Circuit Confirmation


For two days in October a group of young people from Edmonton, Goffs Oak and Ordnance Road met to learn more about God, the Church, Prayer and Communion. A wonderfully creative group they designed gospels and prayer stations for evening prayers.
Unfortunately school attendance meant that some young people missed sessions or missed out completely so in January we had a catch-up day and a further day for the whole group, now including young people from Southgate, before a wonderful circuit service where 12 young people were confirmed.
They have subsequently been invited to join with the young adults group in the circuit to continue learning, exploring and growing in faith.

Sunday Fundays

After our initial Circuit Sunday Funday last June, there have been three this year, plus a sleepover and a Boys’ Brigade Explore event. The three Fundays took place on Advent, Palm and Trinity Sundays at Southgate, Trinity and Southgate.

They are a great opportunity for adults and children to be creative in worship, to try things that no church on its own would be able to do and to meet other children and leaders from around the circuit. So far 7 out of 10 churches have attended the Fundays, with a regular leadership team beginning to form with supporters from host churches too. This year’s highlights have included:

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who has given up their time to make all these events, our Junior Churches, Uniformed Groups and Parents and Toddlers sessions the success that they are.

The Circuit Youth and Children’s Work Strategy agreed in July 14 had a number of proposals for new work, ways of developing existing work and set some priorities.

In section B of the strategy, Continuing Training Programmes, item four is:

‘Developing resources based on the Connexional policy Children, Young People and Communion, for children, young people, junior church leaders and parents.’

To advance this Emily and Alan are going to adapt existing resources and produce some sessions that can be used by Junior Church leaders with their groups, and information for parents explaining the Methodist Church’s Connexional policy, and on making a decision as a family on the options open to them. This is the next task and will be done for the autumn.

Holiday Clubs

Holiday Bible Week isn’t happening this year. To fill the gap and to provide something on the East of the circuit, we are going to run a Holiday Club for the circuit at Edmonton from 10th – 14th August and hear about it in church on Sunday 16th August. The following week Goffs Oak will have their Holiday Club 17th – 21st August. Goffs’ are planning theirs and the circuit club is using their preparation for the Edmonton one. The week after that Totteridge Road Baptist Church have theirs and have said they will welcome any St. John or Ordnance children who would prefer to go there.

Section C of the Strategy is: ‘Proposed new initiatives’.

We are hoping that the circuit meeting will have time to discuss this and decide which of the following they would like the strategy group to explore next year:

  1. Looking at a trial fora new open youth work project, ecumenically or in partnership if possible.

We would need to pick one area, find people who were interested and other partners and then probably discuss and try several things before we found something that worked.

  1. Improving our links with local schools, and working in partnership with one or two on an out of school project.

This might be producing a series of assemblies we could offer to local schools, and school visit packs we can adapt easily to our churches.
It might be running a lunchtime or after-school activity in a school or a healthy lunches project in school holidays.
It might be…

  1. You tell us, what community youth or children’s work would you like to see the circuit involved in?