World Methodist Council Meeting

The World Methodist Council and Conference were the reason for us being in the USA and Houston. The 2011 -2016 Council meet from 9am on Tuesday morning which meant an early start. I had been asked to convene a small group prepare a 'listening report' for the Council's meetings. I will include that in this blog as the best way to record what happened.

Council Meeting

While I spent the day at the meeting Lynda and Aimee very bravely caught a local bus to the shopping mall. They didn't spend much as the shops were all quite high end. They still had a good time and were back in time for a swim.

In the evening we went to the supermarket/deli and had a very healthy meal.

Listening Report World Methodist Council 30^th – 31^st August 2016

The members of the World Methodist Council gathered in Houston Texas on 30^th and 31^st August 2016 in conjunction with the World Methodist Conference.

The meeting hears reports from the President, General Secretary and Treasurer and the Programme Committees. Member churches were also invited to share news from their regions.

Some themes were heard across the areas of the Council’s business.

Creation, Care for the earth and Climate Change
There was a call from President Bishop Paulo Lockmann, “that we be urgent in deepening discussion in both Council and member churches to serve God through care of creation.”

Past President John Barrett, President Paulo Lockmann, General Secretary Ivan Abrahams

Migration and Refugees
The consequences include child entrapment and trafficking and cheap migrant labour or modern slavery. The General Secretary Bishop Ivan Abrahams challenged Methodists to be modern day abolitionists.

Ecumenical Challenge
Invitations have been received to join in prayer and action to focus on care for the earth ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ from the Anglican Communion and to participate in the ‘Call to Holiness’ from the Roman Catholic Church. The Council recommended Pope francis encyclical ‘ ..’ for study and reflection.

A highlight of the quinquennium was the establishment of the ecumenical centre in Rome.

Evangelism
Evangelism was reaffirmed as a priority for the Council and the Methodist family.

There were other reports which challenged us.

·         Youth and Young Adults called the Council to be open to the input and enthusiasm of young people. Their challenge is included as an appendix to this report.

·         Nuclear threat and trade in arms. Incoming President Bishop J C Park spoke of the threat on the Korean Peninsula and his intention to address this during his term as President of the Council.

·         Rejecting religious extremism. The Council received and endorsed the statement printed as appendix 2.

Programme Committees Reported.
Each programme Committee lead the Council in the work they were planning for the Conference. In some cases we viewed the 5 minute video prepared for the Conference.

Ecumenical Relationships and Dialogue introduced the ecumenical guests to the Conference and encouraged the Council to participate in the Catholic Churches call to care for creation. [1^st September to 4^th October]

Youth and Young Adults have created a devotional blog and worked on their communication. Thanks was given to John Thomas III who concludes his role as Youth and Young Adults Coordinator.

Family Life Resource packs are available on the World Methodist Council website addressing issues such as Child domestic workers, campaign for Children in Poverty and Child Health.

Theological Education has shared in many symposiums in the last five years. Peace Education and the nuclear threat will be a future emphasis.

Inter-religious relationships. This new committee was established at the 2013 Council meeting in London. The website has been developed.

Education provided copies of two publications; a directory of more than 1000 Methodist and United institutions and the 150 years History of Methodist Education.

Social and International Affairs reiterated Council resolutions and on-going work on social issues such as HIV/Aids, Environment and climate justice, Peace-making and Poverty and inequality.

Evangelism / World Methodist Evangelism Institute a new logo and website have been developed. 45 years of work is being celebrated and an invitation was given to the Global Evangelism Summit to be held from 20 -27 June 2018.

Affiliate Reports

World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women were meeting at the same time as the Council and Conference with the theme: “Chosen People: Called to proclaim”

World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Men will now be known as Wesley Men. They continue to work through ‘Stop Hunger Now’.

Israel – Palestine Liaison Office The call was for all member churches to work with and own this initiative.

World Methodist Historical Society reminded the Council that ‘Heritage is claiming the past for the sake of the future; Nostalgia is claiming the future for the sake of the past’.

Oxford Institute the 14^th Institute will meet August 12 -19 2018 at Pembroke University at Oxford. The theme “Thy Grace Restore, Thy work revive: Revival, Reform and Revolution in Global Methodism”

Epworth Old Rectory reminded the Council that this belongs to us all.

World Methodist Museum is celebrating 60 years

Invitation to the 22^nd Conference
The Swedish Covenant Church along with the Nordic and Baltic Central Conference of the UMC invited the Methodists of the World to hold their Council meeting and Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden in August 2021.

Appointment of Officers
The Council appointed the following Officers:

Rev. Dr. JC Park – President – Korean Methodist Church
Ms. Gillian Kingston – Vice President - The Methodist Church in Ireland
Mr Kirby Hickey –Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer – United Methodist Church, USA

Officers.
Ms. Christine Elliott -– The Methodist Church in Britain
Mr. Joshua Rathnam - –Church of North India
Rev David Bush –– The Methodist Church in New Zealand
Bishop Darryl B. Starnes Sr. -– The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Rev Dr George Mulrain –-Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas
Archbishop Michael Stephen – The Methodist Church Nigeria
Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst – United Methodist Church, USA

Council members were encouraged to give serious consideration in the ensuing quinquennium to those who might be called to serve the Council in the future.

Appendix 1
Statement from Youth and Young Adults

The biggest obstacle is ourselves.

Challenge- for every member church to move away from tokenistic youth work and towards real participation where young people have a say in the processes that directly affect them.

Young people deal with racism every day of their lives. Young people deal with gender inequality every day of their lives. Young people deal with the challenges of climate change every day of their lives. These same young people are instrumental in bringing about change in their local situation: It is the young students of Mexico who spearheaded the protests of injustices of their government, risking their own lives.  It is the young people of Egypt that initiated the Arab spring, the #occupywallstreet movement and in South Africa, it is the young people who are spearheading the decolonisation process with #feesmustfall. Churches struggle to contribute constructively in these conversations. It is tragic that the young people who can affect change in broader civil society are unable to effectively affect the ecclesial space. Young people very rarely are included in the systems that inform the policies, theologies and spiritualities of the very churches who are struggling to speak meaningfully and prophetically to the larger socio-economic realities of the world.

This has to change.

Not just for the future of the church but for the present reality of the church. Young people have a faith, young people have a God and young people are changing the tide of injustice in the world. But we have to change the manner in which we include young people in the matters of faith. We must move away from tokenistic engagement that places the voices of young people and young adults into conferences and arenas that meet outside the ‘main’ event. Young people need to be involved in the processes of that make up the very heart of our denominations.  

There is a particular challenge also to the global south. The global south boast that it has the fastest and largest presence of Christianity in the world. The Global South also has the largest concentration of 18-35 year olds in the world and yet these young people have no say in the decisions which impact the daily expression of their faith. Young people in the global South are almost never part of the policy making within their churches. So here is the challenge to the global South and to the rest of us gathered here. We have to change the way we include young people. In the next quinqennium, young persons must be included within delegations to council. 

Appendix 2
Statement Rejecting Religious Extremism

Our world appears more polarised, divided and divisive than ever and we are confronted with extremism and violence in new and terrifying ways. In the face of this extremism and violence, we believe there is a heightened urgency to reach the world for Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and we urge Christians of all Traditions to commit themselves to grace filled action in relation to our sisters and brothers in other faith traditions. Further we reject all forms of violent extremism, recognising that human life is sacred and no one should be victimised, nor lives taken, by anyone in the name of religion.