WLP Explore
Learning together with others is a vital and engaging part of learning as a Worship Leader or Local Preacher. That’s why the Explore sessions are so central to the course - opportunities for students to get together with their tutor to talk through the insights they;ve gained from their learning, and the challenges they've come across.
Sometimes though, it’s good to meet with other people from different places and compare notes. That's where Explore Weekends and Explore Online come in. Note that you are free to attend any of these even if you have regular Explore sessions with your tutor:
WLP Explore Weekends
WLP Explore Weekends offer the three Explore sessions for one module over a Saturday & Sunday away. Four events are planned during 2025, each event hosted by a different circuit or district. This may not be able to attend them all, but coming along to one or two should be a valuable experience as part of your learning. You could consider combining them with Explore Online (below) if this suits your study programme.
There is no cost for attending each event, but you will need to organise your own travel and accommodation. We encourage circuits to support their students with the cost of this.
Our very first event will be on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th February 2025, hosted by the Colchester Circuit in Essex. Colchester is a fascinating historic city, the venue is convenient for public transport, and there are a selection of reasonably-priced hotels nearby - check the usual booking websites for reviews and best prices. Castle Methodist Church is close to Colchester Town station but has limited onsite parking. There is a park and ride bus into the city which stops nearby.
The Saturday programme (WLP Explore and Ongoing Learning) will run from 10am until 4:30pm.
On Sunday (for WLP students) we start with Worship at 10:30am, and finish by 4pm.
We are offering Explore sessions for Modules 1 and 5 on this weekend, but note that you can only do one module per weekend. The Explore sessions will be on Saturday morning and afternoon, and on Sunday afternoon. We'll join in worship at Castle Methodist Church on the Sunday morning.
Alongside the Explore sessions for students, there will be a programme of Ongoing Learning for all Local Preachers and Worship Leaders on Saturday, based on Working Out Worship. Everybody who is involved in leading worship, or would like to be, is invited - there will be something for Local Preachers, Worship Leaders and those who help out with Local Arrangements.
Book for the Colchester Explore Weekend on Eventbrite.
Any queries about the event, please email us at localpreachers@methodistchurch.org.uk.
Further events will be added to this page as the dates and venues are finalised.
Please pass this information around to anyone, anywhere, who might be interested in joining in.
WLP Explore Online
Explore Online provides an opportunity to do the Explore sessions of the course online.
Each year, we offer four weekend events. Each one consists of three two-hour sessions: Friday evening 7-9pm, Saturday morning 9-11am and Saturday afternoon 1-3pm.
Note that on each weekend, two modules are provided, running at the same time. It is not possible to do both modules on a single weekend, you need to sign up for one module each time.
The programme provides the opportunity to complete the Explore sessions for four modules in a year, and all eight modules over a two-year cycle. Book via Eventbrite by clicking the correct link below.
Module 1 - Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November 2024
Module 2 - Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February 2025
Module 3 - Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May 2025
Module 4 - Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July 2025
Module 5 - Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November 2024
Module 6 - Friday 7 and Saturday 8 February 2025
Module 7 - Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May 2025
Module 8 - Friday 11 and Saturday 12 July 2025
Please note that we don't teach the course on Explore Online - these sessions are discussions based on the work you have already completed in WLP Learn. You still need a local Tutor to work with you on assessing your WLP projects, and a Mentor to help you develop your practical skills.
You must complete the self-study Learn material before attending Explore Online. The sessions are facilitated conversation on some of the topics covered by the module. For this reason, sessions are not recorded. All three sections of a module will be covered during the weekend, and it is important that you attend all sessions during the event. If you can't attend a session for a particular reason, please let us know as soon as you can.
You will be expected to participate in conversation and keep your video on at all times, so that the whole group can participate fairly. We do not record sessions, as they are conversational and reflect the interests and concerns of the group who are meeting - to benefit from Explore Online, you need to take part.
Explore Online is provided free of charge by the Learning Network and Ministries Team.