Staveley Methodist Church

Welcome!

Welcome to Central Methodist Church located in Chesterfield's town centre. Central is one of Britain's larger Methodist Churches, with acts of worship and other activities drawing people from across the Chesterfield area and beyond.

We are Back in the Building!

Last autumn, following Government guidance, we took a cautious approach to re-opening our buildings across the Circuit for physical gatherings. At Central, we took the decision to meet in the hall, following our risk assessments at the time.

With a capacity of 25-30, the services were well attended, although we knew this would be a very different experience from the usual Sunday services we were used to.

As we exit lockdown and guidance relaxes this time around, we have worked hard with our Property and Tech Teams to prepare the sanctuary for our re-opening. This allows us to host greater numbers, whilst remaining safe and within the guidelines provided. We will also have the benefit of our new Streaming service to enable the worship to be broadcast on our YouTube and social media channels, as is currently the case with our Zoom services.

Pentecost marks the birth of the Church and so it is fitting that we aim to open the doors of our main worship space on Sunday 23rd May for our gathering at 10:30am. We remain vigilant and committed to providing a safe space for all who wish to attend. Therefore, we will replicate some of the best practice we learnt last autumn:

• Bookings must be made in advance to ensure we achieve maximum occupancy through the safe distribution of seating.
• Please book as early as possible by emailing juejuelilac@gmail.com.
• Bookings for each Sunday service will close at 9pm every Friday evening to allow time for the sanctuary to be set-up appropriately.
• Face coverings must be worn and we must maintain social distancing whilst inside the building.
• Attendance will be recorded for the purposes of test and trace and in line with GDPR.
• We remain unable to sing and there will be no gathering for coffee afterwards.
• These guidelines will continue to be reviewed in light of the changing Government guidance.

It is important that we maintain a hybrid approach to ministry and so we will continue online each Sunday evening, at 6pm, via Zoom. We will also continue to distribute written material, provide a 'dial-a-sermon' service by telephone, and produce our Daily Devotions through our social media platforms.

We look forward to seeing you back at Central on 23rd May!

Ministers

The ministers at Central are the Revd Mark Carrick and Revd Sean Adair.

Central's Life and Mission

We believe that Jesus invites all to belong to the Kingdom of God, and seek to provide a welcome to all, irrespective of their background or particular understanding of the Christian Faith.

Emphasis is placed on preaching in both word and action. The Sunday morning service is the focal point of Central's life as a Christian family and is designed to provide thoughtful and varied worship, with provision for children and young people.

Central is much more than just a Sunday Church, with a wide range of activities spread over the whole of the week.

Being located in the town centre, outreach and service are important to the life of the church. During the week, 'Cornerstone', the church's Christian coffee bar and bookshop, provides an everyday welcome to visitors. We are delighted that Cornerstone will re-open its doors each Monday, Friday & Saturday from May 17th.

There are also weekday activities for Children and Young People, as well as opportunities for Christian Development; for building Fellowship, and for supporting Community facing projects.

A programme of refurbishments has recently been completed to make the building better suited to present-day needs.

Hybrid Church

The Covid-19 pandemic curtailed many activities and led to changes in others, but the Church as a people has continued. Developing a hybrid form of church, that meets both online and in person, whilst offering written material to those unable to attend, has become very important.

We are delighted that the church will resume physical gatherings from May 23rd. Physical gatherings will resume in the main worship space and services will be live-streamed online.

Plans are also being developed to re-open other activities in compliance with Government Policy and subject to satisfactory completion of Risk Assessments.

Plans include:

• re-starting Children and Young People's activities, both on a Sunday morning and through the various groups that meet midweek.
• re-starting services on Friday lunch times.
• re-opening the snooker room, providing opportunities for people to meet in a Covid-19 safe environment.

Central on-line

A number of activities will remain on Zoom, and all are welcome:

• Evening service at 6:00pm each Sunday.
• J-Gang Breakfast sessions, for children and young people, fortnightly on Sunday mornings.
• Bible Study groups on Wednesday mornings (weekly), and Wednesday evenings (fortnightly) providing an opportunity to keep in touch.
• 'Celtic Morning Prayer' a half hour time of prayer and quiet every Wednesday morning.

Keeping in touch

While physical gathering remains restricted, efforts are made to maintain contact and provide
pastoral care in new ways:

• Information on all activities is distributed by the Church Secretary via e-mail, or by post, every Wednesday.
• The Pastoral Visitors team maintains regular contact with members of the congregation.
• If you would like information to be sent to you or require contact for prayer or personal discussion, please use our contact form.

Central's Building – a home for mission

Methodists have been worshipping on the Saltergate site since 1795. The present building dates from 1870 and is Grade II Listed, with the largest 'coffered ceiling' in the country.

A major redevelopment in the 1980s incorporated the most elegant of the historical features and provides an impressive space for worship. Nominal capacity in the sanctuary following redevelopment was 450. The redevelopment programme included a large hall, kitchen, and several meeting rooms. By then, the Church had recognised the importance of reaching into the community, and a coffee bar and Christian bookshop ('Cornerstone') were incorporated.

Over thirty years later, a significant improvement programme has just been completed, including provision of a new lift to allow full disabled access to the Sanctuary, installation of new sound and video equipment, refurbishment of Cornerstone and development of a new meeting room.

Central in more detail

Central normally offers its congregation and community a range of additional activities and opportunities throughout the week. These activities are grouped below, and the links to more detailed information will be enabled as re-opening occurs.

• Worship on Sunday mornings and Friday lunchtimes is led by an ordained Minister or an accredited Lay Preacher. Services are sometimes supported by a choir. The Floral Art Group is responsible for decorating the church throughout the year.
• Children and Young People. On Sundays a parent & toddler area is available in the sanctuary. Crèche, J-Gang and meetings for Teenagers also take place. On weekdays the Toddler Group, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides meet.
• Christian Discipleship. A range of activities includes: Bible Study; House Groups; Celtic Morning Prayer; Girls' Night In; Men's Breakfast; Sisterhood.
• Fellowship. Opportunities for meeting one another include: 'Boots & Routes' walking group; Short Mat Bowling; Snooker.
• Meeting the Community. Within the building 'Cornerstone' coffee bar and Christian bookshop opens during the week and 'Centerpoint' day-care operates in the church hall. The church is involved with and supports town centre charities e.g. Foodbank; Child Contact Centre; Roofstops; Pathways.
• Wider World. Central has an Eco-Group and supports Fair-Trade. The church also provides financial support to appropriate charitable causes through its 'Caring for Others' programme.

More information on what's happening at Central is available on the ' Latest News ' page and on Central's Facebook page.