Dialstone Lane News
Appeal for Additional Church Stewards
Would you like to actively join with the Minister and other leaders in the Church in ensuring that all are welcomed and assisted to worship at Dialstone Lane? Do you have some ideas you’d love to see our Church get involved with? Has the period of lockdown and enforced absence from Church made you reflect on how you spend your time and perhaps led you to consider whether you could offer your time and talents in a new way at Church? Are there things about Church which frustrate you and you want to do something about it?
Our Church Officers are appointed by the Annual Church Meeting, which this year will be held on June 19th. So in the period beforehand we ask you to consider prayerfully whether you could offer your services as a Church Steward at Dialstone Lane, helping to lead our Church at a time when we can hopefully look beyond the time of Covid. Nominations or offers need to be received two weeks before the Annual Meeting.
If you want to see what the Methodist Church has to say about being a steward there is a Steward’s Handbook available on the internet via the link given here - https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/office-holders/church-stewards/resources-for-church-stewards. But bear in mind that what is done by a steward varies between churches and this handbook seeks to cover all eventualities. Better still might be to talk with one of your existing stewards – Susan Conlon (258 8743), Stewart Blackledge (456 4464) or myself, Catriona Stoker (487 2010). Please feel free to contact us.
Catriona Stoker, Co-ordinating Steward.
At Dialstone Lane Methodist Church -
Plant Stalls raising funds for Christian Aid
Please support our socially distanced plant stalls, part of our fund raising for Christian Aid this year. There will be annuals, perennials, vegetables, tomatoes, herbs and house plants. Additional plants welcome.
The stall will be held outside the church, so if the weather is very windy or rainy, we will have to cancel for the day. At the Church, please follow the one- way directions to the stall and observe social distancing. Hand sanitiser will be available.
Saturday May 8th, Monday May 10th , Tuesday May 11th , 11.00 - 2.00
No stall on Wednesday
Thursday May 13th 2.00 – 4.00, Friday May 14th, Saturday May 15th 11.00 – 2.00
Lesley Fennell, Christian Aid Rep.
Traidcraft
I have a good range of teas (loose, teabags, decaffeinated, herbal) and coffees (instant, both caff and decaff) and filter, apple juice, muesli and granola, biscuits, nuts, dried fruit, sweets, chocolate bars (large and small), honey and marmalade available in my Traidcraft stock and would be happy to fulfil any orders via delivery or collection. Just let me know! Catriona Stoker 487 2010; cat.stoker@btinternet.com
Connexion Magazine
This magazine is issued four times a year and is for all Methodists in Britain. The Spring 2021 issue is full of stories of people who have followed what they believe God is calling them to - in a wide range of different settings. You can read the stories of ministers, lay workers, a business leader, someone who has struggled with her mental health and trainee Local Preachers. Please let me know if you would like to see this latest issue.
Andy Stoker 487 2010
Hustings
On 24th April, Dialstone Lane ran a hustings for the forthcoming local elections (6th May) - by Zoom, of course. There are thirteen candidates in the Manor, Offerton and Stepping Hill wards, which surround the church. Nine were able to attend the event and respond to questions posed by members of the public. Throughout this, we were asking "What makes a Good Society" - as we have done since we started these events in 2015. It was good to hear a variety of views and to recognise the passion of those seeking to serve their local communities in this way.
Four Seasons
As we are again able to meet in groups of six outside, there is a suggestion that we could meet on the grass round at the back of church as we did last summer, on Thursday May 6th at 2.00pm. The forecast doesn’t look great and if it’s cold or wet it won’t happen! Please bring your own chair, brew and treat and hopefully we can have a good natter. We will need to stay in groups of no more than six with the chairs placed at a sufficient distance from one another.
Zoom Coffee Morning Details
Coffee Mornings will continue on Thursdays on a fortnightly basis with the following log in details:
Every 2 weeks on Thursday at 11.00am
May 20th
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92599444343?pwd=NGlHK0lWbjFRZVkwWGZyVVdtZFBKUT09
Meeting ID: 925 9944 4343 Passcode: 626898
Zoom Afternoon Tea Chat & Cup of Tea Details
Every 2 weeks on Thursdays at 4pm,
May 13th, May 27th
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93903419254?pwd=YzE3STExNTZtdklBeHZqTDU5TkRqQT09
Meeting ID: 939 0341 9254 Passcode: 013198
You can also join these chats by phone. The phone numbers remain the same each week, but remember you will be charged at your usual call rate
Dial one of the telephone numbers below; . When you get through you will be asked to dial in the Meeting ID, followed by hash #, then # again as you are a participant not the host, then the password followed by #.
0208 080 6592; 0203 481 5240 ; 0203 901 7895; 0330 088 5830; 0208 080 6591; 0208 080 6591; 0131 460 1196; 0203 481 5237