Since James Darby's arrival at the Church in 2004, we have tried to run at least one special "outreach" event each month. Since the summer of 2004 these events have often been designed to allow members of the Church community to invite friends and relatives to attend free of charge. This page provides brief information about past events that we have held.

On Saturday 8 March more than 130 people packed into the church for a concert with singer-songwriter Bryn Haworth. With the church laid out in an unusual cafe style, we enjoyed a meal and an excellent evening's music, with a great number of guests and visitors from other churches. We were very grateful to all those who helped out to make the evening such a success.

Three years after our first Burns Night supper at Boringdon Hall Hotel, we returned to the same venue for another special evening. With all the traditional elements and special guest speaker Revd Alen McCulloch, about eighty people including a large number of guests enjoyed an excellent three course meal and a veyr enjoyable evening out.

More than 140 people packed into the church on Saturday, 17 November 2007 for a concert with singer-songwriter Marilyn Baker. We were delighted to welcome a large number of guests and visitors from other churches for an evening which gave us the opportunity to listen not just to a number of Marilyn's songs but also to her testimony.

Our alternative to Hallowe'en on Wednesday, 31 October 2007 saw a children's party followed by a showing of the film "Amazing Grace", the story of William Wilberforce and his fight against the slave trade, leading up to its abolition in 1807. About 100 people of all ages joined us for the evening, which gave many of us a chance to see the film for the first time.

On Saturday, 22 September 2007 about sixty people from both Ridgeway and Millbrook Methodist Churches travelled to Dupath Farm near Callington for a special Harvest Festival event. We enjoyed some outdoor and indoor games and a barbecue, and had a tour of the farm and a walk through the fields. The afternoon gave us a great opportunity to spend time together, especially joining with those from Millbrook and those who do not normally come to church.

On Saturday, 16 June 2007 we returned again to the New Country Inn, Smithaleigh for another Outreach Dinner. Nearly fifty people joined us for a three course meal followed by a chance to listen to our guest speaker, Rev. Edgar Daniel, a former superintendent minister in our own Plymouth and Devonport Circuit.

On Saturday, 12 May 2007, to coincide with the Plympton May Fair, the church was open for the day for a Flower Festival. The church was decorated with sixteen different flower arrangments representing different groups in the church community, with refreshments being served throughout the day. Photos of all the arrangements can be seen here.

On Good Friday, 6 April about eighty people set out from the church on our Good Friday Treasure Hunt. Enjoying the beautiful spring weather, we travelled into Cornwall and stopped at Halton Quay, Dupath Well chapel and Menheniot, before moving on to our final destination of Wolsdon House, Antony. Hosted by Brian and June Roseveare, we were able to spend time enjoying the scenery and a variety of games as well as having tea together. Some of us ended the day by moving on to Millbrook Methodist Church for an evening service. Some photos from the day can be seen here.

Our outreach programme for 2007 got underway on Saturday, 10 March with a skittles evening at the Westward Inn, Lee Mill. More than fifty people of all ages gathered together for a very successful evening and enjoyed having the chance to spend time together socialising and competing for prizes!

Our final outreach event of 2006 was a Safari Supper on Saturday, 2 December. More than thirty people enjoyed the first two courses of a three course meal at each others' homes before joining together for dessert in the church hall. Several guests joined us for the evening which was enjoyed by people of all ages.

On Saturday, 21 October 2006 ten teams made up of members of the church and a good number of guests took part in a quiz night at the church. Prizes were available to all teams and we enjoyed a very successful evening.

On Saturday, 30 September 2006 nearly thirty people set out from Cadover on a walk across Dartmoor. Walking via the Dewerstone and passing by Goodameavy and Clearbrook, more than two and a half hours walking took us to St. Paul's Church, Yelverton. Several more people joined us for a barbecue which, despite grey skies all around, finished off a very successful day. Some photos from the day can be seen here.

On Saturday, 2 September 2006 our summer holiday club ended with a trip to Bicton Gardens in east Devon. The day was opened up to people from all across the church community and outside and despite poor weather, nearly 30 people including 10 guests joined us for the day.

Following on from February's Walk Thru the Old Testament, on Saturday, 17 June 2006 more than thirty people from various churches attended the New Testament seminar. As with the Old Testament seminar, the day was enjoyable and informative and we were glad to be able to put on one of these internationally known events.

More than eighty people visited the church on Saturday, 6 May 2006 for a concert with Christian pianist and songwriter Marilyn Baker. Marilyn also joined us for our morning service on Sunday, 7 May where she explained a little about her work and her ministry and also performed a selection of songs during and at the end of the service.

Good Friday, 14 April 2006, saw more than forty people set out from the church on a mystery tour. Our route took us into south-east Cornwall with stops at the churches in St. Germans and Maker, as well as to the village of Cawsand before arriving at Millbrook Methodist Church for tea and a short Good Friday service. With fine weather throughout much of the afternoon, the event was enjoyed by people of all ages. Photos from the day can be seen by clicking here.

Over Palm Sunday weekend, Friday 7 to Sunday 9 April 2006, we returned to Treloyhan Manor, St. Ives for our second church community weekend. Thirty people travelled down for a weekend of teaching and fellowship led by Mark Dunn-Wilson. The teaching focused on the priorities for the early church in the book of Acts compared to what the priorities are and should be for the church today. The weekend finished with Sunday morning worship at Fore Street Methodist Church, St. Ives. Photos from the weekend can be seen by clicking here.

On Saturday, 18 March 2006 we were delighted to welcome Christian musician and songwriter Bryn Haworth to the church for a concert. Ninety people attended the evening and had the opportunity to hear Bryn perform a selection of songs including some from his new album 'Keep the Faith', and also to hear some words from Bryn about his life story and how he became a Christian. A review of the evening can be seen on the 'Cross Rhythms' website here.

On Saturday, 4 February 2006 nearly 40 people from churches all over Plymouth gathered at the church for this day long interactive seminar. More than two million people worldwide have been a part of one of these courses, and the day was enjoyable, helpful and informative for those who attended.

We returned to Hampton Manor in the Tamar Valley in Cornwall on Saturday, 21 January 2006 for a second "away-day", led by Rev. Colin Salter who joined us from Redruth for the day. The programme, entitled "Empowering our Witness", was enjoyed by twenty people who travelled down on a fine winter's day.

On Friday, 13 January 2006 we paid our second visit to the New Country Inn at Smithaleigh for a three course meal with guest speaker Gary Streeter MP, Member of Parliament for the South-West Devon constituency. Almost 60 people attended this event including nearly 20 guests.

On Saturday, 19 November 2005 the church was packed with more than 150 people for a concert by the Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir and their guest soloist Claire Michelle Edwards. We were delighted to be able to welcome such an successful and well known choir to the church and to be able to raise a significant amount of money for Cancer Research UK through this event.

We were blessed with unexpectedly good weather for our Christmas shopping trip to the Clarks Village, Street on Saturday, 12 November 2005. 40 people joined us for this outing and the visit to Wells Cathedral for a guided tour and choral evensong, and despite the need for unexpected diversions on the coach route the day was a great success.

On Friday, 23 September 2005 more than 50 people came to our Harvest Supper and Barn Dance. Our speaker was Mark Pellow and music was provided by 'The Old Boys'. All who came enjoyed hearing what Mark had to say, as well as the excellent food, lively dancing and time together.

On Saturday, 30 July 2005 almost 50 people, including many children, joined us on our visit to the famous Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth. The day included an afternoon tea and puppet show at nearby Sidholme Hotel and despite not having the best of summer weather, was enjoyed by all who attended. Our Outreach Worker James Darby compiled a special "Donkeys of the Bible" quiz for the coach trip, a copy of which can be seen in PDF format here.

On Saturday, 16 July 2005 a group from the Church visited Hampton Manor in the Tamar Valley for a Spiritual Day Away, led by Deacon Ruth Richey. All who attended enjoyed this relaxing and refreshing day together, which included a time for shared discussion as well as time for individual thought and contemplation. Some photos from the day can be seen by clicking here.

Internationally renowned storyteller and author Bob Hartman visited the Church on Friday, 1 July 2005. Famed for his ability to bring well-known Bible stories to life, we were delighted to be able to organise this evning with Bob and an audience of nearly 80 people including a considerable number of children thoroughly enjoyed this successful occasion.

The Chinese Night on Friday, 17 June 2005 was one of our most successful Outreach events to date. More than 70 people visited the Fortune Court Chinese restaurant in Plymouth for a Chinese meal, which was followed by a chance to hear the testimony of Reverend Kim Goh, a Methodist minister based in Yorkshire. Originally from Singapore, Rev. Goh became a Christian whilst in prison having previously lived a life of crime.

Following on from Hope's Kitchen, the Jasperian Theatre company visited the Church on Thursday, 17 May 2005 to perform "Glory! Glory! That Man Billy". This play, based on the life of the Cornish Tin Miner and evangelist Billy Bray, came to us as part of a tour of the south west and was enjoyed by an audience of about 60 people.

Over 100 people filled the Church on Saturday, 30 April 2005 as the nationally renowned Riding Lights Theatre Company visited as part of their tour of churches and prisons around the south west. They performed "Hope's Kitchen", a series of sketches on a Christian theme and the evening attracted an audience of all ages. More information about Riding Lights is available on their website here.

For our Church Community Weekend we visited Treloyhan Manor in St. Ives, Cornwall, from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 April 2005. More than 40 people of all ages travelled down to Cornwall and spent the weekend taking part in specially organised activities, many of which were led by district chairman Reverend John Carne and his wife Valerie, who joined us from Exeter. The weekend concluded with a visit to Chy-an-Gweal Methodist Church for their morning service. Some photos from the weekend can be seen by clicking here.

As part of our Easter programme in 2005, our March outreach event was a visit to Higher Cadham Farm, near Jacobstowe in North Devon, on Saturday , 26 March. The event was blessed with wonderful weather and around 30 people made the journey to the farm to enjoy a three course meal and to hear our guest speaker Reverend Philip Wagstaffe, Methodist minister in nearby Okehampton. Some photos from the day can be seen by clicking here.

Follow the showing of the "Jesus" film on Good Friday in 2004, we showed the award-winning animated film "The Miracle Maker" in the Church on Good Friday, 25 March 2005. Voiced by a cast of well known actors, this film was also shown using our digital projector and was enjoyed by an audience of all ages.

For Mothering Sunday, 6 March 2005, we organised a special breakfast before our normal morning service which people both inside and outside the Church community could invite their mother to attend. As is customary at our services on Mothering Sunday, a gift was then given during the service to all the women in the congregation. This event was repeated on Mothering Sunday in 2006, and will hopefully become a regular part of church life.

The first outreach event of 2005 took place on Saturday, 22 January to mark Burns Night. The event took place at Boringdon Hall Hotel, just outside Plympton, and featured a traditional Scottish menu including the piping in of the haggis. David Meredith, a minister from near Inverness, was our guest speaker for the event. More than 60 people attended the evening, and some photos of the event can be seen by clicking here.

On Saturday, 18 December 2004, a week before Christmas, we held a special Christingle service at the Church which was attended by all ages and formed an important part of our Christmas programme. Christingle services have now also been held in 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 service, on a Wednesday evening, was attended by over 100 people. Having started as part of the outreach programme, the Christingle service has become fully established as part of our Christmas services.

In December 2004 the Church organised at trip to the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole, to see the famous display of Christmas lights in the harbour. This trip included a stop in the city of Truro, with a chance to visit its cathedral.

On Saturday, 27 November 2004 we enjoyed a trip to Bristol which combined an opportunity to do some Christmas shopping at the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre with a visit to John Wesley's "New Room", the first Methodist chapel in the country which was built in 1739.

Our outreach event for October 2004 took the form of an Indian meal at the Shapla Balti Restaurant on the Ridgeway in Plympton (pictured here), just across the road from the Church. Around 40 people including a good number of guests from outside the Church community attended the event and heard a message from Vijay Panandikar.

After our main morning service for Harvest Festival, on 26 September 2004, we visited Pennywell Farm, near Buckfastleigh, Devon for a special service. Many children joined us for this event, and enjoyed a lunch before a short service and a time to look round the farm and see the animals.

The main outreach event in the Summer of 2004 was the Boat Trip to Mount Edgecumbe, across the River Tamar in Cornwall. Sailing from the Mayflower Steps, a group of people including several new to the Church community braved the far from perfect weather and enjoyed a barbecue at Mount Edgecumbe and listened to a lively message from our guest speaker Howard Bray.

This three-course meal, staged at the New Country Inn in Smithaleigh, near Plympton, was the first of our main outreach evenings. The event took place on Saturday, 26 June 2004 and despite a lack of "summer" weather almost 50 people attended. Our after-dinner speaker was the Reverend Tony Cox, who visited from North Devon and gave an enjoyable and humorous speech with a Christian theme.

One of our earliest outreach events, the showing of the film "Jesus" took place on Good Friday, 9 April 2004. Shown in the main worship area of the Church using our digital projector, people from both within the Church community and from outside attended and enjoyed the film and refreshments afterwards.