Category Archives: News

Scotland District and Shetland District of the Methodist Church are committed to delivering the highest quality safeguarding across the various Scottish contexts and communities the Church serves.
The Districts are ambitious to maintain good practice standards, provide timely information and advice to local churches and operate a robust casework service.  Equally, the Districts wish to sustain and further develop a comprehensive safeguarding training programme that both delivers Connexional training effectively and with impact, whilst responding to requests for more specialist learning and development.

The Districts now wish to appoint to the following key post: District Safeguarding Officer

We are seeking to appoint an experienced Safeguarding Officer on a permanent contract.  The post holder will have a relevant professional qualification and be able to demonstrate a proven track record of direct safeguarding practice with vulnerable adults or children or both. The successful applicant will be expected to provide effective leadership across the Districts to promote a culture of safeguarding, whilst supporting survivors of abuse.  Working with partners from the Church’s Learning Network, the post holder will be expected to contribute to the planning and delivery of the Districts’ safeguarding training programme, including supporting the team of volunteer safeguarding trainers.

The post holder will be expected to be in sympathy with the aims of the Methodist Church.

Location: Home-based, own transport is essential

Hours: 10 hours per week to be worked flexibly to include some evenings and occasional weekends.

Salary: A rate of £24.63 per hour for an average 10 hours per week. Annual pay £12,807.60, (FT equivalent of £51,230.40 p.a.)

Holidays: 28 days plus bank holidays

Applicants need to be aware that a report will be presented to the Methodist Conference in June which may result in DSOs becoming Connexional (The Methodist Church in Britain) rather than District employees.

Closing date for applications: midday, Monday 3rd June

Interviews: 19th, 20th or 21st June and will be held at City of Edinburgh Methodist Church.

For application pack please contact the Scotland District Administrator by email: districtadmin@methodistchurchinscotland.net

If you have any questions regarding the role, you may contact Donald Urquhart, acting DSO, on

07702 793553.

Tracey Collins, Wellbeing Officer in the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Methodist District, has written a blog to shed light on how we can tackle the stigma surrounding mental health.

Woodlands Methodist Church  is recognised locally for its commitment to Net Zero and, during COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Glasgow in 2021, the church was the Methodist hub, organising a rich programme of events and exhibitions and welcoming people from all around the globe.

One of the reasons is their partnership with HeatHack who was looking for churches in 2020 to try a new programme that helps groups understand where their buildings waste energy. Revd Laurent Vernet, minister in the Strathclyde circuit, jumped on the opportunity, “They help volunteer engineers work with venues and have been a great help.”

Read more

Grant Funding – Action for Hope – Here are the criteria

Share your story – If you have stories to share about what your church is doing in this area, Hamish Leese, Action for Hope Implementation Officer, would love to hear from you.

The Joint Public Issues Team, representing the Methodist Church, URC and Baptists has issued a response to the recent speech about ‘sick note culture’.

See https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/the-inclusive-methodist-church/accessibility/how-to-create-accessible-resources/Creating accessible resources for guidelines for producing accessible resources.

New and Updated Data Protection Resources – Data Retention and CCTV Policies

TMCP and the Connexional Team are pleased to announce that the Retention Schedule was updated in January 2024. (This important document is a table listing all the different types of records commonly held by Local Churches, Circuits and Districts. It confirms how long to keep each type of record and what to do at the end of the retention period.) 
Click here to read more.

Data Protection Annual Checklist

TMCP would like to remind managing trustees that it is the time of the year when they should be thinking about submitting their Data Protection Annual Checklist to their Districts. 

As with previous years the deadline for submission of the Annual Checklist remains 31st May 2024. 
Click here to read more.

Buildings used solely for charitable purposes can now save on VAT for installing eligible energy-saving materials like insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps. This tax break came into effect on 1st February.

Click here to read more about qualifying buildings, materials and works.