Ashby and Coalville Methodist Circuit

Worship

The quarterly plan shows which preachers are preaching at which church each week. Choose a month to see the circuit plan.

Select a month below from the drop down menu to view or download the circuit plan of preachers

First time at Church?

Is this the first time you've been to church? Not sure what to do? Worried that you might do something wrong?

Of course it is strange entering a building full of people you don't know. We try to be as welcoming as possible - and some first-time visitors have told us that we are - not all, but nobody's perfect!

The door stewards will give you a weekly notice sheet, and maybe a service sheet and/or a Methodist Worship Book. Everything you need will be given to you on your way into church. Feel free to sit anywhere you like. In a morning service, if there is a Junior Church/Sunday School, the children generally sit at the front until they leave for their classes, but you'll probably want to sit further back anyway, if only to follow what everybody else does!

Most of our services do not use the Methodist Worship Book; you'll have received one if it is going to be used. One advantage of being a church without a fixed order of service is that the regular congregation need directions to what we are going to do and which page of which book to turn to, just as much as you do, so you won't get lost.

Many of our churches have an induction loop so anyone with a hearing aid isn't left out - just switch it to T.

"Do what everyone else is doing" is the best advice, as is "there's no obligation to join in", but read on for more specific questions:

"How long will the service be?" One hour. That's what normally happens, anyway. Family services can be a bit shorter; Holy Communion can be longer. Healing services can last up to an hour and a half because of the prayer time, when anyone who wishes to receive prayer for healing is invited to come to the front and pray with one of the team leading the service.

"How do I know when to stand up or sit down?" Everybody will stand when we sing, and we remain standing after the last hymn for the blessing. We sit down for everything else. It gets a bit more complicated at Holy Communion, in which case we stand for the communion prayer as well. Just follow what everyone else does. Or stay seated all the time. You won't be the only one if you do that - some of our elderly and disabled members will be doing the same.

"I don't know the tune" - but there is no obligation to join in the hymns or songs. We all had to learn sometime.

"What about the collection?" A plate will be passed along the pews at some point to collect an offering for the church's work. PLEASE do not feel you have to put something in. No-one will pass comment if you don't. Just pass it on.

"What about Communion?" Again, no-one is obliged to take the bread and the wine. When the communion stewards direct you forward to the communion rail, you don't have to go. Or you can join the queue, but not hold your hands out to receive the bread and wine, and the minister will give you a blessing instead. The Methodist Church has no fixed rule as to who may receive Communion - all Christian people are welcome at the table.

You may even want to come back! We would be glad to see you again. It might even be completely different next week - the variety of preachers will make sure of that. See who is leading worship for the next few weeks on our Circuit Plan.

Churches Together

Many Churches, one purpose

There are many different Christian churches and denominations, but all have the same basic calling: to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all people.

So they often need to work together - and to co-ordinate the work they each do separately. When they do, they are acting as Churches Together.

But being Churches Together means more than that. It means commitment by each church and denomination to deepen its fellowship with the others, and - without losing what makes each interestingly different - to work with them towards a greater visible unity.

Hugglescote Churches Together
Whitwick & Thringstone Churches Together