President and Vice-President Remember Fallen

The President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference remembered those lost in wars as they attended the Remembrance commemorations at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday 8 November.

The Revd Mark Slaney, who was representing the Methodist Church in Britain, was among faith leaders who were invited to the commemorations, while Vice-President Caroline Stead was among the crowd in the capital.

The major ceremony saw the King, former Prime Ministers and political leaders, as well as representatives of the Armed Forces, lay down wreaths in honour of the fallen as the nation fell silent on the bells of 11.00am.

Remembrance Day fell on Wednesday, 11 November, when again the nation held a period of silence to remember the wars past and present.

The Revd Slaney said: “It was a real honour to represent the Methodist Church in Britain at the Remembrance Sunday Ceremonial at the Cenotaph.

“To be among other faith leaders as we remembered those lost in war was a very poignant moment and you could feel the weight of the occasion.

“It was a privilege to be in the presence of the veterans and others as we remembered the sacrifice of those who came before us.”

Caroline Stead said that the two-minute silence had been broken by the cries of a baby, which provided pause for thought on the generations who had been through conflict.

She said: “It was incredible to see such an age range of the crowd."

“An especially poignant moment was the crying of a baby during the two-minute silence. From the King to a crying infant, all people were encompassed in this national act of remembrance.”