High St Methodist grow stronger in body, mind and spirit
Following a few casual (and not very serious) conversations, some members of the church had displayed an interest in the possibility of hosting a fitness class as part of weekly activities.
Not long after these conversations the Creative Ministries Grant scheme was launched and a number of keen members felt that fitness could be a very creative ministry indeed. And so we applied, not knowing if this was the kind of creative idea that MCI might be expecting.
We were very glad to report that our application was successful and so in High Street Methodist Church, we used our Creative Ministries Grant to purchase fitness equipment.
We purchased a selection of dumbbells, kettlebells, slam balls, steps and mats. We then started up a fitness group which meets on Wednesday and Friday nights (6-7pm) from September to March and then meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from April -June due to hall availability.
We started off as a ladies’ group but have now become a unisex group due to popular demand.
This group is open to all ages and all levels of fitness. We enjoy a variety of exercises styles – some nights we have circuit training, some nights we have tabata sessions and we even gave the good old “bleep test” a go before we took our summer break. This took many of us back to our high school days! There has even been chat of incorporating a Couch to 5K as well as the strength and conditioning sessions already offered.
There is no official charge but a donation can be given and this year we collected £300 which we decided to give to help with the costs of the mission trip to Latvia.
As well as attracting folk from our own church family, these sessions have also appealed to some people who are not members of our congregation. Everyone is made to feel very welcome. There are lots of laughs and giggles (many of which are caused by the antics of our minister who attends when he can).
These evenings allow people to catch up with one another, share something of their day or week in casual conversation and have contributed to the feeling of family and belonging within our church and the wider community. At the end of a long day or week, many people have been able to share something from work life or family life. We have been able to share in happy times and be there for each other in times of sickness or bereavement. We have been able to remember each other in prayer for new jobs, existing job concerns, children journeying exams or moving schools etc. We have been able to listen, encourage and give words of knowledge or advice where appropriate. There have been moments of much laughter and moments of tears.
Movement and exercise is a sure way to help relieve tensions and many feel its benefits for mental health and well-being. There is a sense of camaraderie within the group and we all spur each other on (even on the cold, wet evenings when we would rather sit in front of the fire).
Now that we feel established and have a core group who meet each night, we plan to continue with our classes in September. We will be continuing to invite and welcome others too. The grant allowed us to purchase good quality equipment so that we could sustain the ministry and continue to reach out through the medium of exercise, movement, fun and chat.
Since the commencement of the fitness class, members of the church have taken it upon themselves to resurrect the badminton club and a walking group now meets weekly. Many are feeling the benefits of these groups and we hope to continue on with all these ministries in the new term.
The Methodist Church in Ireland is committed to the ongoing learning and development of its lay people and to the ministries they are involved in. To further enable this, creative ministries grants were made available to lay people within the Methodist Church in Ireland, whether voluntary or employed, for exploring, starting or maintaining creative ministries within their local church/context.