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Circuit Mission Statement
John Wesley, the founding
father of the Methodist Church, said, 'I look upon the whole world
as my parish'. As members of the Methodist Church we, in the
Newcastle (Staffs) Circuit welcome all people, whether or not they
go to church in this area or elsewhere, whether or not they are
practising Christians or of another tradition, or faith, whether or
not they have a faith at all. We see our ministry as a ministry to
all people in a spirit of support and mutual
respect.
Newcastle (Staffs) Methodist Circuit endorses
the Methodist Church's Report entitled 'Our Calling' which was
adopted by the Methodist Conference in 2000. This report identifies
four areas as central to the life of the church.
Worship:
The Church exists to increase awareness of God’s
presence and to celebrate God’s love
Worship is central to the life of the Christian Community and the individual
Christian as it enriches, challenges and encourages us in all that
we do. All are welcome to come and join any of the congregations
in our Circuit for worship.
The policy of the Circuit
is to take an open honest and affirming approach to the Christian
faith. Its truths often lie below the surface and require critical
and searching questions.
Learning and Caring:
The Church exists to help people to grow and learn
as Christians, through mutual support and care
To
enable the Christian community to grow and develop in their
individual and communal pilgrimage, we seek to provide
opportunities for learning, discussion and debate in a process of
discovery, rather than the provision of stock answers and
dogma.
Service:
The Church exists to be a good neighbour to people
in need and to challenge injustice
We seek to
meet the needs of people at times when they seek baptism, marriage
or funerals for their loved ones. Enquiries about baptism,
weddings and funerals should be directed to the minister of the
Church concerned.
We seek to encourage faithful,
stable and committed relationships, but at the same time we
recognise that such ideals can be difficult to achieve and that
life is full of grey areas where our situations are a bit of a
muddle and the frailty of our humanity all too evident. We are not
here to judge, but to enable people to take responsibility for
their lives and meet their commitments.
Issues of
Justice and Peace, children's and youth work are of particular
importance in our Circuit and the pursuit of these aims are given
a high profile in our fife and witness.
Evangelism:
The Church exists to make more followers of Jesus
Christ
We seek to tell the good news of Jesus in
words that are meaningful in our modern world, to call people to
faith in Jesus Christ and to a commitment to Christian
discipleship; both in our churches and in the communities we
serve.
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The
Newcastle-under-Lyme