The minister took us to a fish restaurant for lunch where Lynda and I shared a dozen fried and battered prawns. Aimee had a much healthier option. Our visit to Klein was memorable in all the right ways.
The new 2016 - 2021 Council met in the afternoon. I had a major paper to present, which I had written at the steering committee meeting last year. It was well received and passed without difficulty
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| Worship and Liturgy Programme Committee |
I will put the listening report at the end which covers the Council for Sunday and Monday.
We had decided as a group of New Zealanders who were still in Houston that we would go out for a meal together and went back to the BBQ restaurant we had been to twice before. The ribs were still just as big, but the servings were not uniform. Some were more modest and some where enormous.
Back at the hotel we went for a swim in the pool before retiring for the night.
Listening Report
The newly elected Council for the 2016 -2021 quinquennium
met on 4th and 5th September to commence the work of the
quinquennium.
Council President Rev Dr J. C. Park urged the Council to
remember that for the next five years the Council is engaged in mission. He
called us to be part of God’s revitalisation project.
The Council took time to receive nominations for the
Nominations Committee before considering a report from the Steering Committee
inviting a new way of working. This proposal for the Council Programme
Committees to plan their work around agreed focus areas was accepted by the
Council.
The nine Programme Committees then met to consider their
focus areas for the quinnquennium, how they might work together remotely and to
commence their work. These meetings continued in the first part of the second
day of the Council.
Programme Committees reported their work with clarity and
enthusiasm. The focus areas identified will be listed at the end of this
summary.
Ecumenical Relations spoke
of continuing the dialogues with Roman Catholic, Baptist and Anglican
Communions and the need to refresh the dialogue teams, especially with Lay
members under 35. They also plan to address issues of intra-Methodist
ecumenism. They plan to do their work together through a closed Facebook group.
Education will
work with Council members, with friends and partners and with member
institutions. They also will be holding regional discussions. This is the 25th
anniversary of IAMSCU and the Education Committee.
Evangelism spoke
of foundational principals. First that in all the Council does there is the
goal that all may know Christ and that there is a need to pay attention to
inter-cultural competencies. The committee will communicate with a web based
system.
Family Life is
proposing that December 2017 be designated as Family Life Month and will
produce resources for the World Methodist Church as one family to be “In prayer
for the World”. Submissions will be sought to build the resource.
Inter-religious
Relationships reminded that Jesus set the example with his conversation
with the woman at the well and his praise of the ‘good Samaritan’
Theological Education
saw the focus areas from a theological and educational perspective, as
resources which can enrich theological education.
Social Issues shared
the intent of making Matthew 25 real. They also shared they intend to engage in
a collaborative way of working.
Worship and Liturgy
will work together through a blog site. They will begin by thinking about
Worship and how it is defined, and how do we know we have worshipped? They also
reported the hope that the way of working might be ‘inter-cultural’ where all
languages and cultures are taken into account.
Youth and Young
Adults spoke of strengthening partnerships, of helping young people gain a
knowledge of the Council and taking an active role in promoting justice and
peace. Recommendations were adopted by the Council which included the objective
that 10% of delegates be young people and programme of leadership development
be developed to prepare young people for the Council.
Affiliates World
Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women thanked the Council for
their hospitality in helping host the woman’s conference. More than 800 women
participated, enjoying vibrant worship, inspirational bible studies and
informative workshops.
World Methodist
Historical Society introduced their newly elected President Rev Dr Richard
Waugh from the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand.
Focus areas identified by Programme Committees for 2016 -2021
- Ecumenical
Relationships:
- Migration
- Religious
Freedom
- Justice
& Peace
- Education
- Poverty
- Racism
- Sustainable
Development
- Evangelism
- Migration
- Human
Trafficking
- Poverty
and Inequality
- Family
Life
- Health
and Well-Being
- Inequality
- Evangelism/Mission
- Inter-Religious
Relationships
- Globalisation
- Migration
- Race-Human
Relations
- Theological
Education
- Being
community in digital/tech age
- Poverty
and Inequality
- Living
reconciliation
- Worship
& Liturgy
- Climate
Change/Environmental Justice
- Migration
- (Inter-cultural
ways of working)
- Social
& International Affairs
- Inequality
and discrimination
- Migration
(human trafficking, modern slavery)
- Climate
Justice
- Youth
& Young Adults
- Will
support Council priorities
The Council agreed to endorse the focus areas identified and
to encourage the Programme Committees in their work. The area of sexual abuse
was added from the floor and Family Life will include this in its work.
The Council closed with an acknowledgement of Bishop Sarah
Davis who was appointed Vice President in 2011 and died in office.
The President closed our rich time together with prayer and
exhortation to continue the work of the Council.
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