Darlington District News

Darlington District Methodist Women in Britain Autumn meeting was at Sedgefield Methodist Church on the 1/10/25. Sedgefield Methodist Church is part of the West Durham Methodist Circuit . The Darlington District is spread out geographically and has 12 circuits, so we try to move our meetings around the District so that we can reach as many women as possible .

It is many many years since we last met at Sedgefield and our theme for the day was “Times they are a changing “. Like many groups we have seen attendance at our meetings decline and it is all too easy to become disheartened when people are reluctant to hold office.

Over the last year the District Coordinating Group have worked closely with Helle Sewell the Darlington District Mission Enabler who has helped and guided us to dream and look at the future with a new vision.

So the Autumn meeting was our opportunity to give thanks for all that has been and recognise that everything changes. The day was attended by over 60 women and men and was led by the Reverend Elizabeth Catford . Rev  Elizabeth led the morning session and constructed a tree explaining how the tree has different  seasons . There are times of new growth , full leaf , then a time when the  leaves change colour and things come to a natural end .Our lives can be the same ,seeming empty , but underneath there is an unnoticed  growth waiting to burst forth into a new spring .

During the worship there was an opportunity for longstanding and recent members to share with the meeting what being part of MWiB means to them .

In the words of the women of Sedgefield this was informative and  entertaining and gave lots to think about . They loved the enthusiasm and hearing the laughter .Importantly it helped them realise that the Women’s Fellowship and the Young Wives meetings that had been at Sedgefield were part of that history . Hosting had been a joy and meeting many different people from a wide variety of places with their own story had been enriching.

During the morning a cheque was presented to Hope Church East Cleveland our project for 2024/25 . Women across the District fundraise throughout the year and we were able to give them £3,000.

We learned that from 1992 , £211,000 had been raised for many local and international causes . Thank you if you have supported this fantastic achievement.

After lunch there was time for catching up with longstanding friends ,conversation with new friends and to do the crafts on offer.

We were introduced to our new project for the year , this year we are fund raising for Musalaha , which is a faith based organisation that teaches, trains and facilitates reconciliation mainly between Israelis and Palestinians from diverse ethnic and religious  backgrounds and international groups , based on biblical principles of reconciliation. The charity has a programme that works with women and the article below is taken from their recent newsletter . If you want to learn more please look at their web site, www.musalaha.org.

Palestinian Women’s Update:

“This past month, our Palestinian women’s group held its first outreach, Our Green Roots – ,جذورنا الخضراءmarking the completion of nearly a year-long program. The women have shown remarkable commitment, cooperation, and creativity, and chose to reconnect with the land through plants.

The outreach brought together 36 women from across Palestine: Bethlehem, Eilabun, Baqa, Nazareth, and more.

Despite their differences in location and religions, they discovered shared interests in Palestinian plants and traditions. The program included an icebreaker on favorite plants, a presentation on local herbs, a tasting station, and an embroidery workshop highlighting its meaning for Palestinian identity. A moment of silence was also held for Gaza, honoring the absence of women from there.

At the end, participants exchanged gifts in a unique way. Each woman gifted hers to someone who inspired her during the outreach. It was a beautiful display of generosity and encouragement. We are proud of our participants for the dedication and teamwork they demonstrated in making Our Green

Roots possible.
– Hiba Allati & Aseel Rian, Project Managers “

Report submitted by Hazel Neasham