January Events
30 January
Lay Orientation Training Day
10.00am – 3.30pm Online.
A day for new Lay Employees to meet, explore their role, understand Methodism and get to grips with key employment practices and much more!
Please click here to book.
30 January
Faith and Social Prescribing Launch Event
11.00am – 12.00pm Online.
Social prescribing plays a vital role in providing practical support for people who are struggling with loneliness, low-level mental health conditions, caring responsibilities and financial issues such as debt. Faith groups contribute significantly to local social prescribing networks and, with their focus on community, relationship and holistic wellbeing, they can play a foundational role in preventative healthcare by supporting individuals to access the right support early on. The event is designed for anyone eager to strengthen the connections between faith and social prescribing. It will be beneficial for local ministry or church leaders, link workers, PCN leads and those exploring how best to resource neighbourhood healthcare at a strategic level.
Please click here to book.
31 January
Responding to Bullying and Harassing Behaviour
9.30am – 1.00pm Online.
This two session programme promotes good working relationships and ways to manage bullying and harassing behaviour within the life of our churches and faith communities. It enables those who participate in the training to consider the dynamics that lead to bullying and harassing behaviour, and equips participants with basic skills to become more confident when dealing with people who display such behaviour.
Please click here for more information and to book.
February Events
03 February
Our Stories – Regional Safeguarding Conference 2025 – Stories of Journeys
1.30pm Online
The theme chosen for the Regional Safeguarding Conference this year is based around the Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) strategy which was adopted by the Methodist Conference of 2021. This first session will be led by Revd Helen Cameron on Stories of Journeys – where have we come from as a church? Who have been the pioneers, and what lessons have been learned from where it went wrong?
Please click here for more information and to book.
03 February
Beginning a Church at the Margins Taster
7.00pm – 8.00pm Online
Many people are struggling financially. Join us for a conversation to learn how the Methodist Church is responding to people experiencing poverty. Discover how you can listen, connect, and see a new Christian community emerge.
Please click here for more information and to book.
04 February and 06 February
Change, Transition and Conflict
9.30am – 12.30pm Online
Change, Transition and Conflict offers support and training for Church Leaders, lay and ordained, as they travel through change and transition. The two sessions move through the change process, from the letting go of the old, to sitting in that messy middle when the new has not yet begun. With a particular focus on transitions and people within the change process, the sessions consider where conflicts are most likely to arise, and offer insights for navigating well through times of change and transition.
Please click here for more information and to book.
04 February
Our Stories – Regional Safeguarding Conference 2025 – Stories of Justice
7.30pm Online
The theme chosen for the Regional Safeguarding Conference this year is based around the Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) strategy which was adopted by the Methodist Conference of 2021. This session will be coordinated by the young people from our Districts, sharing Stories of Justice that have come from 3Generate, and the church priorities.
Please click here for more information and to book.
05 February
Our Stories – Regional Safeguarding Conference 2025 – Stories of Dignity
10am Online
The theme chosen for the Regional Safeguarding Conference this year is based around the Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) strategy which was adopted by the Methodist Conference of 2021. This session will be led by Pauline Jackson on Stories of Dignity – what a safe space feels like and what it feels like when church is not safe.
Please click here for more information and to book.
05 February
7.30 – 9pm Online
Who Cares? Book Club for people passionate about Pastoral Care
This monthly Book Club, run from February to November 2025, will reflect on a different chapter of “Pastoral Care in Practice” each month.
Please click here for more information and to book.
06 February
Our Stories – Regional Safeguarding Conference 2025 – Stories of Solidarity
1.30pm Online
The theme chosen for the Regional Safeguarding Conference this year is based around the Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) strategy which was adopted by the Methodist Conference of 2021. This session will be led by Revd Mark Rowland on Stories of Solidarity – examples of good practice, stories of where things are working well and the positive impact of finding a safe space in church.
Please click here for more information and to book.
11 February
Spirituality, Scripture and Conflict
9.30am – 4.00pm Online
What can we learn from scripture about Conflict and Change? Building on our foundation day “Growing through Change and Conflict”, this material explores first an approach to scripture rooted in God’s loving reconciliation in the world, and then secondly offers a way in to bible study rooted in “the remembered bible”. Drawing on our own lived experience of life in our church or faith community, we continue to support all those in our churches and faith communities to be peacemakers in the spirit of the gospel.
Please click here for more information and to book.
13 February
Bradford 2025 Information Webinar
12.00pm – 1.00pm Online.
As part of the Bradford City of Culture 2025 celebrations, in the early Autumn, five venues in the Bradford area will be exhibiting artworks held in the Methodist Modern Art Collection (MMAC). The overall exhibition held across the five venues will open across the first week of September 2025 and run until Sunday 12th October. Whilst they all will have their own theme, they will all be linked via an Art Trail and the overall theme for the exhibition, “Everything is Connected”. This webinar will incorporate a short presentation on the MMAC exhibition and planned activity, and more information on the ways that you can get involved. The session will be a chance to hear from you and hear what you think of the works and our ideas for the exhibition.
Please click here for more information and to book.
15 February and 22 February
Reflective Line Management Training for Lay Employees in the Methodist Church
9.30am – 12.30pm Online.
Reflective Line Management training is designed for any new or existing line managers. It offers a holistic approach and an exploration of good practice. The course runs across two Saturdays and comprises two parts – Character, Skills and Law, and Interventions and Aiding Reflection – which will both be completed on the same day.
Please click here for more information and to book.
March Events
05 March
7.30 – 9pm Online
Who Cares? Book Club for people passionate about Pastoral Care
This monthly Book Club, run from February to November 2025, will reflect on a different chapter of “Pastoral Care in Practice” each month.
Please click here for more information and to book.
06 March
Leadership Skills
10.00am – 5.30pm Online
A day to explore a wide range of leadership skills and styles, with themes including facilitation skills, chairing meetings, managing volunteers, encouraging participation and team and group dynamics.
Please click here to book.
08 March
A Retreat for (Busy) Volunteers
12.30pm – 4.30pm at Christ Church Hipperholme, Wakefield Road, Hipperholme, Halifax, HX3 8AA
Following on from a successful retreat morning last year, the District is offering another retreat for busy volunteers. The church will be open from 12.30pm for you to bring your own lunch and share fellowship with others. The retreat will be from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, led by Revd Michaela Youngson, Assistant Secretary of the Methodist Conference.
Please click here for more information and click here to book.
18 March
Adult Mental Health First Aid
9.30am – 1.30pm Online
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a nationally accredited training course which teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis. This is an online course, taking place over four sessions on the 18th, 20th, 25th and 27th of March.
Please click here for more information and to book.
19 March
Making digital presence accessible
7.00 – 9.00pm Online
Join Fiona Fidgin, the Connexion’s Digital Communications Officer, to explore why digital is important, discover where our digital skills support needs are, share our digital skills and wisdom, and learn how to do something new, inclusively and accessibly.
Please click here for more information and to book.
27 March
Mental Health First Aid Refresher
9.30am – 2.30pm Online
Mental Health First Aider’s need to take the refresher course every three years to keep their awareness of mental health support current, update their knowledge of mental health and what influences it, practice applying the Mental Health First Aid action plan, and to continue to receive access to MHFAider Support and Benefits.
Please click here for more information and to book.