The Week Ahead

The Genius of Marie Curie – The Woman Who Lit Up the World

Thursday 21 June

BBC Four, 9.00pm

This docu-drama looks at the woman behind the science. It reveals a tenacious mother who had to survive the pain of the loss of husband and collaborator Pierre and the public humiliation of a doomed love affair, but who also discovered two elements and coined the term radioactivity.

Earth: One Amazing Day

Saturday 23 June

BBC Two, 10.00am

Wildlife documentary from the same team that made David Attenborough’s Planet Earth and Blue Planet series, charting the story of life on Earth over the course of a single day.

Songs of Praise

Sunday 24 June

BBC Two, 1.15pm

The Revd Kate Bottley visits Launde Abbey in Leicestershire to discover how people are using technology in prayer.

Heart and Soul

Friday 22 June

BBC World Service, 1.32pm

Colm Flynn visits Alice’s Garden in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, run by Lutheran minister Venice Williams who is spearheading the multi-faith group Faithlands and a tree farm project in New Jersey run by Muslim Hisham Moharram.

Something Understood

Sunday 24 June

BBC Radio 4, 6.05am

Mark Tully considers the positive power of making a mistake, from the Garden of Eden to the discovery of America.

The Listening Project

Sunday 24 June,

BBC Radio 4, 4.55pm

Fi Glover introduces conversations between members of the public discussing the stresses and rewards of a career in the NHS.

Hostile environment

Today, the Methodist Church joined with other Churches to call for an end to the ‘hostile environment’. This is a web of policies designed to make life so difficult for people who do not have a legal right to be in the UK that they will leave voluntarily. The new report demonstrates that this causes destitution, discrimination and distrust.

Wesley Memorial Lecture

This year’s lecture will feature Dame Helen Ghosh and Carole Souter CBE, on Thursday 12 July, 7.00pm, at the Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford. The meeting will be chaired by the Revd Canon Gareth J Powell, Secretary of the Methodist Conference. The lecture will address the question: How can heritage be a tool for mission? Entry is free and ticketless.

Rise and Shine

A leadership event bringing 16-23 years olds together at Cliff College, Derbyshire, from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 July. Participants will have the chance to pray, take workshops and gain a deeper understanding of leadership through worship. Book tickets for young people with leadership potential here.

What happens when young people pray?

Find out at Beeston Methodist Church, Nottingham, during an afternoon of prayer and worship on Saturday 30 June. Young people will come together from across the district, praying for those attending the Methodist Conference in Nottingham.

Windrush ecumenical service

Heaton Mersey Methodist Church, Stockport, will host a service on Friday 22 June, 6.30pm to mark the anniversary of the arrival to the UK of the ‘Windrush generation’. The service will celebrate the contributions and legacies of the pioneering British-Caribbean immigrants that came to Britain in 1948.

Sports Chaplaincy Sunday

Sunday 24 June celebrates the chaplains in the UK and Ireland who provide spiritual and pastoral care to professional and amateur sports men and women.

Connexional Grants Committee

Join the Grants Committee and help Methodism decide where to allocate £5 million worth of funds. The closing date for applications is 9 July. For more information, contact Julian Bond.

Bristol pilgrimage

The Revd Richard Sharples will be leading a short pilgrimage through Bristol on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July. You are welcome to join for one or both days. Accommodation is available at Parkway Methodist Church, St Werburgh’s. Email here for more information.

This week in Parliament

You can find the UK Parliamentary business online here. If you want to find out about the Scottish Parliamentary calendar, click here and the timetable for the National Assembly for Wales, click here.

Reflections
  

In the coming week, the Prayer Handbook encourages us to pray for the World Church: Christians in East Asia, the Pacific, Northern Europe, as well as Britain and Ireland. The theme for next week’s A Word in Time Bible studies is ‘The Way of the Kingdom’.

Video Thursday: Only my voice

As we reflect on Refugee Week, our film shares the stories of four women in transit through Athens from the Middle East, sharing their stories. They all left their homes at different times in their lives and for different reasons.