Our Mission

We believe in God the Father, God Almighty, by whose plan
earth and heaven sprang to being, all created things began.
We believe in Christ the Saviour, Son of God in human frame,
virgin-born, the child of Mary upon whom the Spirit came.

Christ, who on the cross forsaken, like a lamb to slaughter led,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, he descended to the dead.
We believe in Jesus risen, heaven's King to rule and reign,
to the Father's side ascended till as judge he comes again.

We believe in God the Spirit; in one Church, below, above:
saints of God in one communion, one in holiness and love.
So by faith, our sins forgiven, Christ our Saviour, Lord and friend,
we shall rise with him in glory to the life that knows no end.

Singing the Faith 764
Words: Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) from the Aposles’ Creed
© Timothy Dudley-Smith in Europe and Africa; © Hope Publishing Company for the United States of America and the rest of the world.  Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press.  All rights reserved.

The Vale of Stour Methodist Circuit

The Vale of Stour Circuit came into being following the merger of the Stour Vale and the Brierley Hill & Stourbridge Circuits and is part of the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District.

We are a group of thirteen churches on the western fringe of the West Midlands comprising a mix of urban, suburban and near rural areas, seeking to spread the love of God in every way we can. The communities we serve are very varied. We believe it is our responsibility and privilege to share the ‘Good News’ of Christ, which we know can lead to our lives having a new sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Methodism

The Methodist Church is the fourth largest Christian Church in Britain, after the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches and the Church of Scotland. It has more than six thousand churches and a total membership of approximately 330,000 people.

There are Methodist Churches in nearly every country in the world and global membership numbers some 70 million people.

Methodism has its roots in eighteenth century Anglicanism. Its founder was a Church of England minister, John Wesley (1703-1791), who sought to challenge the religious assumptions of the day. During a period in Oxford, he and others met regularly for Bible study and prayer, to receive communion and do acts of charity. They became known as 'The Holy Club' or 'Methodists' because of the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith. John Wesley later used the term Methodist himself to mean the methodical pursuit of biblical holiness.