Welcome to the Newcastle Central & East Circuit which was formed in 2009 by the merger of two circuits.
We are a compact Circuit of nine churches with a strong ecumenical flavour seeking to be open and responsive to the Spirit of God, alive in our witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and passionate about social justicWe are a diverse group of 9 churches covering an area of approximately 20 square miles, from the city centre northwards covering a triangle to the north and east of the city taking in parts of North Tyneside.
The Methodist Church believes we are called to be a growing, inclusive, evangelistic, and justice seeking church. We are passionate about Jesus and welcome everyone whoever you are and whatever your background. Our churches offer a variety of worship styles and expressions of faith, from the more structured and traditional, to the informal and contemporary, or a mix of both styles.
We work in ecumenical partnerships in 5 of our churches - Church of the Good Shepherd, St Andrew’s, St Cuthbert’s, St John the Evangelist and Trinity Church, Gosforth - whilst Brunswick, The Chinese Methodist Church, Trinity Church, Wallsend, and Jesmond are solely Methodist communities.
Shieldfield Art Works is the Circuit’s community arts space in Shieldfield, where we employ a team of part time artists who do mission through art, seeking the wellbeing of the community and providing challenging high quality art exhibitions, events, and workshops. We are developing a Circuit New Places for New People project working alongside it in Shieldfield. The Circuit also has a significant range of projects working out of our buildings, including Street Pastors, Junction 42 (transforming the lives of offenders), Hand in Hand (assisting socially isolated elderly people) and Girls Brigade. Our Circuit Student & Young Adult Worker is based in Jesmond Methodist, where our student group meets to support and reach out to the 90,000 students in our city based in two universities.
Currently there are 7 ordained staff (of whom one is Anglican and one URC) and we are supported by two administrative staff, working with the Superintendent Minister and the Circuit Treasurer and Circuit Safeguarding Officer. The team is strengthened by 10 lay workers, some of whom are part-time. The circuit has eight supernumerary ministers, several of whom are active in preaching, and a strong team of local preachers.
If you want to find out more about Jesus and are looking for a Christian community you will receive a warm welcome at any of our churches. More details can be found by following the links.
God Bless you
Rev. Alison Wilkinson
Superintendent Minister
The Circuit reflects the diversity of the NE region from wealthy suburbs to more deprived areas and there is a strong commitment to using resources for the benefit of the whole people of God and especially to support the most vulnerable members of our society in areas of deprivation.
We hope that you find what you are looking for on our website but, if not, please do call or email and we will do our best to assist in whatever way we can.
God bless you.
Rev Paul Cleever-Thorpe
Superintendent Minister