Ministers Letter October 2026

Rev. David Speirs

Dear siblings in Christ,

One of the highlights of our most recent Representative Session of the Northampton Methodist District Synod was hearing from Gracie Silk, the newly appointed Methodist Youth President. Gracie spoke with clarity about her hopes and also the importance of listening to children and young people within the Methodist Church. 

This was especially significant because that particular session of the District Synod was particularly focused on including young people in the life of the Church. Young people from across the District joined us not as observers, but as participants who were contributing to conversations and helping us to see the Church from a different and younger perspective. 

Paul’s words to Timothy offer both encouragement and challenge as we consider how to include young people within the life and ministry of the Church: 

“Let no one despise your youth but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 

Timothy was young, and Paul knew that age could potentially become an obstacle in the eyes of others. Yet Paul did not tell Timothy to wait until he was older to engage in ministry; he called him to live faithfully now. Young people are not only the future of the Church; they are part of its present. Their questions matter, their ideas deserve to be heard, and they can serve Christ today as his disciples. 

Being Church with young people, rather than simply doing things for them, is at the heart of what it means to be an intergenerational Church. This is more than people of different ages sharing a building: it means generations genuinely encountering one another, worshipping together, listening and learning from one another. 

Older Christians carry stories and wisdom shaped by decades of faith. Younger Christians bring questions, creativity and fresh perspectives. Children remind us of joy and wonder; teenagers challenge us to ask whether our practice matches our beliefs; those in later life bear witness to trusting God through change, loss, uncertainty and hope. We need one another in order to be the body of Christ. 

That is why the most recent session of District Synod was so encouraging and why events like 3Generate, the national Methodist youth gathering, matter. Through these events, young people can discover that they belong to something larger than their local church. At the same time, the rest of us have the opportunity to discover what they bring to churches and circuits: their faith, hopes, concerns and understanding of what it means to follow Jesus Christ. 

Across the Northampton Methodist Circuit, people of many generations bring different experiences and gifts given to us by God. Our task is not to choose between them, but to bring them together. That may not always be convenient: children make noise, young people ask difficult questions, and generations may disagree about music, technology, language or worship. Yet a Church in which everyone is alike may be comfortable whilst missing the richness of Christ’s body. For as Paul observes in 1 Corinthians 12:21 no part of the body can say to another, “I don’t need you.” 

So, are we making room for every generation to be part of the Church now? 

As we gather for worship, Harvest celebrations, community activities, and all that happens across our Circuit, let us notice who is present and who is not. Let us listen more carefully to voices unlike our own, give people opportunities to try something new, and resist the temptation to say, “We’ve 

always done it this way.” For the question is not simply what one generation can do for the Church, but what we can all do together in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So this month we give thanks for the young people who have represented our Circuit and District at 3Generate, for those who joined us at District Synod, and for Gracie and all who are finding their voice within the Methodist Church. For an intergenerational Church is not simply about securing the future; it is about becoming more fully the Church God is calling us to be today. 

Let us pray that we be a Circuit where children are welcomed, young people are heard, adults are valued, older people are honoured, and every generation knows it has a place and a part to play. As we listen to one another, may we discover that God’s Spirit has been speaking through every generation, and may we be renewed for service in Christ’s Kingdom. 

With every blessing, 

Revd David Speirs