Welcome to The Bread Church website.

September 2021

GOOD NEWS - WE ARE OPEN

As of the 14th of September, 2021 the community of SWE began welcoming people back to bake bread, share fellowship and take part in Alternative 2 Bread sessions. Pre-booking is needed and covid measures will be in place. Please contact Lorraine to book a place on 074 9873 6436.

During the time of closure, we have added pages about on-line worship, prayer, help in Liverpool and activities to do at home which kept us all connected. Check out our Behind the Scenes June update page.

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

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

We are open twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10.30 - 2.00 to make bread once a weed on alternate Tuesdays or Thursdays 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.

Alternative 2 Bread sessions are held on the Tuesday or Thursday that we do not bake. These sessions may be craft based, or making other food instead of bread, like peppermint creams or scones. We also meet on other evenings to explore our faith. Scroll down this page to read about our Quiet space on Tuesday sessions.

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

The Bread Church - Liverpool City Centre Methodist Church

Welcome to The Bread Church - find out what to expect now we are once again at Bold Street

News and events

News and events from around the Connexion of the Methodist church and from friends of SWE.

News & events

What our visitors say

Read some of the messages from our visitors' book.

Visitors' comments

A typical day

The atmosphere at the breadchurch is very special.

The breadroom

The Cloud Room

Robert has created a beautiful display.

Explore The Cloud Room

FRIDAY EVENING CREATIVE LOAFING - 12/11/2021

Busy during the day? Would like to bake and share fellowship with others? Then try our once a month Friday Evening Creative Loafing sessions: 6 pm - 9 pm (You are welcome to arrive from 5.30 pm onwards)

Join us on the 12th of November, 2021.

OR

10th December 2021.

Oliver enjoyed baking for the second time and made this white cottage loaf.

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

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 27/11/2021

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 - usually 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.

Join us to bake bread to accompany warming soup as Autumn begins.

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 36

Human Wickedness and Divine Goodness

"Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost;

Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks." v.6

The Message Bible

Read more about this psalm on our Positive Thoughts page .

Listen to Exodus Road Band sing Psalm 36.

Image By Lorraine H.

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.

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.

Watch this space to see when our Zoom reflections series will begin again.

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.