E-News November 2007

News from the October meeting of the Methodist Council

Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, President of the Methodist Conference, has been nominated as General Secretary of the Methodist Church from 1 September 2008. The nomination will be presented to the Methodist Conference in July 2008.
Three other senior appointments in the Church were announced: Mr John Ellis as Secretary for Team Operations, Revd Dr Mark Wakelin as Secretary for Internal Relationships and Ms Christine Elliott as Secretary for External Relationships. All will begin their appointments on 1 September 2008.
The Council agreed, in principle, to a pioneering scheme by Fresh Expressions, jointly sponsored by the Methodist Church and the Church of England. The innovative scheme aims to fund about 20 pioneers for five years to build new young congregations across Great Britain and support up to 60 more local initiatives The scheme intends to attract those people lacking contact with any church and this group includes a growing proportion of young people.
The 2006 Methodist Conference directed the Council to conduct a consultation on the 1993 resolutions on human sexuality and to establish whether there should be a revision of those resolutions. Following a lengthy, open and thorough process, over half the respondents agreed with the resolutions as they stand. Of those who felt there should be change, there was a wide range of opinions as to whether they should be relaxed or tightened. As a result, the Council will recommend to Conference 2008 that there be no revision. Thank you to all E-News readers who participated in the consultation following an invitation in the February 2007 edition.

You can read the Methodist Council papers at:

www.methodist.org.uk

No room at the inn, so what about shelter for a street child?

MRDF Gifts The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has launched its first alternative gift catalogue, offering many unusual but often life-saving gift ideas.

The catalogue contains items such as mosquito nets to protect against malaria, camels for nomadic communities in arid Northern Kenya, shelter, food and healthcare for children living on the streets in Bangladesh, and many more ideas for helping some of the world's poorest communities.

Gifts like these and other MRDF 'small miracles' begin at just £5. A colourful fridge magnet representing each gift is provided for the giver to send instead of a conventional Christmas present. The catalogue can be used by as a focus for churches' Christmas fundraising, as well as for individual shopping.

The catalogue is freely available from MRDF by calling 020 7467 5132 and gifts can be securely ordered online at:

www.mrdf.org.uk

Are you interested in politics?

'People often say they are not interested in politics, but they are still deeply concerned about what is going on in our world', says Rachel Lampard, Methodist Secretary for Parliamentary and Political Affairs.

A new online resource has been launched by the Methodist Church, together with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the United Reformed Church. The Art of the Possible explores the meaning of faith in the world of politics and helps people look at the relationship between Christian belief and political action.

The course contains six sessions designed for house groups. It explores images of God and biblical understandings of justice, and asks why politics is about more than voting.

'The Art of the Possible looks at how concern for our world is rooted in the Bible and our understanding of God', says Rachel.'It offers discussion starters and practical activities to re-examine what we understand by politics and how Christians can work for change locally and nationally.'

The resource is available to download from:

www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/artofthepossible

World AIDS Day on 1 December - a call to faith communities

World AIDS Day Over 40 million people worldwide and 70,000 in the UK are living with HIV. Every year, over 7,000 people are newly diagnosed in the UK alone despite the fact that HIV is a preventable virus.

This Advent, the National AIDS Trust is calling on faith communities to help stop new HIV infections and overcome prejudice and discrimination. Its 2007 theme, 'Understanding through Communication', is designed to highlight the importance of talking freely about HIV/AIDS.

'We believe that faith communities have a crucial role in reaching out to a wide range of people and keeping HIV and AIDS firmly at the centre of the UK agenda', says National AIDS Trust Chief Executive, Deborah Jack. 'Open communication', she adds, 'can help prevent stigma and discrimination'.

To find out how to get worship materials, check out events and obtain red ribbons for sale visit:

www.worldaidsday.org

Keepin' It Real - a new resource for those who work with 9 - 13s

This resource addresses topics that affect young people and offers fun and practical ways of dealing with some difficult issues that they may face - communication, reputation, conflict and negotiation.

Produced by the Methodist Church and the ecumenical children's charity, CURBS, Keepin' It Real is published at a time when the Government is asking schools to help young people deal with anxiety, anger and conflict as well as teaching good manners and behaviour.

Penny Fuller from MethodistChildren says 'there are lots of resources to help young people deal with topics like sexuality and drugs, but not to help with less tangible things like reputation' or 'Street-Cred'. Keepin' It Real addresses those issues.

Keepin' It Real is available from mph for £6.99 plus p&p

www.methodistchildren.co.uk