In the Circuit there are Churchs with individuals who work hard to provide information in websites for their Churches:
Hanham
Kingswood
Potters Wood
Speedwell
Unity Oldland
It is also in the Bristol District, which has a website with links to all the churches between Swindon to the East, up to Gloucester and Cheltenham, and as far South as Frome and Warminster.
In 2008 we will become part of a new Bristol and South Gloucestershire Circuit -uniting 5 existing Circuits
which include two with websites:
Bristol (West) Circuit
Bristol (North) Circuit
The Methodist Church has deep roots in Bristol - Hanham Mount on which John Wesley preached in the open is within our Circuit.
In the City Centre people still can see the first building used for Methodist work -still open and working to proclaim that Mission can be through Heritage. This is
The New Room, John Wesley's Chapel
Everyone interested in using music in worship will find resources in the
Methodist Church Music Society
-and it is extending its concerns to all ways of using 'arts' in exciting ways
MCMS has been serving music in Methodism since 1935. We have been a member of the Methodist Creative Arts Forum since its inception.For the past two years since the withdrawal of Connexional funding for Creative Arts we have been a key player in searching for a way forward for the continued support and development of all Creative Arts, such as Drama, Dance, Visual Arts, etc.
MCMS has now decided to form a new organisation, initially to run alongside MCMS, but with the intention that this will absorb all the MCMS functions and activities in the near future, in addition to providing help, support and advice on all aspects of creative arts used in worship. We want to emphasise the inspirational, creative side of all forms of music and other arts working together in a complimentary way.
We have experienced some legal problems in setting up the new organisation, which will be a charitable company limited by guarantee, but we hope that these will now be resolved very quickly. As soon as we can launch the new organisation and announce its name we will do so – so watch out for the publicity!
In the meantime we are anxious to build up a database of people who are interested in using creative arts in worship. So if you are interested in, organise or take part in
* Drama,
* Dance,
* Visual Arts
* or any other Creative Arts
in your Church, Circuit or District, please look on the MCMS website and see if you can make YOUR contribution
Methodists are fortunate in having an organisation which provides relevant information about those places on Planet earth where development and relief can be aided by concerned Christians. It also has an efficient and expense-free means of sending any money we give DIRECT to people in the area of need.
It's the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF)
If you are stimulated by debating current issues, try The
Interface
If you are looking for aids to Historical research, A new angle on what can be done to make Church Services less boring for
children, and lots of resources,
there's the Wesley
Historical Society
can be found at The
Family Friendly Churches Trust
If you would like to widen your knowledge about what is called "Climate Poverty" please visit OXFAM
OTHER WEBSITES RELATED TO FAIR TRADE and THE ENVIRONMENT include:
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
http://www.tearfund.org/Churches/Carbon+fast+new/
http://www.ethical-junction.org/ http://www.creationchallenge.org.uk
http://www.bishopstontrading.co.uk/
(especially as Fair Trade Fortnight begins 25th February)
and a joint URC/Methodist site
In Bristol, there are Fair trade shops such as:
and
http://www.equop.com/