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June 2009 |
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Please feel free to circulate these stories by email or by cutting and pasting them into your church newsletter or magazine or printing them out and pinning them on your noticeboard. E-News is sent out to all who have submitted their details to the Email Directory of the Methodist Church in Britain. Visit www.methodist.org.uk/signup to subscribe. If you wish to unsubscribe please visit www.methodist.org.uk/signup to remove your details. Ken Kingston, E-News Editor: newseditor@methodistchurch.org.uk
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More than 300 representatives from across British Methodism will gather at the Civic Hall from 2 to 9 July, as well as hundreds of visitors. The Conference is the time when the new President The Revd David Gamble and Vice-President Dr Richard Vautrey begin their year in office. Their induction will open the main Conference on the afternoon of 4 July. For more information about David and Richard click here. You can follow the main debates of Conference through Methodist Web Radio in conjunction with Premier Christian Radio. There is a comprehensive Conference website complete with a Twitter feed and a daily blog update. |
Details of some Conference reports
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The use of internet banking for the management of church accounts - With internet banking becoming increasingly |
Hope in God’s future (Christian discipleship in the context of climate change)
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The president of the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka has sent a summary of what is already being undertaken thanks to the support received, and work that is proposed - which your generosity will make possible. As you read it you will see the real dilemmas and hardships facing people in Sri Lanka and the vision and commitment of Sri Lankan Methodists who are responding with their time, money and love. Please continue to pray for the country and the work of the Methodist Church there. You can continue to support the Sri Lanka Appeal by making a donation to the Fund for World Mission. You can send a cheque to The Fundraising Coordinator, The Fund for World Mission, Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR (quoting the reference SR59) or donate online. |
The Methodist Church has so far sent £35,000 in grants to the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka. The joint appeal by the Methodist Fund for World Mission and MRDF has already met with great generosity, and a further grant will be sent very shortly.
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In the elections held on 4 June, the BNP won two seats in the European Parliament and three seats in local councils around the UK. Rachel Lampard, Public Issues Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church, said, “The limited success of the BNP does not change our steadfast message: God loves all. Racism is a sin. The campaigning work of the churches and other grass-roots organisations has helped to highlight the need for people to vote positively, especially at a time when public confidence in politics has been shaken.” |
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Jude Levermore will dedicate her time in the newly-created post to enabling young people engage in the life of the Church and their communities. Jude, whose previous job involved working with socially excluded young people at The Witney Ecumenical Youth Trust in West Oxfordshire, said she was really excited about the challenge. “The Methodist Church has recognised that without the involvement of young people, there is not much hope for the Church,” said Jude. “The vision is to renew the Church through young people. Participation is all about getting young people involved at every level. As a society, we have lost the ability to hear what young people say. That is part of the breakdown in society. We have become frightened of young people and actually they have so much energy and potential. As a society, we have stifled their ability to change the world.” Jude will coordinate a regional participation network as well as making sure that the annual Youth Assembly works as planned and that young people’s voices are listened to. There is more information about the Methodist Church’s Youth Participation Strategy on the website. |
The Methodist Church continues its commitment to empowering young people with the appointment of a Youth Participation Development Officer.
Stories of peaceful protest, social justice and supported independence make up the latest Methodist podcast.
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Karen Burke discovers what King Canute has to do with climate change in conversation with Methodist minister Simon Topping while Anna Drew learns about life as an ecumenical accompanier in Israel and Palestine through the eyes of Enid Gordon and Elizabeth Boroughs. Karen also catches a few words with President Designate The Revd David Gamble before he flies out to celebrate the independence of the Methodist Church in The Gambia.
In Bangladesh, James Pender has been looking at how climate change will affect the poor people that the Church of Bangladesh seeks to serve through its development programme. A grou In Honduras, Janet Corlett struggles with the impact of gun and knife crime, drugs trafficking, but still manages to baptize seven people in a local river. In Barbados, Les and Alison Judd help local churches’ mission initiatives, responding to the challenges of teenage pregnancy, cleaning and recycling in neighbourhood streets, and developing a food and finance programme for the elderly and vulnerable. In Sri Lanka, Dr Jenny Bywaters begins her work to support the provision of mental health services in the Jaffna region. |
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p of Bangladeshi women were asked what message they would like to give the British people. They responded clearly and concisely, “People there should stop pollution, look after the environment and stop emitting greenhouse gases; for Western countries are increasing greenhouse gases but it is we in Bangladesh that are suffering!”