In the early 1970s a family arrived in Coventry : a mum, a dad, their son and ten year old daughter, accompanied by a tortoise, a budgie and a dog! Before leaving their Welsh Presbyterian Church in Liverpool the parents asked their minister for advice about finding a new place to worship. Their minister was a wise man and said “Find your nearest church – it'll be good for you and the children”. How right he was! I was that daughter and, together with my family, I first walked into Woodside Avenue Methodist Church one Sunday in August 1971.

We were not only welcomed into the church family immediately but we also found a spiritual home under the guidance of the Revd. Norman Taylor. Over the years I have found friendship and fellowship, support and sympathy at Woodside but most importantly I developed my faith here through the Sunday School, the YP Fellowship and MAYC weekends and the Girl Guides.

As an adult this faith developed and manifested itself in my becoming, in turn, a Youth Worker, a Worship Leader and more recently exploring a call to preach and I am now a Local Preacher on Trial.

Woodside has been the place for many of our family's rites of passage: funerals, baptisms, membership classes and weddings (I did the wedding bit twice!). I met my husband at Woodside and our son grew up in the thriving Junior Church during the 1990s.

It was in 1997 that I noticed a small advert in the Coventry Evening Telegraph for the position of Secretary/PA to the Superintendent Minister of the Coventry Methodist Circuit. I felt this would be the perfect job which combined my skills as a secretary and administrator with my faith. I applied for and got the job and for nine years worked at Central Hall for successive ministers.

Unfortunately an illness forced me to resign from the post but as I recovered I found myself missing the excitement of working with and for the Circuit. The answer was, I believed, obvious. To become a Circuit Steward. I joined the Circuit team two years ago at an exciting and challenging time for the newly formed joint Circuit and those exciting and challenging times still continue. So that's me, Ruth Wilson, a wife, a mum, a Local Preacher, Circuit Steward, a Methodist but above all a friend of Jesus.

My name is Dorothy Holmes, I am retired, I did work as an RGN for 25yrs and then as an Analytical Psychotherapist for 15yrs. I am a member at St John's Methodist Church Nuneaton. I became a member of the Methodist Church over 50 years ago.

I was brought up at Stockingford Methodist Church where my grandfather was a leader and my father became a Sunday School teacher, leader of the youth group and many other roles. My mother was part of the womens meetings at Stockingford and Bedworth Mill Street Church.

I worshipped at Stockingford untill the 1970's when I had my children and wished them to attend a vibrant Sunday School. I have worshipped and worked at St John's in the past as a Sunday Scool Teacher, youth worker, coffee morning organiser, steward, senior steward.

I am now your Cicuit Enabler responsible for property, training, and finance. At present I am also a worship leader. I feel my role as the Circuit Enabler for finance, training and property is to ensure that the diffeent needs of the circuit are met in all three areas in furthereance of God's will in this circuit.

The other Circuit Enablers, Clive Bennett & Elizabeth Crouch, details will be added when they are received.

Page updated: 3 Nov, 2011