Activities at Balsall Common Methodist Church

This page contains information on our various activities. You may scroll through the page or jump straight to the section you want by clicking on one of these links

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Regular_Activities    Covenant    Other Activities    Junior_Church    Still the Rhythm    Luncheon_Club    Scouts, Cubs & Beavers and Explorers     Mothers/Carer & Toddlers_Group   Cameo

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Regular Activities

Worship each Sunday takes place at 10.30am and you are most welcome to join us. Junior Church and Young People's Fellowship meet at the same time, joining the adults for the first part of the service or, about four times a year, sharing in All Age Worship.

About three times a year the main worship of the day is a joint service with St Peter's with whom we have a covenant.

Our evening services are usually united services with Meriden Methodist Church at 6.30pm at Balsall on the first Sunday in the month and at Meriden on the third Sunday.

Holy Communion is celebrated once or twice each month.

Please see the Preaching plan for further information on church services. This will provide details of the the form of each service (e.g. whether an All Age Worship or Holy Communion) and will also tell you who will lead the service. As a member of the Coventry and Nuneaton Methodist Circuit our worship is usually led by one of the Circuit's team of ministers or one of the circuits group of local preachers.

A House Fellowship group meets on Tuesday evenings twice monthly and members also share fellowship from time to time with groups both from our Minister's other churches and with St Peter's, our Covenant partner.

Various groups hire the hall for regular activities. These include FIRS Bridge Club, FIRS Art Club, Ballet classes, Ballroom/Latin dance classes, T'ai Chi & Pilates classes. Please look in church for more details.

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Churches Together in Balsall and Berkswell

http://rps.gn.apc.org/leveson/churchestogether.htm

This is the ecumenical body of the churches in the locality and comprises Balsall Common Methodist Church, Blessed Robert Grissold Roman Catholic Church, Bridgeway Church and the Parish Churches of St Peter's, Balsall Common, St John the Baptist, Berkswell, St Mary's, Temple Balsall and St Swithin's, Barston. The committee consists of representatives and Ministers of each of the seven churches.

Churches Together organise regular and special events, which include Services of Remembrance and for Christian Unity, and Prayers for Peace. There are opportunities to hear speakers and share a meal, such as at the One World Week Supper and the series of Lenten Breakfasts. There is a service, procession of witness and a frugal lunch on Good Friday, while at Christmas a Celebration is organised involving many village groups. A large number of villagers join us for this Christmas Celebration to the extent that it is now held in the local High School Hall, having outgrown the Churches and their halls.

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Covenant between Balsall Common Methodist Church and St Peter's Church

A formal Covenant was signed between this Church and the Anglican Parish Church of St Peter's in January 2001. This was the culmination of many hours of discussion between representatives of the two churches who pursued the vision of closer working and co-operation over a period of three or four years. The first joint service had been held on Advent Sunday 1997, which, coincidentally, was the first Sunday that the Methodist Church and the Anglican Church shared the same lectionary.

From that tentative start we have moved on to a formal covenant which carries its own commentary and committed ourselves to working together to serve God in our village. We hold joint services, with alternating presidency at Holy Communion, on about three occasions each year, and the Minister and Vicar lead worship in each other's Churches.

A bereavement care project has become a reality for the village with the commissioning of the first trained bereavement care visitors in February 2002.

Our commitment to a joint prayer calendar published monthly reached fruition in September 2002 and now appears as a pull-out sheet in each magazine.

Both Churches are already committed members of Churches Together in Balsall and Berkswell and so are used to working together under that umbrella.

The Covenant is overseen by a Covenant Co-ordinating Group made up of specific people including the Minister and Vicar, Stewards and Churchwardens, Local preachers and Readers who meet regularly to promote and enable the commitments expressed in the Covenant.

The Covenant was reviewed in 2006 and it was the wish of both churches that it continue in its present form. A joint service of renewal was held in 2007 on the Anniversary of the original signing and each person present signed around a copy of the Covenant to show their continuing commitment to it. These signed copies hang in each church.

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THE METHODIST CHURCH AND ST PETER'S CHURCH - BALSALL COMMON LOCAL COVENANT

We, the ministers and people of the Methodist Church and St. Peter's Church in Balsall Common, unite in proclaiming our faith in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

We rejoice in our fellowship together and in our deepening relationship with one another through this Covenant.

We therefore make this commitment to God and to each other.

We believe that our common baptism is the sacramental sign of a life-long journey of faith. We commit ourselves to the nurture of the faith of all those within our care. We seek together to bring individuals within our communities to respond to their Baptism in Confirmation. We recognise the need to minister to the life-long needs of our people in common pilgrimage.

We believe that as Christians we are called by Christ to celebrate the Eucharist as the sacrament of unity with Him. We commit ourselves to the celebration of the Eucharist together. We propose a celebration of the Eucharist on at least two occasions each year as the main Sunday service at which both our congregations will be invited to be present.

We believe that we have a common responsibility and calling to pray for and with each other and our local communities. We commit ourselves to promoting regular opportunities for growth in prayer together.

We believe that the local community is best served by a common commitment to mission and therefore pledge ourselves to make the gospel present in our community through word and deed. We offer ourselves to the pastoral care of our village whilst recognising its changing needs. We commit ourselves to the importance of publicising and promoting church life and worship by joint means wherever possible.

We believe that the ministry and mission of our Churches are best served by a more closely integrated use of the premises and resources of both our Churches.

We believe that our mission to the people of Balsall Common is best served by visible close co-operation between the ordained and lay leadership of our Churches. We commit ourselves to an ecumenical ministry team supported by a Covenant Co-ordinating Group.

We commit ourselves to the renewal of the Covenant at an annual joint service to mark the anniversary of its signing and to a review of the Covenant every five years.

Recognising our Covenant as part of the broader ecumenical movement, we commit ourselves to participating fully in Churches Together in Balsall and Berkswell.

A copy of the Commentary on this Covenant can be obtained from the Stewards

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Other Activities

As well as our regular activities a number of other social or spiritual activities are organised each year. Some are annual events - others are 'one off's.

Harvest Festival 2008

A Traditional Harvest Festival was chosen for our new Minister's first one and the Church was beautifully decorated as usual with each window dressed by a different organisation, from Toddlers to Wednesday Walkers and Scouts to organists. The porch was transformed into an allottment and a packed church enjoyed a lively and inspiring festival service on the theme of 'Celebration' complete with hats decorated by the small children who coloured quietly during the sermon. Harvest gifts were again suitable for the Cyrenians who work with homeless and disadvantaged people in Coventry.

Harvest Festival 2007

Harvest Festival was led by Rev Jenny Dyer on the theme 'Rainbows'. The church was beautifully decorated on the Rainbow theme and the displays, especially the windows which were decorated by the diferent groups in the church, were very different from each other and all thought provoking in their interpretation of the theme.

The service was also a Parade Service for Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Explorers who brought gifts suitable for use by the Coventry Cyrenians, who work with homeless people, to add to the gifts from the children and adults of the congregation.

A video was shown of the work of MRDF, the Methodist Relief and Development Agency, in Guatemala, and the theme of Rainbows was developed in many different ways during the service.

The Church porch was decorated under a large rainbow to show the progression of the season, following season from the rainbow colours of Autumn, Summer and Spring, through to the cold winter colours. Imagery of the sun and running water that give rise to a rainbow were used in the display.

A packed church was inspired by the service and uplifted by the beauty and imagery of the decorations.

Click on thumbnail for larger picture.

Church trip to Iona 2009

This was again a memorable week for the 25 of us who travelled to Iona. Some had spent a week on Mull beforehand in wet and windy conditions, some went off to other Scottish places on the way home, some took a scenic detour to get there after a ferry breakdown, but for that week we lived in the Bishop's House and joined in the life of the house and the island.

We were blessed with beautiful sunshine and blue skies, and just a cool wind some of the time to remind us where we were but we were out and about all day every day, be it on the organised pilgrimage round the island, paddling and photographing rocks on North beach, climbing Dun I, the highest point on the island, playing golf, getting to the marble quarry which for some was achieving the unachievable, sharing Pentecost worship in the Abbey, going to evening worship also at the Abbey, sharing in Taize worship in the dusk in Ora's Chapel, walking to North beach at night to watch the sun go down over the sea, and singing 'The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended' as it went, taking a trip on a calm sea to Staffa to see the puffins, who again stayed on the water and declined to perform for us, sharing worship every day in the Bishop's House Chapel, the conversations, the fellowship, the fun, the solitude and the time 'to be.'

To be on Iona is such a privilege, a real spiritual experience, and we readily agree with the saying about Iona that 'it is where the layer between heaven and earth is really thin'

Wesley Trip

In May 2007 a full coach of people, half from Balsall Common and the rest from around the Circuit, spent a day in London to celebrate the tercentenary of Charles Wesley's birth. We arrived at Wesley's Chapel in time for morning worship led by Rev. Dr. Lord Leslie Griffiths who preached on the theme 'A consolation serving vested interests?'

After the service, along with a similar sized party from America, we were taken around John Wesley's house and the Wesley Museum before rejoining the coach to visit other Wesley sites in the vicinity. We were then taken to St Paul's Cathedral for evensong where we enjoyed a service in a totally different style from that of Wesley's Chapel.

Following the visit to the Ripples International Orphanage in Meru, Kenya, by Rev Jenny Dyer and her family during her Sabbatical in 2005 the church raised substantial funds for and raised awareness of the work undertaken by Ripples. Their work with orphaned babies and children, many of whom are HIV positive, and with extended families decimated by Aids is transforming lives and they have been able to extend their work to help young, often only teenagers, victims of rape and abuse.

Pray without Ceasing

The Methodist Church encourages churches and individuals to focus on prayer. Pray without Ceasing was an initiative of the Church’s young people, who called on the whole church to promote a year of non-stop prayer.

A programme of continuous prayer was launched at the Methodist Conference at the end of June 2005 and ran until the end of August 2006. Methodist Districts (33 in Great Britain) were being encouraged to organise continuous prayer events for a week or fortnight within that 14-month period so that at any time of day or night, somewhere in a Methodist church, there would be people praying.

At Balsall Common Methodist Church the Young People, with a little help and encouragement from the adults, organised the eight hours taken by the Church as part of the Coventry Methodist Circuit's allocation. People were Praying without Ceasing in our Church from Midnight on Tuesday 30th August until 8.00am on Wednesday 31st August.

The Church was laid out in a relaxed way, with meditative aids, such as painting, drawing, books, pebbles, candles - things to touch, create or inspire - enabling people to pray in the way that they found most comfortable but also giving the opportunity to encounter different forms of prayer guidance and inspiration.They brought their own concerns, other concerns were visually highlighted and other concerns were those of people who were not able to be there at that time. For those who enjoy a sleepover, or wished to take part but needed to sleep for some of the time, there was a space made available for curling up in a sleeping bag for a while or for sharing fellowship over coffee or sweets or watching DVDs.

Support for the Achky Project in Peru

In October 2004 we held a further 'Evening with Fiona Castle' and we were delighted and privileged this time to also welcome Julia, here on a visit from Peru. Julia was able to tell us first hand about her work in the shanty towns of Peru and show us videos of the jewellery making business that does so much to bring dignity and livlihood to the women there. Again the jewellery and cards sold well and a further sum in excess of £2,200 was raised for Julia's work. Fiona and Julia say that ' we are indebted to the people of Balsall Common, Berkswell and Temple Balsall for the support given to Julia's project'. We in turn are grateful to Fiona and Julia for bringing us all together, and for inspiring us and challenging us again.

We now hear that the Achky project is running independently of Julia and that she has moved on to set up a similar enterprise drying surplus fruit such as mangoes which otherwise go to waste, to give work, income and dignity to another group of peole in Peru.

Year of Celebration, Challenge and Commitment

The Year of Celebration, Challenge and Commitment, from June 2004 to September 2005, had brought us a variety of events, from invited preachers from many different ministries and visits of past Ministers of our Church, to trips out to the Black Country Museum, with a service in the Chapel there, and an afternoon of Hymns and Herbs in the Warwickshire countryside.

In 2004 we set ourselves the target of refurbishing the kitchen and raising the funds to pay for it. A series of events, generous donations, the support and generosity of the local community and a lot of hard work meant that that the £20,000 needed was raised by the time the kitchen was completed in the Autumn. One of the fund-raising events planned was a Bible Reading Marathon, reading the Bible continuously from beginning to end, in February 2005. By way of thanksgiving for the generosity shown to us in our fundraising it was decided to continue with the project but raise money for the benefit of the community. The Balsall Common Village Hall had completed the first stages of a much needed refurbishment and needed to raise a lot more money to progress to the next stage, so it was decided to open up the Marathon to the whole area and raise money through sponsorship for this project. The idea was quickly taken up by all the local churches and their groups, the schools, and the students from the Chaplaincy at the University of Warwick, and was supported by the organisations using the Village Hall. Several hundred people from the age of 5 to at least 93 read the Bible at locations that included 4 churches, 4 schools, the Village Hall, outside the local shops, and the Houses of Parliament, the opening verses being read over the telephone by Caroline Spelman, the local MP. She then came to the Methodist Church to read the last Chapter of the Book of Revelation some 75 hours later at the precise time we had aimed to finish.

A website was set up to publicise the Marathon and keep people up to date with progress. The Bibles read during the Marathon were donated by the Gideons and then given as prizes in the on-line Bible Quiz, which with 10 levels really challenged people's knowledge.

Although we were very happy to have raised over £12,000 for the Village Hall, we were as delighted by the community spirit that was engendered by the project. So many people, many of whom had not met each other before, put in so much work to organise the event. It was a joy to see and to be a part of.

Church Trip to Iona

28 people spent a wonderful week on Iona in May 2005. Many travelled up over a period of two or three days and we all met up for the crossing to Iona where we enjoyed a week of fellowship in peaceful and beautiful surroundings.

We each returned with special memories of the week drawn from many experiences during the week. These included daily Communion Services and Compline each evening in the small chapel in the Bishop's House where we were staying, the service in the Abbey for Pentecost, worship in all its forms each evening in the Abbey, from music to meditation or healing, and Taizé worship by candlelight, late at night, in the tiny Ora's chapel,

We shared much fun, laughter and fellowship, especially at mealtimes, but could be alone or quiet if we wished.

We enjoyed the solitude of the beaches, climbed to the highest point on the island, joined the whole island pilgrimage, stopping as we went for singing, prayers and readings, took an exhilarating boat trip to Staffa in a howling gale, often heard but rarely saw the corncrakes in the reeds, and saw a sea-eagle over Mull.

We have so many treasured memories of a wonderful experience in a very special place.

Such is the demand for places in the Bishop's House that when we were offered the week of Pentecost 2009 for a similar trip we jumped at it, even if it was more than two years hence, and so now another group is looking forward to that trip.

Quiet Mornings

We continue to hold Quiet Mornings three times a year for the congregations of our six Churches Together churches, for prayer and reflection, in the lovely setting of Temple Balsall Old Hall, inviting different people to lead our thoughts each time.

Other events include:

• A Good Friday Open Air Service in the village, organised by Churches Together in Balsall and Berkswell, and followed by a frugal lunch.
• A Women's World Day of Prayer Service in the village.
• Two Fellowship Groups meet regularly.
• Occasional concerts.
• Weekday walks.
• Evenings of food and fellowship when a supper is interspersed with reading of prose and poetry. These are themed and carry such titles as 'Poetry, Prose and Pancakes' for one near Shrove Tuesday, 'Stories, Stars and Stollen' near Christmas and ' Poppies, Peace and Poppadums' near Remembrance Day.

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Junior Church

Junior Church caters for children from age 4 up to teenagers. We have a lively group of Young people (Age 13+) who meet in their own room and enjoy more mature discussion over coffee.

In Junior Church we follow 'Roots' lesson material. This gives us a mixture of Bible Teaching and activities which we supplement with our own ideas.

We meet at the same time as the Morning Service and usually spend the first 15 minutes of the service with the adults. We then adjourn to our own rooms where we continue with our activities.

Once a year the Junior Church organises the full morning service on the occasion of the Junior Church anniverary. For that service the Junior Church Orchestra forms and, under the guidance of one of our teachers, leads the musical items of our worship.

The Junior Church Orchestra also gets together at other times of the year to contribute to the Churches musical activities. For the last few years, the Orchestra has played a prominent part in one or more of the Christmas services.

House Fellowships

One group meets fortnightly on Tuesdays and chooses wide ranging social, topical and ethical issues to discuss. Other people join with groups at Meriden Methodist Church and St Peter's Church

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Still the Rhythm

...where the rhythm of life may be slowed and the stillness of God entered into

...where the strength of God's stillness may inspire and innervate the rhythm of life

Still the Rhythm offers space for any to find and worship God in stillness. Still the Rhythm seeks to provide an environment where encounter with the Word cuts deep into being. Ambient images and sounds form a backdrop to this meeting with God. Theology is open and progressive.

Some explanation of the services

What are nowadays known as 'alternative worship' services started at Balsall Common Methodist Church in 1995. In response to ideas and enthusiasm from within the church the services took on the shape they have today, being held from time to time.

Each service takes on a different theme – either appropriate to the time of year or to reflect a broader issue – and takes traditional liturgical structure and blends this with cues from contemporary art and culture.

Still The Rhythm challenges us to confront the fragmentation and confusion in the world about us by establishing unity. Disorientation is achieved through imagery and sound - ambient, explicit and implicit. The overriding aim is to feel the experience as a corporate act of worship, yet create personal space to move individuals from work mode to rest and from confession into regeneration. Much use is made of word, story and poetry.

Much effort is taken to ensure balance of the liturgical content against the theme of the service.

How the service is changing

The end of 2001 saw a change in the group of people who work on Still The Rhythm services. The departure of Phillip and Paula Bee to new appointments in Huddersfield, and of Paul and Bec Timmis to Berkhamstead has meant that Still The Rhythm has 'gone on the road' so to speak! The team that remains has had to evolve to ensure new ideas are created which give value to churchgoers in Balsall Common.

But Still The Rhythm isn't unique. There are many groups up and down the country who also offer an alternative approach to worship in traditional church settings. Like these other groups we have taken services to the Greenbelt festival, invited friends and colleagues from around the circuit and beyond to take part, even been invited to speak at a US conference along with others from the UK about the style, approach and impact of new forms of worship.

Still The Rhythm only creates the connections. It is hoped that it will help you experience God. The rest is up to you.

Recent themes for Still the Rhythm services have been 'God on our side?' 'Listening to God' 'Give me your hand my friend' and 'Praying the Alphabet 5 times'

To find out more about Still The Rhythm or to have your name added to the mailing list, email bcmethchurch@tiscali.co.uk

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Berkswell and Balsall Common Luncheon Club

The members of this club are older village residents living by themselves. They meet each Monday and enjoy a cooked mid-day meal. This is followed by card games and scrabble. A cup of tea and cake is served before members return home.

If necessary, door-to-door transport is provided. Additional volunteers to help with the transport are always welcome. Luncheon Club has been meeting for many years and is a very popular group - so popular, in fact, that a waiting list has to be kept for those who wish to join!

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Mothers & Toddlers Group

The 'Mothers and Toddlers Group' that meet at the Balsall Common Methodist Church on a Tuesday morning from 10.00 - 11.30am in fact welcomes all adult carers with children under school age.

The group aims to give parents and carers a friendly and safe place to meet with other carers and their charges. There are a variety of toys and activities for the children to play with and space in which to interact with others.

As Balsall Common grows in size we hope it continues to be a place where new folks are made welcome and introduced to others, thus helping them develop a sense of belonging to the community.

Although it is run by the Methodist Church there is no need to be of the Christian Faith or to become involved with the church - but you are welcome to do so.

We look forward to seeing you.

For further details contact:

Joy Fine on 01676 532006, email: bijollyfine@btinternet.com.

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The Cameo Club

This organisation meets on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays in the month at 2.00pm at the Methodist Church Hall, Station Road, Balsall Common.

It is a group of local, friendly people who enjoy listening to a good speaker and sharing a 'cuppa' and chat with others.

A wide variety of speakers are invited and these are well publicised in LINK (our church magazine), on posters in Church, in the Library and in the village.

NEW MEMBERS from ALL age groups are very welcome… Just turn up and give it a try!!!!! The termly cost is £3.00 + 50p per season with non-members paying £1.50 per meeting. This includes tea and a biscuit.

For more information contact Glenys Bradbury, Secretary, Tel. 01676 534643

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2nd Balsall Common (Methodist) Scout Group

Balsall Common Methodist Church sponsors both a Scout Group and the Explorer Unit and this is seen very much as part of the mission of the church, rather than a service to church members. Both have an open admissions policy and welcome all - including both sexes and all ages over six.

Our units run varied and interesting programmes culminating in the annual Scout summer camp. Many interests are covered from cooking - which is a general favourite - through a full range of indoor and outdoor activities to canoeing and mountain walking as we pursue the development of young people in under the Principles of Scouting - duty to God, others and oneself.

We have two Beaver Colonies, one Cub Pack and one Scout Troop. At the appropriate age the older Scouts move on to the Galileo Explorer Unit which is separate from the Group but also meets in the Balsall Common Methodist Church Hall.

The Troop (known as Titan) is currently full and we have a waiting list. (So we'd welcome more leaders!) Consequently, the Cub Pack (Saturn, Tuesday evenings) and the Beaver Colonies (Mercury, Tuesday and Mars, Friday, both early evenings) also have limited numbers. So we usually have a waiting list for Beavers and Cubs as well.

For further details please contact:

Up to age 14 years, Group Scout Leader, Alison Lowe by email alison.lowe@tiscali.co.uk. Or go to our web-site, www.balsallcubs.com

Over age 14 years, Explorer Scout Leader Ninian Bowman by email NinianBowman@hotmail.com and his telephone is 01676 532078

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