01928 727217 [email protected]

Helsby Methodist Church (HMC) stands in the centre of the village of Helsby, situated in the North West English County of Cheshire, not far from the beautiful Delamere Forest Park. We are part of the North Cheshire Methodist circuit and the Chester and Stoke District of the wider UK Methodist Church.

There is a wide mixture of ages and backgrounds at HMC.  Some members have lived in the village all their lives, others have moved more recently from other regions of the UK and yet more have been brought into the Church family through outreach, such as the Alpha course, or through the various activities we run. This, of course, means that there are differences of emphasis which HMC seeks to embrace within the one church.
We have over a number of years sought to create a sense of family and community.  All members and adherents are allocated a pastoral visitor whose role is to offer practical, emotional, and spiritual care.

We also encourage each member to take seriously a responsibility of care –

We are also planning to develop and expand our existing network of regular small house group and fellowship meetings which take place both in the daytime and in the evenings, thus following the example of John Wesley and his ‘class meetings’

We focus on prayer as our starting point.

 

Our Mission Statement    

‘Showing God’s love in Christ to our community through prayer ,witness and service’.

We continue to explore:

  • Alternative ways of being church and learn about Fresh Expressions

  • How to use our space more effectively for the work of Gods Kingdom

  • How House groups could be developed/to provide a series for Lent so we nurture faith and build one another up to be confident Christians

  • Look at opportunities for a mission event at church with support from an organisation like Cliff College

This emphasis does not lead to an inward looking church. Many members are involved (as part of their discipleship) in aspects of care and help in the community e.g. school governors, parents and toddlers, clubs for senior citizens, youth work reaching the marginalised in Helsby, and many other unsung ways. We have been active supporters of various local national and overseas Charities for many years.  

 

Rev’d Alison Crookes has pastoral oversight  for  Helsby

Hello!    My name is Rev. Alison Crookes. 

 I came to the area in 2019, having pastoral charge for the Methodist churches in Runcorn.  From the beginning of September 2022, Helsby Methodist Church (HMC)  became my responsibility too.  I am not unfamiliar with the church as Rev. David Bintliff and I did some joint-working during lockdown.  I even borrowed his dog as an excuse to walk the locality and I love being up Helsby Hill.  What an amazing view on a clear day! 

Growing up rooted and nurtured in a Methodist church in Bolton was a real blessing.  Then after studying Theology at Durham University, my first job took me south. My working life was spent in housing but after my family arrived, I worked part-time as Administrator for two different charities providing chaplaincy in work and leisure places.  It was through seeing ordinary people doing extraordinary things as lay chaplains that I was prompted by God to reconsider my call to ministry and the rest, as they say, is history.  I studied part-time for three years, completed my training as a probationer in West Yorkshire and now I am back on my side of the hill!

When I am not working, I love making a mess!  As a crafter, I enjoy all kinds of stitching, knitting, crochet, papercrafting and upcycling…with the floor being the place that I file a lot of my projects!  I also go with my daughter to shout on Watford FC when they are playing away games “up north”.  It’s always interesting finding our way to grounds we haven’t visited before.

take care and God bless,

Rev. Alison Crookes

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