Peace and friendship

This first photo was taken when I was at conference at the beginning of July.  It is a plaque on the wall at the side of Westminster Central Hall and I thought it was highly appropriate for our modern times as it commemorates a meeting of the United Nations in 1946 praying for peace on earth.  How we still need that 70 years on from that meeting.

 

While in Ireland a couple of weeks ago we had the privilege of joining in worship at Killarney Methodist Church.  As we chatted to the preacher after the service I realised that I will be meeting her again at the Methodist Women in Ireland conference which I will be attending in September.  Part of my new role is to continue to build links with the Methodist Women in Ireland and it is something I am really looking forward to.  I have already met some amazing women from the church in Ireland and am excited about working together more in the future. 

 

 

 

 

This final pic was taken when I was kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney castle...it's meant to help you have the gift of eloquence!  Ha!  Hopefully it'll help loosen my tongue and not be so shy!! Hehe!

 

 

Next week Mark and I are heading off to Uganda for a week's mission trip so if you see this in time please remember us in your prayers.  More will follow on that, hopefully while we are there if I get wifi!  

 





A flying visit from Mark!

On Monday Mark travelled up from Devon to support me at our Methodist Women/World Church fringe event during which some of the roles on the MWIB executive passed over from one to another.  Mark then came back to our student digs where he spent the night (in a separate room to me!!) then he headed back to Devon early the next morning.  It was so lovely to see him and have a quick catch up and now he can imagine me here for the rest of the week.

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers as we undertake the business of the Methodist Church.

Here are a couple of pics...me with Alison Judd from whom I take over in Houston later this year and a quick selfie with Mark by Big Ben!

My first time at Methodist Conference

The induction of the new President and Vice President of conference

I am writing this from my student room in a halls of residence at Greenwich University where the reps for conference are staying.  It's my first time at Methodist Conference (which meets annually) and so far I have found it to be an interesting, inspiring and somewhat overwhelming experience!

My little student room! 

It's great being in the centre of London, especially for a country mouse like myself, wonderful to keep running into people I know from around the country and to make some new friends, the worship band have led us in some fabulous singing and I have heard some inspiring talks and stories.  Tomorrow we knuckle down to business and if you pray I'd encourage you to do so for us all during the next few days that Gods will is carried out through all the discussion and decision making.

Here are a few photos...

Methodist Central Hall, Westminster where we are meeting

A week of children's work

I've been home for the past week and have had a full week of different children's activities which has been fun but exhausting!

I went into our local primary school (where I am a governor) on Monday for a learning walk and got to visit several classrooms and read some of the children's super writing.   It's always such a privilege to visit the school and a relief to me that I am no longer in full time teaching! 

On Tuesday we had our summer service for our local pre-schools and had great fun thinking about our pets and all the animals that help us, remembering that Jesus is our friend and always with us.

Wednesday was our 'Ark' toddler group where I am gradually learning the names of the parents and children and then yesterday we hosted our monthly 'Messy Church' and had the most we've ever had attending...over 33 children and 20 adults...it was a joyful and noisy few hours of chaos and fun as we  thought about the story of Jesus calming the storm and made lots of seasidey crafts.

One of the great things was that as parents and children arrived for Messy Church I realised that I already knew most of them from school, Pre-school or Ark and it made me realise just how settled into Kingsbridge we have become in the past two and half years and how many people we now know.  

I'm now on the way to London for my first ever visit to Methodist conference and looking forward to catching up with people I know from all over the country (and world) and meeting lots of new people...hopefully I won't be having to clean up paint and play dough for a few days!!