Celebrating the past, transforming the present and reimagining the future

By the Revd Gill Newton, President of the Conference

Making a visit to the Yorkshire North and East District in early July, was for me, an easy start to such experiences.  Being hosted in my own home, by my husband, who happens to be the Chair of the Yorkshire North and East District, made it a real “home from home”!

The visit began with a gathering for Supernumeraries, their partners and widow(er)s at Acomb Methodist Church. Over eighty people gathered for conversation and a lovely meal.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to offer thanks to them for their continuing ministry in varied ways across the district and to share some reflections on how the Vice President and I developed our theme of “Hidden Treasures” during our preparatory year.

Sunday was a busy day with an invitation to preach in three different contexts. The day began with an interview on Radio York providing an opportunity to talk about the district visit and to outline the nature of the Presidency and the Presidential theme for the year.

Later it was on to Tadcaster for a Circuit Service marking their Church Anniversary and in the afternoon a gathering of almost 200 people at Nafferton, to mark the amazing refurbishment of the church building for this growing Christian community in the Driffield and Hornsea Circuit.  On both occasions, the parable of the rich fool was used to explore the theme of “Hidden Treasures.”

In the evening, a congregation from the North Yorkshire Coast gathered in Queen Street, Scarborough to celebrate the centenary of that church as well as the 150^th anniversary of the chapel in Scalby. The faithfulness of God was marked by an excellent video of scenes from both churches through the years.

It was a joy to discover that Marjorie Dobson, the writer of a hymn I had chosen for us to sing, was part of the congregation, and to have the opportunity to chat with her before and after worship.  I had no idea she was a member of that Circuit!

A busy but great day of encountering committed people seeking to honour and celebrate those that have offered faithful witness and service in years past, but now looking to find their own ways of making relevant and meaningful connections with their communities today.

On Monday, the Vice-President and I were united in our visits, travelling first to Selby Street Mission in Hull where a group of passionate and seemingly tireless volunteers run a drop-in, offering food and drink, clothes, shower facilities, conversation and support, as well as prayer and worship. 

Conversations with some who regularly drop-in to this venue confirmed this to be an immensely valuable initiative in which lasting relationships are being developed and people’s lives are being transformed.

From there we moved on to the Re-Uniform project at Trinity Methodist Church where we were amazed at the scale of the operation being run by a part-time paid worker and a bunch of great volunteers.  Here is a fantastic example of stumbling upon a real need in a community where the cost of school uniform is out of reach for many families with growing children, and doing something about it.

After lunch, we joined the Woolly Wesleys at Toll Gavel United Church in Beverley, a group connected by their love of handicrafts and amongst other things creating blankets for a refugee support group in Hull. 

We spent our final day in the district visiting the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate and were hosted for some of the day by Revd Paddy Benson, a member of the Show’s chaplaincy team.

As a farmer’s daughter, attending an agricultural show was not a new experience for me!  However, it was great to have opportunity to talk with those engaging in rural ministry and speak with landowners and farmers about the huge challenges they are facing today as well as watch sheepdog trials, show jumping and sheep shearing. A great day for getting a flavour of rural Yorkshire life!

It was great to get a sense of some of the great things that Methodists are doing, in partnership with others across this district, and to discover some of their “hidden treasures.”  I wonder how you are celebrating and learning from the past, transforming the present and reimagining the future where you are?