Welcome to The Bread Church website.

April 2021

Whilst The Bread Church remains closed due to the current Coronavirus Pandemic restrictions, you can keep in touch with our community via this website, our facebook page Somewhere Else - The Bread Church and also our Instagram account.

Please take time to read the statement from the Chair of the Methodist District, Rev. Dr Sheryl Anderson, in response to the gradual reopening of our society after Lockdown 3.

During this time of closure, we have added pages about on-line worship, prayer, help in Liverpool and activities to do at home to keep us all connected.

Look at our Action for Children charity section for help with your children during the coronavirus (Covid 19 ) pandemic.

Do scroll through the other pages; to see how we normally work. We look forward to welcoming you to Somewhere Else in the future.

If you need to contact SWE, then email info@somewhere-else.org.uk as Lorraine, the administrator and pastoral assistant, continues to work from home.

Or phone on 074 9873 6436.

We're an inclusive community

Who Are We?

Somewhere Else (also known as The Bread Church) is an inclusive community that usually meets around the making and sharing of bread. We offer a warm welcome, hospitality and friendship to those of all faiths and none.

Since the lockdown in March 2020, we have begun to be church in a different way, as we have had to meet online via Zoom or via telephone calls and emails. If you look at the Facebook page Somewhere Else - The Bread Church, you will find a video of all the different activities that we have been involved in.

https://www.facebook.com/109817523771917/videos/413673793011103

Prior to the arrival of the Covid 19 Pandemic in our country, this is how our community met. We look forwarding to meeting in community when it is appropriate.

We are open twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10.30 - 2.00 to make bread by hand, with individuals and community groups of all ages and abilities. The sessions include time for:

all the elements of making bread,
conversation and refreshments,
shared reflection and prayers, and
a simple meal together, prepared by volunteers and those who come to make bread.

Anyone wishing to make bread is asked to arrive by 11a.m. To share in other parts of the fellowship - coffee, conversation, Reflections and lunch - people arrive at any time from mid-morning onwards.

The activity is usually led by our team of volunteers who help with hospitality, and guide visitors through the steps in bread-making.

All our volunteers, known as facilitators, have undergone a 5 session training programme which includes food hygiene as well as safeguarding.

We also hold meetings for worship and contemplation at other times. Scroll down this page to read about our Quiet space on Tuesday sessions last year.

Check this website or our facebook page to keep up to date.

The Bread Church - Liverpool City Centre Methodist Church

Behind the scenes - refresher training

The trustees of SWE have been working hard to ensure that we are in as safe a position as is possible in order to reopen to the public and make bread together once again.

Read about the refresher training sessions which have been taking place for our essential facilitator volunteers. They were all glad to be back in community.

Behind the Scenes

Lent Reflections - "Man shall not live on bread alone"

During Lent, the community of SWE met via Zoom on a Tuesday evening at 7 pm for Reflections. The reflections were based around each of the ingredients in our bread recipe, but were used to help us to reflect on topics other than bread. Each reflection was shared by a different member of our community.

Turn to our Reflections' page to read each person's thoughts on the subject and also find the link to the Facebook videos.

Our new series of reflections - A2B - begins on Tuesday, 20th of April at 7 pm via Zoom. Email Lorraine at info@somewhere-else.org.uk for the link.

Grain. Gather. Grow.

Our Winter Wheat project, led by Chris is "bearing fruit" as our wheat stalks are almost ready to harvest. Do read the following pages for all that has been happening.

Turn to ...

Or read Chris's first newsletter by following this link.

January to May newsletters available here.

"Somewhere Else are very grateful to the Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Service (LCVS) for providing us with funding to support our Grain Gather Grow project. We applied for the funding from LCVS's Covid Community Impact Fund back in October and were delighted to be awarded with funds to cover the costs of the project, helping us keep in touch with our community and beyond in these difficult times."

Back Baking on Zoom - 2021 Next session 26/06/2021

Denise's granddaughter enjoyed baking bread with her last month on our regular Saturday Zoom baking session.

Look out for the invitation to future Saturday baking events - on the last Saturday morning of each month - on Facebook or email info@somewhere-else.org.uk to ask to be added to the mailing list for the Zoom link.

Look at our Challah breads and Easter biscuits which we learnt to bake on Saturday, the 27th of March. We liked the recipe so much that we thought that we would have another go at baking it on Saturday, 29th of May. The challah tasted even scrummier the second time of baking.

Prayers for Today 2021

Be thou my vision,

O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me

Save that thou art

Thou my best thought

By day or by night

Waking or sleeping,

Thy presence my light.

OLD IRISH

Please follow this link for the daily prayer. Thank you for joining our community in prayer since lockdown. You can also join the community in prayer on our Facebook page every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm or on Wednesdays.

Lorraine

Psalm for the week - Psalm 148

Praise for God's Universal Glory

"Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his glory is above earth and heaven."

v. 13 N.R.S.V.

Read more about this psalm on our Positive Thoughts page .

Image By Lorraine Howarth

Allow the music of the Sons of Korah to hear the words of this psalm anew.

Praying the breakthrough prayer

A prayer for God to break through in the life of our churches:

God of love, God for all,
your purposes are more beautiful than we can possibly imagine.
Fill us with your Holy Spirit.
Help us let go of all that holds us back.
Open our lives and our churches to new seasons of humility and faith, of change and growth.
Shake us up with the Good News of Jesus and show us the way.
Amen

The Methodist Church in Britain is focussing on a Year of Prayer for Evangelism and Growth 2020/2021. The breakthrough prayer forms part of daily/weekly devotions that we, as Methodists, are being asked to pray.

Pause on the Positive Thoughts Page

Take time out to pause and take inspiration from our Positive Thoughts page.

Listen to a song, read a poem, psalm or passage from the Bible.

If you have any inspirational passages or songs that you think others would enjoy, then please send them to info@somewhere-else.org.uk

Struggling to stay focused when you pray? Read about Finger Prayer Labyrinths on our separate page.

Also follow a link to the same page to watch a short video about Contemplation by Rev'd Rachel Parkinson.

At the moment, the community of SWE is separated from each other, but joined through their love of God, prayers, and especially when we think of each other as we bake bread and knit or crochet our squares for our blankets at home. Last week, I heard this new song on the Radio 4 Morning Service – adapted from the original by John Bell (a leader of the Iona Communty), which was originally written by his Norwegian friend Hans-Olav Moerk. May it give you peace.

Click on the image to play the video.

We will meet; when the danger is over,

We will meet when the sad days are done;

We will meet sitting closely together and be glad our tomorrow has come.

UN Sustainability Goals

Find out more about this global initiative and how you can make a difference

on ....

Methodist Website Prayer Wall & Prayers during the coronavirus pandemic

Here at Somewhere Else, we have a wish wall in the main room. When we are waiting for the kettle to boil or our bread to prove, then people may physically write their wishes for local and national issues on a post-it and glue it to the wall. If you log on to the Methodist Website https://www.methodist.org.uk/our-faith/prayer/prayer-wall/ you will find a prayer wall, where you can add your concerns.

Do take time to have a look, as it is another way for us to feel connected.

The Methodist Church Website has also added prayers connected with the pandemic not only from the UK, but from our brothers and sisters around the world. https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/coronavirus/prayers-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

Follow this link for A prayer for Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Z9KRMAFgk7o&feature=emb_logo

A prayer for all people during lockdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LoWxlpLfDA

Members of the SWE community say a prayer together, which is posted to our Facebook page, every Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 8 pm.

Live-streamed services each Sunday

Each Sunday morning, you can join in worship from Central Hall Westminster at 11 am by following this link.www.youtube.com/mchwevents

You can also join in worship led by the Minister of Wesley's Chapel London at 11 am https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAUqhmhevz5sqhh72LIMxA

Sthie ('At home')

This is a different form of worship experience from the Isle of Man. Join in live on Sundays by joining a Facebook group. For details see https://andyfishburne.com/2020/03/15/sthie-at-home-online-worship/

You can watch previous live-streamed videos at https://www.youtube.com/andyfishburne

We trust that these will help you to feel connected to the wider Christian community.