Your District Evangelism Enabler, Michele Simms, and your Interfaith Enabler, The Revd Ray Gaston, are now joining together to bring you occasional news and resources. Please send any email address amendments to Michele. Thank you.

From your Evangelism Enabler:

Rob Bell Tour (15th March at Stoke on Trent)
Many people have drawn from Rob Bell's books and Nooma DVDs for their inspiration in taking a fresh and creative approach to exploring faith.  Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan and has written a number of influential books such as Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. He is on a tour of the US West Coast, the UK and Australia and New Zealand during the spring of 2010.  The tour is based on his new book, Drops Like Stars, and is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity. The UK dates are 14-19 March and take in Belfast, Stoke on Trent, Swansea, London, Southampton and Perth. If you are near any of those venues I'm sure it would be worth getting along and maybe taking a group including some not-yet Christians along too.  Tickets are £10.50 and can be booked online at: https://www.robbell.com/dropslikestars/tour-dates/

                    
Back to Church Sunday
Please note that for 2010 all registrations and church pack requests for all denominations will be through the new Back to Church website   The strict one-off deadline for orders is 15th June.                     Methodist Churches will receive an email invoice from Methodist Church House in London, and will send payments here as last year. They will be handled by the Helpdesk team led by John Wright. There is a shortcut on the home page of the Methodist Church website which takes you directly to the Back to Church pages, with latest information. Training materials for welcoming and planning for mission will be added soon. The link is -      http:/ www.methodist.org.uk/backtochurchsunday/ Applicants who are not “on line” are asked to find a church member who is, to enable their order. If this is not possible they need to post or telephone their order to the Helpdesk at MCH.

Cliff College Evangelists Forum.  Thursday 18th March   Rev David Bagwell from Camborne will speak on "Living the Celtic Way" a 21st century approach to ministry and mission. David is a Methodist Minister, author and fresh expressions practitioner.  His theme will help us all to draw lessons for today from Celtic spirituality. Click here for details and registration.

Mission Shaped Ministry course Hereford Starts in April. See this link.

              
Coventry City Mission 40 days and nights tour.  Coventry City Mission's Director, Darren Burgess, will be giving up his spare time as he attempts to speak 40 times, for 40 different churches/groups to raise the profile of the many projects that CCM run. Do you have an event that you would like to invite him to speak at  Either your church service, men's breakfast, church social, prayer meeting, lent course, small group, Holy week service, coffee morning, Mother's day event (14 March)  - No event is too small!.  All they ask is that the church, if possible, makes a gift offering to the Mission or take a collection at the event.  For more info tel: 02476 615931or email darren@covcitymission.org.uk  

Resources for Internet Evangelism Day  25th April 2010 is designated for Internet Evangelism Day and preparation material is on their website: http://www.internetevangelismday.com/

  Using twitter as an outreach opportunity  A new page on the Internet Evangelism Day web site suggests a host of ways in which twitter can be used in sharing the good news about Jesus:  http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/1101  

'Through the Keyhole' .. views from people outside church Scottish research of people's views about church were collated after a planned new church in new housing area was refused planning permission as perceived a 'bad neighbour'. See the findings here.  

'Where can we go?' community web resource for families  'Where can we go?' is a free web resource aimed at providing information for families about local events. Advertise your outreach event free via: http://www.wherecanwego.com/

Interface - exploring everyday issues from a faith based perspective  Interface is a Methodist initiative where every week different contemporary issues are explored from a faith perspective. Anyone is invited to join here.  

Michele Simms
Birmingham Methodist District Evangelism Enabler
01629 824700
07517 215 297
bhamdee@mac.com