About us

The Bradford North Circuit came into being on 1 September 2009. Our Ministry Team, supported by ciruit employees, other clergy, and volunteer office holders, serves churches from across the north of Bradford in West Yorkshire. Our churches vary in size and personality but together we seek to share God's abundant love with those we meet through the wealth of activities offered across the Circuit.

The Calling of the Methodist Church is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission. It does this through:

Worship - The Church exists to increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love.

Learning and caring - The Church exists to help people to grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care.

Service - The Church exists to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice.

Evangelism - The Church exists to make more followers of Jesus Christ.

Individually and collectively, we follow a Methodist Way of Life.

Our journey of discernment continues as we explore what it means to be "church" in our communities.

The mission which matters is that of the local church, and the circuit exists to support and facilitate that mission. The ministry we are all called to exercise is always local, seeking to serve people in the places we inhabit - where we live, work, spend our time. This mission and ministry, diverse and varied though it is in response to local contexts, will reflect appropriately the calling of the Methodist Church. In coming to decisions about how we use our resources we need a balance between local need and opportunity, and wider concerns. We seek to help one another be good stewards of the time, talent and treasure entrusted to us.

Being Church Amidst A Pandemic

In the midst of all the challenges presented by Covid-19, we have celebrated a message of hope, of light that comes into the darkness, and of God’s coming into a world of need. As Christians, we seek to live by the hope and truth that God is with us in Jesus Christ. In our churches and Circuit, we continue to share in the Christian life, building on ways of keeping in touch and witnessing to God’s Word that we have developed through periods of lockdown. Throughout this time we have had to learn new ways of being church, sometimes eagerly embracing opportunities that have presented themselves, at other times reluctantly pushed into what has needed to be done, but in every circumstance looking to the Spirit’s guidance and power to keep us in Christ’s way.

We invite you to join us on our journey of hope as we live day by day in God's loving presence.

Comments

Christmas Day Worship 2021

Today is the day - Christmas! The central candle is lit. The waiting is over. The child is born. As we celebrate the Feast and Holy-Day of Christmas, with the Psalmist (Ps. 98:4-6) we proclaim: Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn – shout for joy before the LORD, the King. Prayer Let us pray: Generous God, even as we praise you for the good news of today, and seek to shout for joy at the coming of the Christ-child, we acknowledge Mary’s mix of pain and joy, both today and in the days to come. As we do so, we face our own emotions on this difficult and delightful day, and ask your help to live it well. Amen. Carol You might like to sing, or reflect on the words of Geoffrey Ainger’s hymn at StF 193/H&P 95, Born in the night, Mary’s child, a long way from your home; coming in need, Mary’s child, born in a borro...

Pastoral Letter - 9 December 2021

Dear friends We have been through a lot together over this last 18 months since the pandemic first started, as households, as communities and as the people of the church. At times we have struggled, but we have also recognised the support we can offer one another in times of adversity. When things have been far from normal, we have adapted in new ways to continue the life and mission of the church. In the face of great hurt and great need, we have found the value of faith and hope. Since the summer we have seen signs of hope in the re-opening of buildings and the re-starting of some of our church and community groups. However, recent news of a new variant of the virus has once again raised the level of concern. Clearly, the pandemic is not yet over. Consequently, as I am sure you are already aware, the government has decided that there is a need for greater restrictions to be in place once again - see detailed guidance dated 8th December. In the light of this, the Methodist Church...

Prayer Column - January 2022

The turn of the year As a new year approaches we tend to wonder what lies ahead, hoping always to shake off the past’s bad record and for something better to come, as if hoping could make it so. We wonder about next year because of course we don’t know what lies around the corner (however great the store of human knowledge, and however thorough our Googling). Search as we may, and it’s a royal honour to do so (Prov 25:2), some things are known only to God: times and seasons fixed by his authority are not for us to know (Acts 1:7), for the future is his. This is a time to remind ourselves of God’s omniscience: he does know (Rom 11:33). He knows the plans he has for us – plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11). And it’s time to remember also that God is not far-off and aloof, but a loving, heavenly Father who wants a close living relationship with each of us, day by day and breath by breath – he sent Jesus to bring us back to him. So ...

Bradford North Circuit

Search This Blog