Mission - What Is It?
"Mission is the participation of Christians in the liberating mission of Jesus. It is the good news of God's love, incarnated in the witness of a community for the sake of the world."
"Mission is quite simply, though profoundly, what the Christian community is called to do, beginning right where it is." From Transforming Mission, David Bosch (2000)
Mission in the Thames Valley Circuit
Our circuit summary included our detailed mission statement, categorised under the four sections of Our Calling:
- WORSHIP OF THE LIVING GOD
- LEARN AND CARE
- SERVE
- EVANGELISE
On this page we concentrate on some of the ways in which we seek to SERVE.
Supporting our Mission: by the Circuit
Mission is so important, that we have dedicated pages on this website showing how we work in conjunction with key Methodist organisations which seek to promote, support and raise awareness about Mission in Britain and the World Church:
- Action for Children
- All We Can (Methodist Relief and Development)
- MHA (Methodist Homes for the Aged)
- Methodist Women in Britain
We are also actively involved in supporting Environmental organisations such as Fairtrade, and we work with Interfaith groups such as Windsor & Maidenhead Community Forum and Slough Faith Partnership.
Throughout the circuit we participate actively as a circuit, section, and/or individual churches, or ecumenically within village or town in events which are organised throughout the country, or, indeed, the entire Christian World:
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- World Day of Prayer
- Good Friday walk of witness
- Carols at Christmas
- Fairtrade Week
Several of the galleries in our Photo Gallery illustrate these events, such as:
We hold Circuit Events with the emphasis on providing education and information, such as:
- A Circuit Missions Service, sometimes preceded by a workshop. The theme varies from year to year, with the emphasis on World Mission or Mission in Britain or a special one for that year.
- A Mission Quiz. Apart from being a highly entertaining and enjoyable evening (despite the inevitable highly challenging questions!) starting with a shared meal, it is a great way to raise money for mission.
- A Strawberry Tea. No prizes for guessing what this is!
Collecting for a Food Bank
Many of our churches are involved individually, collectively or ecumenically in mission in the community, with
- Street Angels, in each of the towns of Maidenhead, Windsor and Slough
- Night Shelters
- Food banks, in smaller churches such as Colnbrook & Poyle as well as the larger churches.
- Open the Book -- a national organisation taking Bible stories into schools, and further afield. Half the churches in the circuit, particularly the village ones, are involved in this, as illustrated by Old Windsor's 2011-12 gallery.
Supporting our Mission: by the churches
Quite apart from circuit events, each church holds its own special fundraising events such as Bazaars, Sales of Work, Brunches, Coffee Mornings, Lunches and Open Days -- occasions which provide a chance to socialise -- and (usually!) with refreshments.
Garden Party Homemade woodworking articles for sale
To give a few examples:
- Burnham's Wake up Wednesday provides cooked meals for children waiting for the school bus.
- St Andrew's Asian Congregation support a charity in Pakistan all year round. In addition, their special events included Clothes Aid 2012, when they collecting a quarter of a ton of clothing in response to the 2012 devastating floods in Pakistan.
- Ledgers Road Methodist Church holds a weekly men's breakfast aimed primarily at the homeless.
Please refer to each individual church page (or church website) for more information.
