For details of this week's services please see the Worship page.
Items of older news will be posted on this page. Current news items can be found here.
Dan and Sonja in the Church
On one of the warmest and sunny days of 2010 so far, April 10th, nearly 100 people gathered at the church for the wedding of Dan Robinson and Sonja Winkenbach. The groom was resplendent in a Cornish kilt and the bride was beautiful in an ivory dress. The service was a mix of English and German and many of Sonja's family and friends came over from Viernheim to celebrate this special occasion. Dan had worshipped with his family at the church for many years before moving away, so it was a joy that they chose the church for their wedding. The service was conducted by the minister the Revd Robin Selmes who began by greeting the German guests in their native language and the bilingual aspect of the service continued with readings and hymns. A unity candle was lit and Robin's message emphasised the unity of two individuals with all their previous lives and experiences being the foundation for their new life together with God.
After the service refreshments were served in the hall. A full reception was held at the Coppid Beech Hotel followed by a Cornish ceilidh, much enjoyed by all.
Thanks are due to Robin for a meaningful service and to friends in the church for their help in so many ways. As the best-man, Dan's brother Tim, said in his speech Dan is a blessed man and we pray that he and the new Mrs Robinson will continue to be blessed throughout a long life together.
Decorated Cross in the Hall
The joy and wonder which we feel at Christmas as we celebrate our Lord's birth, was mirrored in the even greater joy and wonder that we felt on Easter when we celebrated His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Yet it was important to remember that these were not the only emotions that we experienced during the days of Holy week. We experienced the emotion of welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with a joint service with St Andrews. At a joint service with Crowthorne and Winkfield Row we stepped into His shoes as He washed the disciples feet and shared the bread and wine with them on Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday, however painful we may have found it, we stood at the foot of the cross, and felt the anguish that His family and friends felt, as they watched Jesus Die. Most importantly, as the first light of the morning came upon us, we celebrated His resurrection, as we gathered together for an early morning breakfast. For it is then that we could shout the words "he is risen"
A Scene in the Hall
This years Holiday Club was called 'Showstoppers.' The church hall was transformed into Theatre for a week of singing, games, stories, craft and a variety of performing art workshops. Over 60 children aged 7-11 from 3 Local schools attended, which ran from 9.15am - 3.30pm Monday to Friday during February half term.
Each day we invited a performing artist to run workshops, these included urban street dancing, Circus, drums, puppets and mime. To link in with the theme we ran a craft sessions and a story telling room run by Bracknell Library. It was a fantastic time, with everyone involved having an exciting and action packed week of fun!
During the week we invited the children to respond to what they had seen by raising money for the Bethany Orphanage in Uganda. To make it fun we set them a task which culminated in "Malcolm Muddle" (A.k. Rev Robin Selmes) performing in front of the parents on the Friday wearing an unusual costume.. At the last count the children raised about £140.
"The mission of Bethany Orphanage is to serve the needs of poor orphaned children and to equip them with the skills, knowledge, opportunity and self assertiveness required for them to live independently in society. The essential needs include nutrition, education, parental love, security, religious guidance, and opportunity for a brighter future."
Throughout their time at the club the children had been working with Ali from Pop Connection learning a variety of spiritual and gospel pop songs. They worked extremely hard throughout the week and the culmination of their effort was played out in a pop concert in front of a packed hall of 100 adults.
A big thank you goes out to all the helpers and organisers because without saying the club wouldn't be possible without the dedicated work of those huge team of volunteers.
Many more photos giving a taste of the week can be seen in our photo album and more information can be found on our Holiday Club page.
In the week leading up to Christmas, on an extremely cold evening, a group of people from Bracknell Methodist church and St Andrews COE gathered together outside Morrison's to serenade the people using the supermarket. For two hours we sung carols in aid of Action for Children (formerly NCH), in total we raised about £147. Thank you to those who supported this event by time and donations.
A view of the hall
Bracknell Methodist Church held their annual Christmas Fair on Saturday November 28th. It was an opportunity to buy Christmas presents from a variety of craft stalls, a cake stall, Tombola, and toys. Traditional and modern games were also part of the fair which included a tin-can-alley, lollipop hoopla and various "Wii" games. Great fun was had by all, with all the proceeds going towards the community groups which took part.
David and Sarah after the Service
On Saturday 21st November, the church was delighted to play host to the wedding of two members of our congregation, Sarah Roworth and David Morgan. Both the service and the reception were held at the church, with some 40 family and friends attending the reception and more attending the service. The bride and groom entered the church to the majestic sound of "Zadok the Priest". As the service started the bride looked stunning, the groom looked calm, the bridesmaid looked elegant, the minister looked in control, and the best man looked in his pocket for the hundredth time to check that he still hadn't lost the rings. The service went beautifully, and seemed especially blessed when, despite being an overcast November day, the sun came out and streamed through the windows.
At the Reception
Cutting the Cake
After the service and a coffee break, the guests adjourned to the reception. A buffet meal appeared to be enjoyed by all in a relaxed atmosphere, in the hall which had been spectacularly decked out with balloons and decorations. After the reception the happy couple left for their honeymoon in the vehicle of their choice...which in their case was a camper van! Thanks must go to a number of church members and other friends of the bride and groom who generously gave their time both before and on the day to make the whole happy event possible.
At the Barn Dance
The Harvest Season has once again come upon us, and there were opportunities to be together and be a part of number of events. The Harvest Festival supper took place this year on Saturday, September 26th in our church hall. Like in previous years this was a combined celebration with St Andrews Anglican church and much enjoyed by all. This was followed on the Sunday with a traditional Harvest festival service, with the theme for this year being a "A Harvest of Gifts". We explored the theme through four windows firstly, the giving of produce, then the gathering of people and our talents, thirdly, our stewardship of the Harvest and finally we gave thanks for gift of Christ. All the produce given was distributed to the Homeless centre in Reading. To round off our harvest celebrations we had a Barn dance. We had a live band, and a plentiful spread of Food. Loads of music, loads of dancing and a fantastic time was held by all. All the profit for this event went towards our charity of the year Traidcraft Exchange.
On Saturday 18th July the church held a fund raising event at the tea house cafe in the middle of Bracknell town centre. As well as serving refreshments we also had a cake stall and a tombola. All the profit went to our charity of the year Traidcraft Exchange, who help poor producers to engage in trade and build a better future for themselves and their families.
At the beginning of August the Cub Scouts went off to Phisels woods for their annual camp. Seven days of fun and exciting activities. On the Thursday our minister joined them for two nights under canvas. He not only came to see what they were up to he was also invited to participate in some of the activities abseiling, zip wire and the rolling rock, although he did decline the pot holing! Although it was wet and very muddy great fun was had by all. More photos on their website.
Barbecue - view in Hall
June 21st 2009 marked the 53rd anniversary of Bracknell Methodist Church. The "church" (meaning building) was completed in 1959 while the "church" as a Christian community had formed in 1956. The church was built to serve the growing community of Priestwood and Garth. To mark the event the congregation planned an entire weekend of celebrations. On the Saturday we held a strawberry tea at the Manse, this was an open invitation to all the circuit. This raised £110 towards our charity of the year which is Traidcraft Exchange.
Revd. Richard Bielby talking to members
On the Sunday the church invited the Rev Richard Bielby, who was in pastoral charge of the church between 1986 and 1993. Richard preached on 1 Peter 2: 1-5 with the theme being mission. He also shared with the congregations details of his current church in Yarm, which is the oldest Octagonal Church in current use in Methodism. The weekend was concluded with a faith barbecue in the church grounds.
Walk starts at St. Andrews
Holy Week is the week before Easter. It begins with Palm Sunday when we remembered Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. As he entered the city many people spread their cloaks on the road and waved palm branches on the first palm Sunday. With much joy and remembrance our ecumenical Walk of Witness began from St Andrews Church and ended at Bracknell Methodist Church. Everyone who participated waved palm branches and sang hymns of celebrations. The service was conducted jointly by our minister Rev Robin and Rev Andrew Frearson from St Andrews Church.
Andrew, Robin and members
On Maundy Thursday, we gathered to remember Jesus meeting with his disciples in the upper room. The first part of the service enacted Jesus kneeling before his disciples washing their feet. The service then moved on to the second major element which happened on that momentous evening, which of course was Holy Communion. Finally the service concluded with the re-enactment of the agony of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday, this was a reflective service which marked the arrest, trial and Death of Jesus. The service included hymns relating to that event, times of silence, prayers, and dramatised readings from the Bible.
Easter Sunday commenced with a light breakfast service followed by an Easter praise service at 10.30am. Both celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the theme invited people to walk in the footsteps of Mary as she discovered the empty tomb and then finally encountered Jesus. Both services were led by our minister Rev Robin Selmes, which culminated in the empty cross being decorated with flowers and processed out of the church as a witness of our faith.
Display of Fairtrade Products in Foyer
Bracknell Methodist Church celebrated Fairtrade Fortnight from Sunday 22nd February to Sunday 8th March. We are proud to be a Fairtrade church. We strongly believe that the choices we make as consumers can improve the living conditions of small-scale farmers around the world. On Saturday 28th February we held a coffee morning with Traidcraft stalls. Over the two weeks we further supported and promoted Fairtrade by setting up a stall in the middle of our foyer which encouraged all our Mid-week groups to purchase Fairtrade products. Alongside this it also made them aware of the unfair trade rules which are currently in place in developing countries. This finally culminated in our Sunday worship on 8th March which had a Traidcraft feel with a local volunteer speaking to the congregation on fair trade products and the charity Traidcraft Exchange.
Jannine Ebenso with members
On the Saturday the women's fellowship held a coffee morning in aid of The Leprosy Mission. This included various bring and buy stalls including home made produce. Leprosy Mission is a charity that raises money to help sufferers of skin diseases such as leprosy, an illness that still affects thousands of people throughout the world. On the Sunday, we held an all age worship service around this same theme. This included an interview with Jannine Ebenso a leprosy Missionary now working as the disability adviser for the Leprosy Mission.
Party Fun was enjoyed by all
A belated New Year party was held on Saturday 17th January at the church. Members of the congregation came together for an enjoyable social evening which included a faith supper, some party games and "homegrown entertainment".
Christmas Fair in the Church Hall
On Saturday 29th November 2008 we enjoyed our Christmas Fair. We had a great variety of stalls including: books, bric-a-brac, Craft gifts, cakes and toys, Christmas decorations, tin-can alley, lucky dip, tombola with tea and cake refreshments. All the proceeds from each stall went towards the community organisation running it including the 6th Bracknell Scouts, Brownies and Rainbows, DEBRA and The Priestwood and Garth Good Neighbours Scheme. So a big thank you to everyone involved, organisers, stall holders and to those who came along to give their support. Here are just a few pictures from the afternoon.
Scouts help in the Hall 
The Wesley Room was very busy
All the fun of the dance
On Saturday 19th October, one of our Bracknell Methodist church charity of the year events saw many of us do-se-do-ing the night away at a Barn dance. With a professional band and callers, there was also a ploughmans supper and soft drinks were provided. Overall as well as raising money for the Charity "Debra" the barn dance provided a chance for everyone, regardless of age and ability, to have a good time.
All tucking in
Great food and fellowship was enjoyed by over seventy people from Bracknell Methodist Church and St Andrews to celebrate harvest. We also had a quiz thanks to St Andrews to keep us on our toes.
Helpers by the Tree of Life
The service was led by our minister Revd. Robin Selmes with the theme based around the "Tree of Life". Alongside this we had a splendid offering of harvest gifts which were taken to the Churches in Reading Drop in Centre (CIRDC). The centre is open Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays offering meals and access to a range of services and are offered free to those coming to the Centre (the guests), on a "Drop-In" basis, and without conditions or judgment.
Close up view of the Tree of Life 
The collected gifts
"Rhapsody Swing" in concert
On Saturday 6th September the Methodist Church held a free jazz concert. 'Rhapsody Swing' a local 5-piece jazz band, who have just completed a successful summer program were invited to perform. The concert was to help raise awareness for the Priestwood Good Neighbour Scheme which provides lifts for elderly people to surgeries and local hospitals.
Scouts look on as Robin tries to light the fire
This year 6th Bracknell Cub scouts, who meet at our church, had their summer camp at Chalfont Heights. They took part in a full range of activities, including archery, air rifles, potholing and pedal go-karts. Our minister, Rev Robin Selmes (pictured) joined them for two days, bringing hot sunshine with him. He joined in most of the activities, although he failed to earn any badges for his camp fire!
At Bracknell Methodist we always try and get our Junior Church involved in our worship. This special service was led entirely by them - they organised everything - the songs, Bible readings and prayers and gave us a very graphic account of the life of Joshua. We would like to thank them for doing this, which was the result of many weeks of preparation.
A busy Tea House
On Saturday 9th August the church hired the Tea House in the middle of the town centre. A wide selection of rolls and cakes were on sale, along with this there was also a Tombola and 'guess the teddy' competition. All proceeds went towards our charity of the year Debra. Debra provides care and support for people with EB (Epidermolsis Bullosa).
On Saturday 14th June Bracknell Methodist Church hosted the wedding of Vicky Bray and Adrian Drury. Vicky is no stranger to the church because as a teenager she attended the Girl Guides. Vicky then followed this up by helping with the 6th Bracknell Cub Scout pack before taking up the leadership reins of the Beaver pack for a few years.
The weather was kind and the service was led by our minister the Revd Robin Selmes. The service included the lighting of a unity candle which symbolized the merging of their lives to one relationship. The reception and evening disco took place at the Downshire Golf Club. The honeymoon was taken in Cyprus before the happy couple settled down to married life in Bracknell
