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Good News in Tideswell!

The Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church are coming together as one new church. They are formally to become 'a Single Congregation Local Ecumenical Partnership" (LEP for short). This good news comes after a long journey of seeking God's will for the two non-conformist chapels in Tideswell.

Discussions have been taking place for quite some time as to how and when this might take place. The Rev Peter Meek (URC) and the Rev Keith Osborne (the previous Methodist minister) and a small steering group, alongside members of both congregations have been working towards this partnership through a period of discussions, joint worship and a feasibility study of both sets of premises.

Significant meetings have also taken place in the last 12 months since Rev Fran Lane became the Methodist minister in Tideswell, and was able to pick up where Keith left off. The architect, chosen to undertake the feasibility study, Mr Peter Koyander, presented his findings first to the steering group and then on 1st October to a wider group of both congregations and ministers along with rev Nick Mark, Ecumenical Officer of the URC, and Ms Rachel McCallam, Sheffield Methodist District Missiona dn Development Enabler.

A mission centre

The need for the church to be a mission centre in the 21st Century was the prime factor in the decision making. The location was a very important part of the findings through the study, and the central position in the village of the Methdoist Church had much to recommend it as a place where the mission of the church could be worked out. There was agreement from all parties to accept the architect's recommendation to use the Methodist premises to create the new church. Rev Fran Lane spoke of the church family becomming "...like living stones being built into a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5). There were prayers from Rev Peter Meek for love, peace, patience and unity as we move forwards.

There is still much to decide and organise as the journey continues from this point. The "new church" would value your prayers for the weeks ad months that lie ahead, and for the decisions which will need to be made in "becoming one". Alongside the excitement taht is felt in moving forwards there is, of course, also a sense of bereavement for the URC congregation at the los of a building which has been used by them to glorify God for many years, and that feeling is understood and shared by the Methodist folk.

Bind us together

Both congregations shared in a joyful united communion service recently, which came to a close standing hand in hand around the communion table singing 'Bind Us Together'. That's our paryer and we hope taht worship together as a new church will begin on the first Sunday of the new Year.