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Methodist
We respond to God's love in Christ through the way we live our lives. The calling of the Methodist Church is to support you in this. In the Methodist church, there are 12 practices that we think particularly help us to encounter God. We call this A Methodist Way of Life. Each practice is a station on the journey where we meet God and grow in faith. These include Serve (we will help people in our communities and beyond), Live (we live in a way that draws people to Jesus), Open (we practise hospitality and generosity), Learn (we learn more about our faith).
NOTICE
We notice God in Scripture and the world
God is near, and findable. But not completely.
The Bible is an ancient collection of writings in different styles. The authors recorded how they experienced God at work in their lives. It helps us to understand and experience God for ourselves. But we can never fully understand God; that’s why it’s called ‘faith’.
We can notice God everywhere around us not just in church, in science and nature, in family and friends, in work, in books, in films, in leisure, in our local community, in the actions of others and in world events.
Sometimes we have to focus to notice God around us and in us.
FOCUS
As April is the month of Easter and Spring flowers fill our gardens, perhaps we should look around us at our neighbours and friends. Who needs a little cheering up? Can we bring a smile to someone's face? It might only take a kind word or five minutes of your time or you might feel a bunch of flowers or an Easter egg would do the trick.
The image of God is not always cheerful, it can show sadness and disappointment but our actions might bring back that smile.
In March during lent we remembered how Jesus supported the poor and the needy, and tried to do the same. A few coins in the Salvation army charity box or a copy of the big issue when we in town. There was a wonderful response to our request for men's socks to go to Open Door. Thank you very much indeed.
In February we celebrated St. Valentine's day by focusing on those we love for they surely reflect the image of God in their kindness and love.
In January our focus was OURSELVES as we renewed our covenant promises to God and thought ahead to the new year.
At Christmas time as a church, we asked support for “All We Can” the Methodist charity which runs many efforts abroad to help people help themselves. We also asked people to write a card to one or more of those people mentioned in the pastoral notes.
Read from the Bible every day, using a guide like A Word in Time to help you explore it. As you read, you could ask the question: ‘Where is God in this story?’.
Spend time outside each day and be open to noticing God in nature or culture. The Methodist Prayer cards can be helpful visual aids for this.
Sign up to the Friday Fix to explore how people notice God in music.
Keep a daily journal of what you notice about God and the world each day or week.
Ask other people where they have noticed God and learn from each other’s different perspectives.
Interested in exploring more about Christian beliefs about the Bible, and the world? Check out christianity.org.uk
For Bible Month each year we focus on one book of the Bible. This year it is the book of Genesis. Next year is John. Check out resources from previous years.
Listen to a Taketime meditation based on Mark 4:35-41: Calming a Storm; John 1:1-18: In the beginning; or Mark 3:1-6: Jesus heals man with deformed hand.
FLOURISH - GREEN TEMPLE
We care for creation and all God's gifts
At the Temple annual general meeting in September 2023, we decided to concentrate on flourish - we care for creation and all God's gifts, as an area of learning and growth. As Christians, we believe that God doesn’t just promise life, but life in all its fullness. We want all of God’s created Kingdom not just to survive but to flourish. God created not just humans, but every animal and plant. It’s only by recognising that we are part of creation and caring for the world around us that all creation can flourish. As with the other practices of a Methodist Way of Life it is expected that our path to caring for God's creation permeates all aspects of church life, from worship to energy and resource use to everyday things we can all do to help.
The importance of caring for our environment, the natural world, and our use of world resources has been a growing concern around the world. Many international organisations are calling for decisive and immediate action to avert a global catastrophe. In particular the accelerating effects of global warming caused by human activity have already caused devastation and suffering on an unprecedented scale, with communities and habitats being pushed beyond their limits. Taking action is likely to come with an individual cost, but the cost to the future of our world in doing nothing is immeasurable. God has made us responsible for this world we live in and we need to live up to the trust God has put in us.
One route to follow is the Eco Church project run by the charity A Rocha UK in partnership with Christian Aid, The Church of England, The Methodist Church, Tearfund, The United Reformed Church and Allchurches Trust Limited. This provides a framework for assessing our environmental impact, resources for help with improving, practical goals and targets, and rewards for achievements. This can help us to make a comparable assessment, monitor our progress, and encourage us to continue improving. At the beginning of 2025 Temple attained Bronze Award status.
In our quest for a silver award as an eco-church we have a problem with the fact that the church building has no land for us to tend. It seems the flower tubs outside the church are not considered sufficient. But the church is not just the building but also the people who make church…
We have a request for you all to consider. If you have fruit, flowers or vegetables in your gardens which you tend and cherish; if you have an allotment; if you feed the birds or wild life in your garden, have bird boxes, hedgehog homes, wood piles, bee retreats, ponds or wild areas for the wild life - please write this down, sign it and let Jennie, Christine, Lynda or Anne have it so we can show how the church cares for the environment and the animals which depend on it. Also let us know if you are a member of a conservancy group such as the Somerset Wildlife Trust.
Please complete our survey - Help us on the next stage of our eco journey by completing the questionnaire on the wildlife and nature groups you belong to.
See news and tips from other churches and individuals in the Taunton Deane and South Sedgemoor Circuit on the Eco Church page on the circuit website, and also in our monthly Circuit Link magazine.
Simple things to try
Simple things to try
Find out, learn about what is happening and what you can do.
Pause, ... consider the possible impacts of your actions.
Try to provision and use only what you need (reduce waste) .
Share stories and tips with others.
at church ...
Include care of God's creation in worship.
Include some aspect of 'flourish' in church group activities.
Be resource aware (energy, utilities, produce, logistics, consumables).
Enjoy the Eco Church articles in Circuit Link.
at home ...
Where possible buy local produce,
check packaging for place of origin.Grow some plants,
either some insect friendly plants in your garden or a pot plant in your room.Switch off electrical items not in use,
don't leave non-essential things on 'standby'.Add the care of God's world to your personal prayers.
Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle what you can - it can also save you money.
Don't leave taps running.
Support a charity helping others around the world coping with climate change.
Read about what others are doing (or not doing) to ensure the world's natural habitats, and take action.
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