Faith-Rooted Community Organising Lead

The Northampton District are delighted to welcome Melvina Brown as the Northampton Methodist District's Faith-Rooted Community Organising (FRCO) Lead. Melvina will take up this role half time, alongside continuing half time as Overstone Pioneer Chaplain, bringing together local pioneering ministry and a wider contribution to the life of the District.

Faith-Rooted Community Organising begins with listening, to God, to one another, and to the communities we are part of. It helps people build relationships, recognise shared concerns and use their collective strength to bring about change. Rooted in prayer, worship and our Methodist heritage, it connects the faith we share with practical action for justice.

For our Churches and Circuits, this offers an opportunity to deepen community relationships, nurture local leadership and explore how new Christian communities might grow. It encourages us to work alongside our neighbours, recognising the gifts, experiences and hopes they bring, and ensuring that those whose voices are often overlooked help shape what happens next.

Melvina's continuing ministry at Overstone provides an important connection between this District responsibility and the patient, everyday work of being present in a community. We look forward to the learning and encouragement that can flow between these two parts of her role.

Mel comments, "I am very pleased to be appointed as the Faith-Rooted Community Organiser Lead, alongside my role as Community Chaplain in Overstone. I applied for this role as the values and approaches used in FRCO are the same principles and practices which we have been using in our engagement in Overstone. These practices WORK! I am delighted that I will have the opportunity to share them more widely across the District, as I believe they will help us to strengthen our relationships within our communities and support us in sharing our wonderful story of faith in Christ."

Please join us in welcoming Melvina and praying for her as she begins this new chapter.

Read more about Mel's work on the Connexional website here!