Lancashire Methodist District

Churches have an amazing story to tell – from their beautiful buildings to the dedicated volunteers who keep them open and serving local people – but they need help. With the future of many churches uncertain and under threat, there has never been a more important time to celebrate the UK’s churches and their importance to communities.

Nominations will close on July 23, 2023, with judging then taking place by church and heritage experts. The awards ceremony will take place on Monday 6 November at the fabulous Mercer’s Hall, London.  

Churches can easily nominate themselves for an award by clicking here.

Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said:

“Churches are the beating hearts of communities. They contribute £55 billion of economic and social good each year, bringing communities together to help them to thrive. We are excited to host an awards ceremony that showcases their importance, as well as the many other wonderful ways they contribute to society.”

“This is a great opportunity for people across the UK to join with us in celebrating local churches and their buildings.”

Canon Easter, former Chaplain to the late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted the awards last year, and will be returning as host this year said:

“It was a great privilege to host these awards last year. It was lovely to see churches from across the whole of the UK nominated and cheered on by their communities. But there are many more churches doing wonderful work, and I hope they will enter for an award this year.”

The Home Office has announced that funding applications are now open for the Places of

Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme. Funding to help protect places of worship,

including churches and chapels, is available for physical protective security such as CCTV,

intruder alarms and secure fencing.

To apply for funding, applicants should submit evidence of their vulnerability and experience of hate crime. The application window is open for 8 weeks, and the Home Office will notify successful applicants from November 2023.  Applications close on Tuesday 15 August 2023. Click here to apply.

There are also some useful resources on SAFE (Security Advice for Everyone)'s website.  Click here to view.

To maximise your chances of success it’s vital that any application for funding covers all the bases and is as close to perfection as you can

make it.  Writing funding applications is an art, not a science. In this latest article Ian Tate, Independent Fundraising Consultant, covers the fundamentals to maximise your chances of success. Click here to read.  

As well, a webinar recording now available.  In this recording Layla Moosavi, Associate Trainer, Directory of Social Change, Chris Pitt, Impact Director, Benefact Group and Paul Playford, Senior Grants Officer, Benefact Trust, offer advice on key considerations when approaching funding applications, as well as straightforward guidance on good practice in bid writing.  Click here to watch.

At the last count, there are now 789 Methodist churches registered with Eco Church or Eco Congregation, and this is fantastic news! Of those churches, nearly 400 have received an award, either bronze, silver or gold.

If your church hasn’t signed up to be an eco church it is a wonderful starting point on a journey towards net zero. There are not only awards, but also lots of tips, resources and material to help along the way. It is also possible to sign up to be an ‘Eco Circuit’ or ‘Eco District’, so there are lots of ways to get involved. Don’t worry if the awards feel a long way away, the process is set up to help you get there.

If you are in Scotland, visit Eco-Congregation Scotland.  If you are anywhere else within the Methodist Church of Great Britain, head to Eco Church - An A Rocha UK Project for more information and to sign up.

Thank you for attending conference

It was nice to meet everyone. Inside our conference bags, you would have found Post-it notes in plantable seed paper.

You'll be able to plant the seed paper and enjoy some beautiful poppies! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and share pictures of your poppies with us.

Tips for applying for Methodist Grants

If you didn’t make it to Conference or you missed our stand, we’ve added a copy of our hints and tips for applying to Benefact Trust’s Methodist Grants Programme.

Learn if your building development project is eligible for up to £100,000 from the Methodist Grants Programme and how to apply.  Building development grants

Taking your mission to a local village hall

We have many years of experience insuring charities, community groups and other not-for-profit organisations. We understand each one has individual requirements, so our policy is flexible to provide the cover you need. We aim to give you the peace of mind to focus on the great work you do. Charity insurance

Finding funders

Getting started means researching funders that may be interested in providing support.

Learn about different types of funders and the online databases that can provide support.

Researching donors and funders

Protecting people on church premises

Your church insurance policy includes employers’ liability that protects your greatest asset, your people.

It is important that you check your church’s insurance policy to make sure that you have adequate cover.

Learn more about protecting people

Working from height

Falls from height can result in serious injury. Identify circumstances where tasks or access at height may be required and check the precautions are adequate.
Working from height guidance

The Health and Safety Law Poster

Only HSE can approve a version of the health and safety law poster.  If you employ anyone, the law says you must:

• display an approved version of the poster, or
• provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent leaflet

You must display the poster where your workers can easily read it and you can’t print a copy yourself.  The current version of the law poster includes enhanced security features and is more durable. Read HSE's guidance on how to identify a genuine law poster.   Click here to order HSE approved versions of the poster.

The £42 million government Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme has undergone a digital transformation with the development of a new website and application portal.

• The new website makes it easier to navigate and find the information - from scheme eligibility to application guidance. The website sits on the gov.uk domain, providing reassurance this is an official and trusted website.
• The new application portal will enable applicants to apply online. This will follow the same familiar format as the PDF form, but will be easier to process than downloading and completing a physical document. The option to use the old PDF will remain, but the application portal is planned to be more efficient - with all the information and attachments uploaded and submitted in one place.

Please note that the website is now easier to use and the online portal is in addition to the paper-based method of application. Click here to view.

Charities Act 2022 - Permanent Endowments

TMCP is now in the process of updating the guidance on permanent endowments, which will be made available on the TMCP website shortly.  Click here to read more.

Ruach - what's it all about?

Ruach is the term that Poppleton Methodist Church used for describing their response to the changing demands placed on them in the 21st century.  The word Ruach is an ancient Hebrew one that when applied to god indicates creative activity and active power.  For them, it means our vision of how we respond to the changing needs of the world.  We can't hide from change; we have to recognise its impact with regards to church and community.  

Over 10 years ago, their  minister instigated a reflection by the membership of how we saw ourselves within our community in Yorkshire. We asked ourselves these questions:  'Were we just carrying on year after year doing the same thing without thinking?' and 'Are there new things we should do to improve our community engagement?'  Click here to read the read of the story.

The Methodist church is committed to being  inclusive and making sure that disabled people can use our buildings is a fundamental part of this.  In addition to our calling to be a growing, evangelistic, inclusive church of diverse people, we have legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to make our buildings accessible for disabled people. To assist with this, the Making Buildings Accessible guidance as well as the Building Access Audit are now available on the website.  Click here to learn more.  

Disability charity Through the Roof has created a webpage to show churches and ministries where to find funding for building work to improve disabled access. Click here to view.

Katie Mobbs from Through the Roof shares: “I’m a Christian, and a wheelchair user. It can be challenging to access some church buildings in my wheelchair, as many have steps, heavy doors and fixed pews that limit access. Many churches want to open up their buildings more for disabled people but are not sure where to start. That’s why I’m excited about our webpage about funding for access improvements! I’d love all churches to know there are funding bodies that want to help – so please do visit the webpage and tell others about it.”

Making your church more accessible is a journey – you don’t have to get everything right straight away. Just get started and remember that small things can make a big difference.  Here are some key tips from the webpage about finding funding:

1. There are many different funding organisations for churches such as the National Churches Trust or the Benefact Trust – many offer advice as well as sources of funding.
2. If your church building is used for community activities, ensure you flag that to funders – many more funds are available for community-used buildings than for church-use alone.
3. Building work to provide access for disabled people is zero-rated for VAT – make sure you get an appropriate certificate to give to your builder so you don’t pay VAT.  Click here to learn more.

The National Churches Trust (NCT) have several grant programmes, including funding for repairs, available to churches throughout the UK.  These include:

• Small Grants of up to £5,000 for urgent maintenance and small repairs costing up to £20,000, and small investigative works. www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/grants/small-grants
  
  
• Medium Grants of up to £10,000 for repairs costing between £20,000 and £80,000, or for project development. www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/grants/medium-grants
  
  
• Large Grants of up to £50,000 repair projects costing over £80,000, or kitchen and toilet projects costing more than £30,000. www.nationalchurchestrust.org/get-support/grants/large-grants

Launching this year, our new Cherish project will help boost skills, resources and funding across Scotland, Wales, and the Northwest of England (Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria). In partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will offer a wide range of support including a dedicated Support Officer for each area and some small grants. Read more on www.nationalchurchestrust.org/cherish.

Listed Building Advisory Committee (LBAC) Meeting Dates:  

• 18 July 2023 - Deadline for paper is 27 June 2023
• 10 October 2023 - Deadline for paper is 12 September 2023
• 23 January 2024 - Deadline for paper is 31 December 2023

Supporting the Methodist Connexion

Methodist Insurance has been protecting the property of the Methodist Church since 1872.  We are a Public Limited Company owned by shareholders and independent of the Methodist Church. The company operates like a mutual by returning most of our profits back to our community in the form of a significant financial contribution to the Methodist Connexion.  Find out more.