One Voice - in partnership with Northampton Methodist Church & Methodist Church Northampton District

Rev'd Francis is on the verge of taking up his next role as Minister in North London and here he gives his reflections and recollections to the podcast. Which British cuisine has always been a challenge for him and his family and what message does he leave for the circuit?

Lois has held a couple of Christian Aid fundraisers in the last month and what a success they've been! Coffee, tea, cakes, plants and raffles have all helped raise a fantastic sum and in this episode you'll hear just how much has come in. There's also a quick word on Gift Aid from Martin and our time honoured dip into Coffee Time Chat with Pam Kirkland.

The Rev'd Helen Cameron takes you behind the scenes of the King's coronation. In her role as Moderator of the Free Churches Group, Helen was part of the blessing ceremony and also attended rehearsals beforehand. The podcast is in the privileged position of hearing her account of the day and what it meant to be part of this once in a lifetime event. It's a remarkable and unique insight.

Kingsthorpe Baptist Church, that great partner of Kingsthorpe Methodist Church will soon celebrate it's two hundredth year. To mark this, there'll be a special exhibition at the church put together by Catherine Bruce and her peers. Catherine is a guest of One Voice and explains what she uncovered on a visit to the County Records office. She tells a fascinating story of "dissent" and determination from a different time.

There is of course the monthly Coffee Time Chat and Pam Kirkland guides you through.

What if there were places were you could get away from it all, be quietly contemplative and deepen your relationship with God?

The Retreat Association is just such a place and harks right back to the Desert Fathers, where silence and stillness is at the heart of ones existence. Their Executive Director, Alison MacTier is one of our guests this month.

Pam Kirkland dips into the realms of Coffee Time Chat once again and uncovers a remarkably selfless story of four decades given over to the church and the community.

If you want to know where to go for a Pentecost service, we have the details and there's also a look at this month's District Eco Tips, to deepen our connection to Mother Nature.

You can also hear all about something in Northamptonshire that sees 10,000 people descend on a village with Methodist connections.

David Heatherington is the co founder and emeritus curator of the Weardale Museum, an attraction closely tied to High House Chapel. The chapel was visited 13 times by John Wesley and when it needed urgent restoration work, David had the brilliant idea of depicting methodist stories and history in a unique new tapestry.

Spend some time with David, who retells this delightful story of innovation, creativity and perseverance.

The podcast also hears from Lisa Smith, a trustee of Baby Basics. Lisa tells One Voice about their ethos, some of the situations they've helped to assuage and how you can help.

There's also our monthly dose of coffee time chat. Pam hand picks a couple of the many high spots from the monthly round up of people's news.

Reverend Graham Thompson and Anthony Boateng are the President and Vice President of the Methodist Conference and have just been spending some time in Northamptonshire.

Find out what it's shown them, how it has affected them and hear their responses to some of your questions. We cover scripture, church buildings, President and Vice President rapport and how they've picked up each other's interests.

There's our regular dip into Coffee Time Chat - Pam has two lots of good news.

And

Sheila Howard talks through the concept of a prayer chain, how beneficial it is and how it gets set up.

Paul Northup is Festival Director for Greenbelt, which is about to mark its 50th birthday and we're really pleased get Paul to share his story with the podcast.

You'll hear his account of his first ever festival, what it did to him and how he and his team build on the success of 49 previous years!

Pam Kirkland ( amongst many other things ) curates Coffee Time Chat, the regular church newsletter and every month, she'll pick a highlight from it. This time, it's a celebration of Street Pastors and the newly commissioned Bola.

 A life of love and compassion is how Bola characterises the work of the Street Pastors and we're so pleased to be able to hear of her wisdom, passion and humanity.

We're also keen to help Steve Dickinson promote his tea and cake open house on 16th Feb for the DEC Turkey and Syria eathquake appeal. Please support if you can.

Holly Adams on why the British GP Weekend at Silverstone is the perfect event to spread the word of God.

Pam Kirkland takes us through the life cycle of Coffee Time Chat and the creativity behind it.

And

There's something lively going on at Kingsthorpe Baptist Church on a Monday - Carol Baldwin tells the story.

A walk through the There Is Room conference held on 7th December 2022 at Thornborough chapel and the way the church engages with its lay workers.

Speakers included Helen Cameron, Steve Mann, Matt Forsyth and Melvina Brown.

Have you expanded your tent? How do you bear God?

Expect some big questions and invigorating thought.

There is Room.

That's the name of the conference for Northampton District Lay Workers and we're fortunate enough to have Mission Enabler Matt Forsyth give out the essential details of this event on the podcast. Secure your place here. 

Community Outreach doesn't get more vital than the warm space being run by Alan, Hilary and colleagues at Park Avenue. John spent some time with them to get a feel for how it will run, why they felt the need to get involved and what they hope to achieve. The national website for an overview of this project is here.

How frequently in life and faith do you find that the path is unclear and discovering how best to use your skills and qualities is far from apparent? Well Alison Ransome is on this episode to talk through the idea of vocation and discernment.

What is your "why"?

Local preachers are at the very heart of the Methodist Church. 

The unordained are highly prized and woven into the very fabric of what John and Charles Wesley stood for. Socially important and helping to drive spiritual revival, we've two perspectives from two very accomplished local preachers on the podcast.

Jenny Brooks is based in Northamptonshire and here she relays her personal experiences of the role, what approach she takes to leading worship and what constitutes a successful service.

Anthony Boateng is Vice President of Methodist Conference and he's also a local preacher. 

" It was the most rewarding training I'd ever done. " is how he characterises his own spiritual journey.

Listen to Anthony talk about the value of this vocation and how the wider church can flourish.