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Minister's Monthly Message

Dear friends

As I write, Lent has just begun and although Easter is a few weeks away, I’m sure those weeks will fly by at great speed.

A few weekends ago I was involved in a Connexional Ministries Committee at Cliff College, in Derbyshire. The train journeys both there and back were (in my humble opinion) seriously overcrowded. People were crammed into the vestibule/foyer, standing wherever they could or sitting on the floor, making it an uncomfortable and stressful journey! So, you can imagine how relieved and delighted everyone was when we arrived at our destination.

It was a bit like travelling through Lent. We know it’s a journey we need to make and face the challenges it entails (sometimes wondering if we’ll ever get there) but ultimately, we rejoice and celebrate when arrive at Easter.

When our daughters were much younger, we often travelled from Bearwood, West Midlands to Okehampton in Devon to visit our parents / grandparents. I remember on one occasion our eldest daughter saying, “I wish I could just close my eyes and when I opened them we’d be there”.

I think it’s only natural to want to rush through the things we find difficult, challenging or that we don’t like. (One previous organist expressed his dislike of a hymn by playing it as fast as was possible!!)

To ease the long car journeys various forms of entertainment were provided for the girls, including the usual ‘eye spy’, listening to Jungle Book or The Secret Garden (I’m word perfect on both!) and other distractions to help shorten the journey. It was our attempt to make the journey as enjoyable and meaningful as the actual arriving in Okehampton. As Lynn often reminds me, I need to, “make the journey part of the holiday”.

In the rush of today’s society there is often the desire or need to get to our destination as soon as possible and the journey can be seen as an inconvenience between one location and another. However, the journey through Lent is an important time for all of us, an opportunity to pause, reflect and spend time getting closer to God while we enjoy and celebrate the journey. In a busy world it can be incredibly refreshing to spend a few extra moments resting in God’s presence; just ‘being’ and not feeling they are just a distraction from the journey but a positive encounter in our Lent journey.

For Lent this year I found a study plan on my Bible App, that I’m finding quite challenging. The writer – Becky Lee Pearson – has focused the first 10 days on Repentance, amongst other subjects she has looked at are: Pride, Bitterness, Gossip, Impatience and Negative Thinking. These things which we don’t always think about, can easily slip into our life and have a negative effect on the way we live out our Christian calling. Our Lent journey gives us time and space to recognise and respond to those things that distract us from our call to be faithful.

During Holy Week we will be gathering together as a Circuit to focus more our Lent theme for this year, Sensing the Passion. Lent, Holy Week and Easter invite us to engage our whole being – body, mind and spirit – and invites us to explore our sense within the Passion narrative. (More details elsewhere.)

Obviously, the end of journey is always in our mind, not just as we travel through Lent but every day as we remember and celebrate that we are Easter people. The joy, peace, hope and New Life that the resurrection of Jesus promises us is what energises and sustains us through all the tough journeys we face.

The Good News that Christ is Risen is the reassuring message we proclaim and cling to as we travel through the greys and shadows of Lent or any other ‘wilderness season’. It is the message of the resurrection of Jesus that changes our darkness to light, transforms life into New Life and brings Hope out of hopelessness.

As we celebrate Easter and the Good News it brings, may it fill your life in a new and refreshing way that energise and equips you for your continuing journey of faith.

Easter blessings to you all

Mmasape, Kido & Andy

Barking, Dagenham and Ilford Circuit

We are a friendly family of nine churches and one community centre: Barking, Ilford, Goodmayes, Gantshill, Barkingside, The Drive, Seven Kings, Beacontree Heath and Old Dagenham Methodist Churches and Grange Hill Methodist Church Project. We serve communities across Barking, Dagenham and Ilford with membership that spans all ages. Our members come from many different countries and backgrounds and we aim to help everyone feel at home. We are part of the wider Methodist Church in Britain and belong to London District of the Methodist Church. The Circuit oversees, supports and resources local churches in living out our mission and calling. Our Circuit office is located at Beacontree Heath Methodist Church. Methodist Circuits are also grouped into Districts, and this Circuit comes under the London District (headquarters in Westminster).

Our Vision

To be welcoming congregations where all (young, families and elderly) grow in the knowledge, love and service of Christ; speaking and living out a unified vision of God’s kingdom within the BDI Circuit in line with “our calling” in the Methodist Church. 

Image by Jon Tyson
Image by Hannah Busing

Our Mission

To seek to enable its local churches to respond to the Gospel of God’s love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission. The Circuit endeavours to realise this policy through managing its resources effectively, stimulating vision and encouraging mission initiatives. 

Growth in our Spiritual life through

Worship

Pastoral Care

Communication

Youth Work

Evangelism

Community Outreach

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Our Priorities

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