord without exception.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

After the seminar on March 30th on Back to Church Sunday, this post holds the Powerpoint of the talk given by Michael Harvey.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

I walked home from church yesterday with an air of anticipation as I wanted to watch my recording of ‘The Big Questions’ hosted by Nicky Campbell, probably better known for his appearances on Watchdog. The programme features three questions which are debated by a selected studio audience and a panel of three better known guests which yesterday included Lord Steel, former leader of the Liberal Party and son of a Church of Scotland Minister and former Moderator. The question I was particularly interested in was, ‘Does the Devil Exist?’

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Over 500 people attended the recent Fresh Expressions Conference at Lincoln Show Ground entitled ‘Changing the Landscape’. The conference was addressed by Archbishop Rowan Williams, Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins, Bishop Graham Cray and many other leading supporters of the Fresh Expressions movement which is now into its second phase. What was particularly encouraging after nearly 6 years of the Fresh Expressions movement is that the leading figures in the Church of England, Methodist Church and now the URC are all still firmly behind the initiative.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Picture for a moment the task facing St. Paul and the other letter-writing apostles as they seek to communicate with their respective churches. Paul may be sat in a prison cell, talking through the content of his letter with a scribe who would be feverishly taking notes. The scribe would then go away and commit what he had heard to parchment and then perhaps go back to Paul for final editing. Next the scribe would hand the completed parchment to a courier who would then make the long and arduous journey to the receiving congregation, perhaps hundreds of miles away.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

As the British and American troops embark upon the latest phase in the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan, we are receiving all too frequent reports of soldiers being killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) or Roadside Bombs. We see the sombre scene in Wootton Bassett as the coffins are paraded through the streets watched by local residents, family and friends as they pay their respects to the deceased soldiers. There seems to be no end to the loss of life and, seemingly, no simple way of dealing with IEDs without endangering the lives of our troops.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

I fished out my recording of the inauguration of Barack Obama from exactly one year ago today. I watched again as the millions of people gathered outside the White House shared emotionally in the historic moment when an African-American man was chosen to be the most powerful person on the planet. Many had tears in their eyes and sensed that they were witnessing a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moment. This was a moment that Martin Luther King could only dream about.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

The news has finally filtered through that Wesley Owen, the Christian bookshop in the centre of Nottingham has closed its doors for the last time after 25 years of trading. I noticed how much it downsized when it moved from Heathcoat Street to its new premises on Castle Gate and with its parent company, IBS-STL in administration, it was only a matter of time for this cherished store to meet its end. Should we be sad? Do we need a shop which specialises only in Christian literature? Should we be trying to save the enterprise when there are so many pressing demands on our time and finances?

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

This is the time of the year when we traditionally make new year resolutions, only to find that a week or two into the new year, the resolutions have already fallen by the wayside leaving us with a sense of disappointment and failure. It’s either because we set our sights too high or our resolve was simply not strong enough to make the resolution last.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

This bulletin has been re-posted by popular demand.

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Originator : Rev Marian Crawford

Information about this connexional initiative in our District

Contact Name : Rev Marian Crawford (0115 974 6883)
Web Site : edevpathways.org/
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

The realisation that contemporary society shows many alarming signs of having turned its back on God gave J.John the desire to reach out to people in a new and engaging way.

Web Site : www.authenticmedia.co.uk/Authe ...
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Check it Out is the youth outreach of Viz-A-Viz Ministries.

Using a brand new discovery course, schools' weeks featuring music and drama, concerts and working with churches and organisations Check it Out impacts young people with the Gospel.

Click on the links below to see how Check it Out can help you to reach out to young people with the life changing message of Jesus.

Web Site : www.vizaviz.org/checkitout.htm

Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson
Team : District Enablers

Experience a Quiet Day on a narrow boat on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Venue Map : DE13 8DZ
Contact Name : Mandy Wright (07773 262798)
Web Site : www.narrow-way.co.uk
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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson

Resources and web sites which relate to Evangelistic and Faith Sharing Courses. You can order the material from most of these sites.

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Originator : Mr Roger G Johnson

On Sunday July 11th at Chilwell Road Methodist Church, the district said 'goodbye' to Rev Wes Blakey who has served the district as chair for the last ten years.

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