150th church anniversary: Relevant

1. closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered:
2. appropriate to the current time, period, or circumstances; of contemporary interest:
    
    

Killamarsh Methodist Church is led by a group of ten stewards who determine how our building is used and what's in the diary, under the guidance of a Minister. They will consider the activities is the context of our faith, our people, our financial resources, local community need and the policy, and guidance, of the Methodist church. That means we are always refreshing and changing as we strive to be Relevant. As we reach our 150th anniversary, this page shares what we do today and why.

Our ethos is:  We are are a friendly and inclusive church, at the heart of our community. All are welcome.

Our purpose is: to respond to and share in God's love.

Our mission is aligned to the Methodist church under four headings: 

The church exists to increase awareness of God’s presence and to celebrate God’s love… which means that:

• We meet together for worship each week.  Worship includes singing, growing our understanding of the bible, praying, hearing the preacher, fellowship (coffee and cake).
• Our worship is inclusive.

- We are relaxed. and informal.
- Children are a joy, with an organised activity but also welcome to move around.
- You can join us in person, on line or on the phone, so you can join however and wherever is convenient for you. If you join in person, a door steward will welcome you, answer any questions you have and offer you a drink.
- Words and hymns are projected on screen (or to your home device) to help you follow the service and sing along.

• Our worship addresses issues of local and national interest  including the work of Christian Aid, the Climate Crisis and Inclusivity in some form on a regular basis. 
• We use our garden for public display messages of love, hope, joy and have seasonal displays of the Nativity and the Cross. 
• We work ecumenically with our parish church, St Giles and our close neighbour, Mosborough Methodist Church in celebrating our shared love of God.

The church exists to help people to grow and learn as Christians through mutual support and care... which means that:

• We visibly celebrate the key Christian festivals. At Christmas, Easter and Pentecost we open our buildings (and garden) to show our faith. Each month we share communion together and each year we renew our Covenant with God.
• Once a month we have "breakfast church" where we eat and learn together (not streamed) in a more interactive, informal worship environment.
• We have seasonal themed weekly study groups- including Lent, Pentecost, Autumn and Advent.
• There is structured prayer support which operates alongside our weekly notices (which includes prayer requests) and our "whatsapp" group.
• We host “What in the world?” seminars – at least 2 sessions per year to explore significant political issues with external experts. 
• There is a pastoral team who each care for and visit those known to our church, all within the structure of our safe-guarding policies.  
• We have three "social" events per year to ensure we have time to maintain our fellowship. 

The church exists to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice… which means that:

• We serve the needs of our community through regular events. We like to keep our kitchen busy, our building warm and with our friendly volunteers we aim to offer activities where "all are welcome". There's no charge, although donations are accepted. Please see "what's on" elsewhere on this website.
• Our building is made available for local clubs and we partner with Mini-marsh baby group, Live Life Better Derbyshire, Foodworks, Warm Spaces and support the Hope Foodbank.
• We actively consider how we care for God's creation. We maintain a garden where welcome". A space to relax and reflect, surrounded by nature. Our services encourage respect for our planet and personal responsibility. 
• Our signs and flags are changed regularly to support reflection by our passers-by. 
• We are an Eco-church silver member is an objective assessment of  our commitment to the environment. We avoid food waste, recycle and compost. We have an ambition for Gold which is reflected in our work on insulation and potentially solar panels.
• Killamarsh Methodist Church council voted unanimously in favour of same sex marriage and we hold our licence for wedding ceremonies.  We are proud LGBTQ+ allies. 

The church exists to make more followers of Jesus Christ… which means that:

• We hope to live our faith to make it an attractive choice for others. That means all are welcome.
• We love to share food as part of our mission and community outreach. We are registered as a Fairtrade church, an eco-church, and an inclusive church, which means we celebrate and affirm every individual and do not discriminate. (More details of what this means can be found here - Dignity & Worth.)

 So what's next? Where will God lead us? Please have a look at our re-imagined page.