1

Yorsay

Synod Secretaries come and go! As I pondered that deep understanding of life I recalled some of the highlights of the

post since I succeeded Rosemary Harrison in the role. And

there are many. Not just the organisation of Synod which

presented different challenges and rewards every time, nor the

privilege of going to Conference, or even having the opportunity

to serve on almost every committee in the District as an ex-officio member. Rather it is in having the opportunity to work

alongside some outstandingly committed colleagues both lay

and ordained, in God’s service, and to play our part in guiding

the church through a time of great change when numerically we

seem to be losing members but when there are so many new

and exciting developments. When we tackle social justice issues and the rise of Foodbanks or when we think about relationships and same sex marriage and blessings we seek to discern

God’s will for his people and then put all our efforts into achieving it.

The position of Synod Secretary offers some very unique opportunities both through the

connexional network of Synod Secretaries and through the job description and responsibilities

afforded in CPD. It is the sort of role that requires a ‘broad brush’ approach to working rather than one of intricate detail. As I look back over my 9 years in the role I am surprised at some of

the enormous changes that have taken place. There are fewer circuits and we are doing so much

more at regional level than when I first took on the role. There is a closer integration of politics

(with a small p) and the Church, but best of all, for me, there is the renewed challenge of how we

can best use our resources, money, property and personnel to fulfil the mission of the church.

During July and August I have been given a lay sabbatical to enable me to enjoy some time in

spiritual reflection on where and how I can best serve God in the future. Being Synod Secretary in

the York and Hull District has been exciting, rewarding and fun but it is time to move on and my

successor, Jackie Gaitley will, I know, serve you extremely well. There is a temptation here to

mention names but I must resist it. I have known and worked alongside some incredibly godly

and talented people and will no doubt continue to work with some of them in a different capacity and many have now become friends. Suffice it to say, and I will end on this note, the York and

Hull District under Stephen’s leadership and with Siân’s admin skills is a vibrant, caring, godly

community and I have enormously enjoyed fulfilling a calling to work in the role of Synod Secretary

and I wish Jackie as much fun and enjoyment as I have had in the future.

God bless

Heather

A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 C h a r i t y N o 1 1 3 6 1 3 3

Welcome to the August Edi-

tion of Yorsay.

This edition of Yorsay con-

centrates on the Methodist

Conference with our Dele-

gates report and the full text

of the President and Vice

Presidents address to Con-

ference.[ Notably the Vice

President refers to several

historical incidents that oc-

curred in our District]

P2-13 Methodist Conference

P5 Welcome Services

[updated]

P14 Encounter

P15 Bishop of Hull

P16 Ryedale Prayer weekend

P17NYC Circuit Celebration

P18 MWiB Induction

P19 Christian Aid

P20 Stolen Lives

P21 Baked Alaska

P22 Filey Fishermen

2

Methodist Conference Southport YH Delegates Report

In September representatives to Conference will again be reporting back to Synod via a video recording made during the course

of Conference. It is another triumph of technical expertise and editing by Revd Amy Walters. What will we do without her? This

written report is in addition to that recording and covers some different issues. Details of how to obtain a copy of the recording

will be available at Synod on 12 September 2015. Please ask your representatives to Synod for more details.

Being a representative to Conference is a great privilege. It is fun, hard work and carries responsibility. If you would like to be

part of that group please look out for nomination papers accompanying the Synod agenda and talk to current representatives for

more information.

Heather Shipman

A review of Nestlé and breast milk substitute marketing

Two debates at this year’s Conference particularly sparked my interest.

The first was a report from the Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI) into Nestlé’s marketing of infant for-

mula, written in response to a directive from last year’s Conference.

The background to this issue involves concerns around the inappropriate promotion of formula feeding in developing countries.

The medical concerns relating to unnecessary artificial feeding centre around the fact that ‘a non-breastfed child is 14 times

more likely to die in the first six months than an exclusively breastfed child’

http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_breastfeeding.html and that ‘an estimated 1.3 million lives are lost each year due to inad-

equate exclusive breastfeeding’. http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_challenges.html The reasons for this are various but in-

clude issues of milk powder being mixed with unsafe water, inability to sterilise bottles adequately, the cost of the milk and the subsequent temptation to dilute the formula, the lack of the suppression of fertility that goes along with breastfeeding leading to

closer spacing of children in families with the impact this has on the mother’s health and the financial sustainability of the family.

L-R [back row] Amy Walters -David Godfrey- Rory Dalgliesh- Stephen Burgess- Steve

Leah [Front row] Heather Shipman- Sian Henderson -Jackie Gaitley - Chloe Scaling

3

The reasons why women in high risk areas choose to bottle feed their children arise from perceptions that this is the preferred feed-

ing method in the west and must, therefore, be better for the child and more appropriate for the mother. There has been considerable

evidence that multi-national companies have targeted vulnerable women in inappropriate ways, offering incentives to health care

professionals to promote products, and suggesting that bottle feeding is a healthier and more sophisticated option through subtle

marketing. [Save the Children Super Food for Babies report 2013].

Nestlé is not the only company involved in these dubious practices, but the £1 million investment by the Methodist Church has

caused Conference to examine the position in detail.

The JACEI spokesman did not challenge these findings, stating that ‘..there remains a pressing need to raise the standard of perfor-

mance within the baby food industry with respect to the International Code.’ [para 2.1] and the debate in Conference focused around

whether the church’s investment in Nestlé provided a useful lever with which to drive the company to raise its standards or whether

the implicit endorsement of a £1 million investment damages the church’s credibility in ethical investment. The majority of speakers in this debate supported disinvestment in Nestlé, citing grounds of principle, challenging the notion that small investors have more

influence than external critics, and questioning whether it is right for the church to profit from investment in an ethically-challenged

company. The report’s response to such questions was that ‘JACEI is of the view that continued active engagement with Nestlé repre-

sents one appropriate approach among many to give voice to the concerns of the Methodist church and its members’. A vote was

held and the report was received by the Conference with roughly two-thirds in favour and one-third against.

I think the majority of Conference members were impressed by the detail in the report and the depth of knowledge of the JACEI spokesman and were content to allow the Committee to continue its work in relation to Nestlé as it sees fit. It was good to hear the

arguments on both sides and I now have a new interest in this issue which I will pursue as a result of the Conference debate.

Siân Henderson

Holy Communion mediated through social media

The second subject that I found intriguing was the report of the Faith and Order Committee in response to a request from the 2011 Conference to formulate a policy on ‘remote’ Holy Communion. As someone who engages with social media on a daily basis I wanted

to give some thought to ‘internet church’ and its possible benefits and pitfalls. The report focused particularly on Communion and,

although it recognised the many opportunities presented by social media engagement, did not find that Communion could be held by

a group not physically present with each other within Methodist understandings of the sacrament.

The report stated that Communion is a corporate act of the church and is dependent on the physical gathering of the community. The

sharing of the elements, the communal confession, and the sharing of the peace need to take place where that sharing has an em-bodied reality. There were also concerns that the four-fold ‘sign actions’ of the president during Communion lose their integrity with a

dispersed community. Perhaps most significant of all in the objections was the loss of meaning of the one bread and common cup

where each participant is providing their own elements which they then break and distribute themselves.

Conference members were generally of the opinion that this is an enormous area for our consideration and one that requires consid-

erable reflection on our practice. Notions of community are changing and a great deal of meaningful personal, and perhaps commu-

nal, interaction is now taking place without physical presence. I personally know of some people who are able to engage with others at a far deeper level in ‘disembodied’ online communities than they are in face to face encounters. We already deviate from the ideal

in our practice of Holy Communion – using grape juice instead of wine, wafers instead of bread, many cups instead of one, offering

extended communion to the housebound – and perhaps ‘remote’ Communion is just another change that we make to accommodate

the reality we find ourselves in. There are big questions to be explored about the nature of community which won’t be answered

quickly or definitively and the integrity of our sacraments will remain a priority.

The decision of Conference was to accept the recommendation of the Faith and Order report as an interim measure and to request that further work be undertaken: presbyters and others authorised to preside ‘may not be permitted to use electronic means of com-

munication, such as the internet or video conferencing, in order to invite those not physically present at the celebration of the sacra-

ment to participate by using their own bread and wine’.

Finally, I was interested in the observation of a Methodist presbyter, who was following Conference online via live streaming, that he

had taken part in the Conference Communion service in his own living room, using his own bread and wine, and had felt very much

part of that gathered community. And I know this because he posted it on Facebook…

Siân Henderson

Reflections from a first-timer

As a first-time Conference representative, walking into the auditorium at Southport Theatre and Convention Centre was quite over-

whelming, due to the number of people there. It was an amazing experience to be part of such a large group of Christians praising

God that weekend.

The 3Generate report was one of the most interesting parts of the Conference. This year, areas highlighted for discussion across the Church were: war, peace and inter-faith work; transgender; contemporary views of sexuality; alcohol and club culture; and radical

Christianity. District Policy Committees were also directed to ensure that youth participation is encouraged. It’s evident that young

Methodists feel that the Church shouldn’t shy away from controversial topics, and don’t want to be ignored in decision-making pro-

cesses within the Church.

The report from the Working Group on Accessibility to the Conference and the debate that followed was also interesting for me, as a

first-time representative. The report highlighted the small proportion of people aged between 40 and 50 attending the Conference, so

further work will be done to investigate how we can make Conference more accessible to this group in particular.

Chloe Scaling

4

The Love Feast

I found it a great privilege to be able to attend the 2015 Methodist Conference in Southport as an elected Representative for the York

and Hull District. The Conference venue was great and I was overwhelmed by the whole experience with a good balance of worship

and business, which included some interesting debate. I personally found the "Love Feast" a wonderful & emotional experience,

something new to me, but which lay people could do in their local Circuit/Churches, sharing bread and the loving cup. During our time in the Love Feast we shared prayers, hymns, broke bread (fruit loaf especially baked for us), and at the same time each of us gave our

own particular thanks to God. We then took the loving cup and after taking the drink openly shared experiences (good or not so

good), or simply remained silent. This was a very emotional time with a strong sense of true fellowship. As a first timer, I enjoyed eve-

ry minute and came back feeling refreshed with a certain renewed vigour in Methodism and a better understanding of Connexion.

Jackie Gaitley

Notices of Motion

It was a real privilege this year to be part of the Conference Business Committee, helping to organise the agenda of the Conference

and to ensure its smooth running. The committee meets twice between Conferences, both to learn lessons from the previous Confer-

ence and to plan the agenda for the forthcoming one. However, the bulk of our work is during the Conference itself, advising on how

to re-arrange the business if earlier items have overrun, and also slotting in the many Notices of Motion that Conference representa-

tives put forward.

This year, there seemed to be more Notices of Motion than ever - 22 proposed new business for our attention. They gave an oppor-

tunity for fresh ideas or vital matters to be debated.

Some proposals related to important issues within the Church, such as the idea of a Lay Assembly of the Conference. It was pointed

out that for Presbyters there is a Presbyteral session of the Conference, and for Deacons there is the Convocation. But there is no

opportunity for lay people to come together and debate issues specific to their calling. The Conference debated the issue, but con-

cluded that it was not for this time. Other issues debated were around such topics as selection criteria for Candidating for the minis-

try, and the reinstatement of Presbyters.

We were reminded in another Notice of Motion that 2016 is the 100th anniversary of the acceptance in law, of the right to Conscien-

tious Objection. A proposal was made that in February 2016, Christians who have spoken out against war should be celebrated in a

web-streamed act of worship. This idea was warmly accepted by the Conference.

In other motions, we reflected on the atrocity in Tunisia and called for increased interfaith dialogue to reduce misconceptions and

prejudices. We also offered our support, including in the political sphere, for Christians and also those of other faiths, such as Shia Muslims, who are finding themselves under attack. We committed ourselves to support the “Home for Good” campaign, which raises

awareness of the need for foster and adoptive families and to advocacy for refugees in the Mediterranean. We considered our re-

sponse to the issue of Cohabitation, set up a working party to prepare a draft Conference statement on pornography and also commit-

ted ourselves to offering prayerful support to the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem.

Stephen Leah

Conference Worship

With two such champions of evangelism as the President and Vice President of Conference the worship at Conference was of a very

high quality, challenging and fun. Steve Wild was his usual self; there was humour and there was a serious challenge to all of us to be

evangelists. Jill too echoed this theme and called upon us to remember our heritage. It was a glorious week weather wise and we

began our communion service on the Wednesday out of doors on the front by the Marina. But for all of us as District representatives

one of the highlights of the week was the reception into full connexion and ordination of our own deacon, Jill Taylor. She looked radi-

antly happy all the way through and there was such an awareness of the offering she and all the other ordinands had made in answer-ing God’s call it almost tears to the eye. We wish them every happiness in future and promise to play our part in supporting them in

their work.

Heather Shipman

Connexionalism etc

In both sittings of the Conference we discussed our Connexional identity at some length, and it seems clear that this foundational

aspect of our life together needs re-visioning, and should feature in more of our conversations at local level beyond the practical reali-ties of budgets, assessments and stationing. We also talked at length about the place of professional supervision and accountability

for ministers, within the same principle that applies to counsellors, social workers and other such professions. That was an important

conversation.

We spent some time discussing the ethics of church investments, particularly in Nestle, and in fossil fuel companies.

Both conversation had the same two strong arguments. The first is that we should disinvest from these companies because of the

nature of their business, or their conduct towards possibly vulnerable consumers.

The other is that maintaining shares puts us in a position to lobby and pressure such companies to conduct their business more ethi-

cally and responsibly, and is something we shouldn't give up. We have a seat at the table in potentially shaping their business into

the future. Views were strongly held both ways.

Rory Dalgliesh

5

Past Cases Review:

On the Monday of Conference, Jane Stacey, former Deputy Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, presented the past cases review. This in-

dependent report on child and vulnerable adult abuse within the Methodist Church, was based on a two year review of safeguarding

cases and practices dating back to the 1950s. The report, 'Courage, Cost and Hope’ revealed 1885 cases of abuse or neglect within

the church, a much larger figure than anyone had expected. There were 23 recommendations contained within the report, concern-ing changes to policy and practice, all of which were adopted by conference. A number of quite moving and powerful speeches were

made following the initial presentation. One speaker spoke of a change in culture needed in the church, and offered the helpful sea-

side image of a stick of rock. He commented that wherever you break the rock, the lettering goes all the way through. He hoped that

good practice in safeguarding would permeate the church in the same way, so that no matter which aspect of church life you broke

open, good safeguarding practice would be at the heart of it. At the end of all the speeches, the President decided that a standing

vote with heads bowed in humility would be the most appropriate way to receive the report. Standing votes are only used for the most significant decisions at Conference and it was one of the most moving moments when the members of Conference rose is si-

lence, with bowed heads, to adopt the report and its recommendations.

David Godfrey

This Newsletter has been prepared in a Word Bookfold edition and can be printed back to back on A4 landscape. If you need copies

printing off please contact me and I will arrange for that to be done. Our hope, as representatives to Conference, is that we can bring the work of Conference back to the churches in the best way possible. The video will be available for you to show to your

Church Councils or Circuit Meetings should you wish as well as making this leaflet available.

As Conference representatives we are all available (with the exception of Revd Amy Walters) to talk about any of the issues which

arose at Conference throughout the coming year. Please contact any of us and don’t feel constrained to only approach the person

who has written about an item in the Newsletter or spoken about it on the video. We all sat in on all the debates and should all be

able to speak about each and every item. It will also be a challenge for us!

Amy has been an excellent Conference colleague and we will miss her wise counsel during the coming year. She leaves us this Sep-

tember to take on the role of Army Chaplain and our best wishes go with her.

In Amy’s absence we cannot promise you a video next year although Church House are hoping to produce something similar as our

contribution has been deemed ‘an excellent idea’. Our intention is to make Conference decisions and the working of Conference as

accessible as possible to members of our congregations. If you have any other ideas of how we might best do this, please let me

know

District Welcome services [updated] Further details on the North Yorkshire Service later on in Yorsay August 30 10.30 am Welcome service, Tadcaster Circuit 3.00 pm Welcome service, Hull (Centre & West) Circuit 6.30 pm Welcome service, Driffield-Hornsea Circuit, Hornsea September 1 7.00 pm Welcome service, Thirsk & Northallerton Circuit

5 6.30 pm Welcome service, Ripon & Lower Dales Circuit

6 10.30 am Welcome service, Pocklington & Market Weighton Circuit

3.00 pm Welcome service, York Circuit

6.00 pm Welcome service, North Yorkshire Coast Circuit

6

News release 27 June 2015

“Bring one person to faith this year,” Methodist President urges

churches

The newly elected President of the Methodist Conference has

urged the Church to ‘take God seriously’ and put evangelism

back on the agenda.

In his inaugural address at the Conference in Southport, the

Revd Steve Wild challenged each Methodist church in Britain to

aim to bring just one person to faith in the coming year, saying:

“Let’s take God seriously. I want to help us in the task of evan-

gelism, to put mission on the agenda and give our churches an

aim to win a person for Christ.”

The full text of the address follows:

This is a huge honour and privilege to serve you in this post.

Thank you - it's a deep honour.

The first thing I want to do publicly is to thank Almighty God

for his great grace and faithfulness to me. I want to say with the

Apostle Peter “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living

hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”(1

Peter ch 1 v 3 ).

What praise!

Of course, I am a fallible human as it says in the 1936 ‘Book of Offices’ in the Covenant Section, “Forgive me that I

have been unwilling to overcome evil with good, that I have drawn back from the cross.”

Yet such is the nature of our Lord that I stand before you as one redeemed and so I want to put God first - and it’s

the family next and without the great love and support of my Laura and our amazing daughters Lois, Phoebe and

Timna of whom I am so proud, what a journey of life we have together and by His grace it goes on.

My mother's present today my father is in heaven.

But I am wearing today he shoes he bought me for my ordination in 1985. He took me to Manchester to a post

shop and they cost £100 then because no expense could be spared for that great day, 30 years ago, I’ve kept them

in the bottom of the wardrobe only coming out for special occasions like weddings, funerals and Sunday School

Anniversaries.

Well, it almost cost that much to have them soled and heeled for today, but I shall be wearing them throughout my

year of office.

It is customary in the Presidential address to give thanks to the Methodist people. I do this gladly, I have owed so

much to the people called Methodists all through my life. I am deeply grateful for all the loving messages of sup-

port and promises of prayer. I feel that prayer right now, thank you.

I wish to thank the Cornwall District who I am privileged to serve as their chair, for their love and support and put-

ting up with me. Cornwall's a beautiful part of the country and the people are beautiful.

I am grateful to my Bishop, the Bishop of Truro, Tim Thornton. He is a real brother to me, he is more than gener-

ous in the way he has encouraged me to pray with him, to mission with him and to enable us to work as Christians

together in the Duchy.

Once on mission we were shown round a local brewery the owners gave a meal for all the workers and we shared

the gospel with them. Then the owner came over and asked us to do the honour of blessing the beer - as I am

teetotal Tim quickly jumped in with "I'll do it if he does it will all turn to water!"

We hope to join with Archbishop Justin Welby on an evangelistic mission next year. That is the best platform for

Christian unity working for Christ in mission. Roger, the Dean of Truro Cathedral, is here because it is a special

place to me, it's a great place to play for Cornwall and to me it's my spiritual home.

7

I want to say thank you to my colleague Chairs. I want to say to you that it's is an honour and privilege to sit with you

in that circle. You are a great gift to the connexion and I salute you.

I want to thank Martyn, our General Secretary and Gareth the assistant secretary and all on the Connexional team and

all who work so hard behind the scenes at Methodist Church House.

I’m thrilled to be serving this year with Dr Jill Barber, a woman full of Christ and exceptionally gifted as our Vice Pres-

ident. We share the theme together of "Mission and Heritage". This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the founding

of the Bible Christian Church in Cornwall and the South West, they were a fiercely independent denomination, pas-

sionate about the message of the Gospel. They served mainly the rural and poor working class people. The Bible

Christians were the smallest of the five major Methodist-type denominations and the only one without Methodist in

its name though they did sometimes add Methodist in brackets.

In my journey of life I owe an enormous debt to Cliff College. It was the students who came to Rochdale in the late

60s who inspired me and I met Christ through them and in my duffle coat after saying the sinner’s prayer, I filled in a

little card and knew that I would try to follow Jesus and what an adventure that has been! It was a former Cliff student

our minister the Revd John Hibberts who first involved me in mission - thank God for you - I was fourteen at the

time. He organised, inspired and taught me about mission and that thrill of sharing the love of the Lord has never left

me. I also did a student placement with him at Bamber Bridge. I owe you a great deal, brother.

As a raw student at Cliff College I arrived with an ‘O’ level and a certificate for signing the pledge of total abstinence

from alcohol. My kindly Principal the late Dr Arthur Skevington-Wood, Miss Doris Halam a retired teacher who gave

me special tuition and the tutors, who are here as my guests today.

Incidentally, I hope to challenge Methodists to abstain from alcohol during lent 2016 - but more of that later.

Being at Wesley College Bristol was another enrichment in my life preparing me for ministry. Thank you to the tutors

there and our principal Dr. David Stacey, who in a tutorial told me that I reminded him of the Cornish Evangelist, Billy

Bray. When I wrote to him afterwards to tell him that I was a better evangelical for my three years at Wesley, he was

delighted and said that's what theological training should do. I must mention with gratitude some of those in heaven

Revds Olive Rolls, Donald English, Raymond George and Rob Frost.

Thank you Circuit colleagues and my first churches in Ashton and Lea in Preston, and the St Ives and Hayle Circuit in

Cornwall.

These are people who have believed in me.

I am reminded of another Lancastrian who became the President of Conference in 1919 Samuel Chadwick he was

principal of Cliff and I owe this story to Howard Mellor. There was a big service for him in Burnley one after another

his old headmaster the MP councillors and aldermen all got up to say 'of course we always knew that Samuel would

one day be president - then afterwards over a cup of tea in the schoolroom each one came up to him and said 'Eee

Sam, whoever would have thought it!'

I thank God for all those who have helped me, and this is where it gets like the letter to the Hebrews when the writer

says in chapter 11 after naming people of faith: 'I could go on...' But I won't.

I stand before you with my gifting as an evangelist, a bringer of good news, a herald of salvation through Christ. We

bring different gifts to this role and that is to the glory of the church. We have all been created differently and we all

have a unique journey.

Fundamentally, the evangelist is engaged in winning the lost and reviving the Church. We see in the New Testament

Philip the Evangelist. He is different from Philip the Apostle. He first makes an appearance in the Acts of the Apostles

as one of the seven chosen by the early Church at Jerusalem to take charge of the daily ministration of charity to the

poor widows. After the death of Stephen, there was a general persecution of the Church at Jerusalem, and many

Christians fled to escape it. Philip went to Samaria, where he preached the Gospel to the Samaritans.

Now, that he selected Samaria is in itself a proof that he was able to rise above the ordinary Jewish prejudices of his

time. This evangelist stepped out of the conventional and shows there are no off-limits. The Samaritans were a group

who had split off from the Jews centuries earlier. They were outsiders they had intermarried with the Gentiles. We

stand in the tradition of John Wesley who said ‘Go not to those who need you but to those who need you most’. What

a mission! We’re told that these Samaritans all paid close attention to what he said. And later Peter and John came to

Samaria to bless the new converts.

The incident we always remember Philip for is his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. He was obedient and went

from Samaria to a desert road, and heard the Eunuch in his chariot reading Isaiah. Philip asks the question: “Do you

understand what you are reading?” and what a response: “How can I unless someone explains it to me?”

8

Here we have the essence of the evangelist, picking up on where the person you meet is in their understanding. In

scripture it goes on to say that Philip ‘told him the good news about Jesus.’ The message is God’s message. It’s the

story of the life, and death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, a new story then, a familiar story now, leading to

faith and Baptism for the Eunuch. This account in the book of Acts, chapter 8 is really important, Philip is the only

person in the Bible who is called an evangelist. Unfortunately, when we think of an "evangelist" we think of someone

like Billy Graham, preaching to large crowds of people, but this is not the case according to the Bible. It does say that

Philip preached to crowds of people but the most verses about him are associated with the story I’ve just shared. A

conversion of one single person is seen as very important in the Bible: the lesson being that every single person is

important to God. But another lesson to learn from this is clearly that witnessing the Gospel to one person is the

work of an evangelist as well as preaching to a large crowd. Since the meaning of the word "evangelist" is to bear

glad tidings, to bear the Gospel, all Christians are certainly called to be evangelists. The New Testament teaches me

that.

Let’s take God seriously. I want to help us in the task of evangelism, to put mission on the agenda and give our

churches an aim to win a person for Christ.

Now I understand that this is my language, and translate it, please, as you will.

I’m not being triumphalist but I want to see growth numerical and spiritual and with this great offer of faith in Jesus

we have a lot to give. The incredible love that Christ pours out on us, but the people we share with do have a choice.

It pains me to tell you, but it is a big part of that gospel - we have choice.

Once in my ministry I led a young couple to Christ. The next day in his enthusiasm the bloke went to W.H. Smiths and

bought a Bible. They were welcomed and loved by the local church, but suddenly missing a couple of Sundays. The

steward informed me and I went round to their house. The Bible was on the coffee table. I sat down and he pushed it

across to me, "Take it" he said, "its too hard to follow Christ and be a Christian". It was a big lesson for me, we all

have the choice to accept or reject. It broke my heart. it is hard to face rejection. Jesus faced rejection. And he didn't

run after the rich young ruler.

With the risk of rejection we continue to offer Christ.

To set the scene - the need:

Last December I was meeting with a circuit leadership team in a small village chapel. However as can happen the lady

who came with a tin of mince pies and lit vestry fire, left the door on the latch and was followed by someone who

thought this was a mistake, turned off the fire and locked the door. We stood outside in the icy evening air. After 15

minutes I wandered in my dog collar just a little way down the lane to the village pub. I asked the barmaid if we

could hold our meeting in her pub. she was delighted for us to use her premises, she put the coffee machine on. I

shuffled in the leadership team and went to speak to the other four people in the pub. There was a middle-aged

couple and I explained why these Methodists had come onto their territory. They were kind and I moved on to an

elderly Cornish gentleman sitting in the corner and said the same to him. He said "you church are you?" I nodded. He

pointed down the lounge to a woman in her thirties sitting alone “She needs church” he said. So I went down and

explained to her why we were all in the small restaurant area. And then I said “the gentleman up there said you need

church is that right?” "Well," she replied, "I don't know about church but I need Jesus" and she shared her story. I lis-

tened and prayed with her.

Some people who it would be easy to categorise as uninterested actually have spiritual needs. We sit in chapel up the

lane praying for the village when there is a warm comfortable place where we can encounter people who we don't see

on our premises. The great love of Christ spreads over the world all the way from the cross down to you and me to-

day.

This leads me to one of my favourite doctrines - prevenient grace. Christ going before us.

Martyn Atkins calls this John Wesley's big doctrine of the Holy Spirit. John Calvin and those before Wesley had a kind

of theology of a Domestic Holy Spirit who was there to protect them.

It was the Holy Spirit who urged Wesley to leave the church building because of the message which needs to be pro-

claimed. And the effect was profound every time he preached, they awoke. He wrote in his journal "I offered them

Christ". He wrote it again and again, again and again. And people would see something that previously existed - an

awakening. I note in Wesley's sermons, all the time he assumes that God has prepared hearts to repent. God is going

before him. It wasn't as though on the Day of Pentecost God sent them out. “Oh good I've sent them, now I can sit

and watch. NO, he says, "Follow me." He commits the Holy Spirit to go before us.

9

In all these years of evangelism I have experienced many times to go to a situation were I discover Christ already

there. I'll tell you, it knocked some of the triumphalist stuffing out of me as a Cliff College student. I didn't go to take

Christ to Mellor Village, Blackburn, with the first mission team I ever led. He was ahead of us. People were converted,

it was an awakening, the Holy Spirit at work there. Prevenient grace is part of our DNA, but let's not keep it just to

baptising infants, it's an essential doctrine in our evangelism. You see this proves a great and important point about

getting out beyond the walls of the church building. Its a risky place, but we take courage and find the Lord at work.

I find I get in the flow of the Holy Spirit and great and surprising things can happen. My world church visit back in

April to Portugal taught me many things. I loved being on mission with them. But part of that mission was walking

the streets and standing together to pray at certain points. I saw how God had surprised them as we trod the streets

of the city and encountered people where Christ had gone before us.

Last January on my way to the Connexional Finance Committee in an otherwise empty railway carriage, I met a man

wearing a green and yellow cross. When I asked him he said he wasn't a Christian. It came out that he had been re-

leased from prison that morning and was on his way home. Pervenient grace, in the prison he had felt the presence of

Christ and attended all the services. He had made the cross out of two dishcloths which he’d knitted together. I told

him that was the most theologically correct cross I had ever seen - not gold or silver or bronze but dishcloths - dish-

cloths are used to wipe up mess, and the cross wipes up our sin, the mess we make in life. When I shared that with

him he experienced an awakening on that train and I led him to Christ. He got off transformed.

And young woman got on, and sat in the same seat. She looked miserable we started to talk and I told her I was a

Christian minister. She shouted, “Well tell your God why is it right for a Mother to have her child taken from her after

only a day together.” I filled up. She said “why are you crying?” I said ‘Jesus said weep with those who weep - he

cries with us’ she sofand After more conversation I prayed with her.

To be bang up to date after being in a cafe on Lord St the day before yesterday. Out on the pavement, I recognised a

very tall young man walking towards me when I was here on mission over 30 years ago - he was converted then and

after conversation just in the middle of Lord Street I prayed with him in the middle of the pavement. I met him again

yesterday coming away from our mission centre the Firefest marquee on Mornington Rd - he was glowing.

So Christ goes before us in our mission to serve a needy world. My visits to Africa have changed my life and our

theme today is Mission and Heritage, but I still want to make poverty history!

How can we grow confidence in the local church? I want every church to have mission on the agenda this year and an

aim to increase by one person!

If I can be domestic for a minute: in Methodism today we still have remarkable mission centres -churches and church

halls most of which are busily used by the communities we serve. You know the sort of thing; Parent and Toddler,

Weight Watchers, dog training, indoor carboot. The list is endless. Friends, these are mission opportunities on our

doorstep. Thats why the bookings secretary - and thanks to you for doing it in any local church - is actually an im-

portant missional post meeting those outside the fellowship at an interface.

Looking at heritage, the Cornish blacksmith and evangelist, James Udy wrote in 1899 “Oh for a converted Chapel

Keeper.” That’s quaint language but means the same thing. Let’s up our game, pray for people who we serve, get

alongside them. It is a long time since Archbishop William Temple said, “You cannot redeem what you don't under-

stand”. If you look at the growth points in the Christian Church in Britain and in Methodism, they all show they are

not locked into their own little bubble but engaging in the community. This understanding and care comes with the

Holy Spirit. Great things occur, and we find our vision enlarged, the Holy Spirit striving ahead of us. It’s hard to catch

up.

But all growth is one at a time. Each church needs to have mission on the agenda and seek to win one person for

Christ - to bring someone to faith - mind you, the Spirit may bring more than one person to know Christ, because

the message we proclaim is a glorious, it's attractive, rich message.

During my year, I will be writing in the Methodist Recorder articles that help us in our local evangelism.

It was almost a second conversion for me in 1976 when at the Victoria Hall in Bolton, our then president Colin Morris,

another Lancastrian. The title of his message was 'the gospel of minimal demands’. How we have domesticated God

and only offer a minimal to those we speak to about Christ. It was then that I decided to take God seriously. On Al-

dersgate Street John Wesley had an experience that made him take God seriously. You see, this is our heritage. The

Deed of Union of the British Methodist Churches in 1932 says 'that it ever remembers that in the providence of God

Methodism was raised up to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land.’ 'It ever remembers' - here we have cor-

porate heritage, it's our special vocation, I want Methodism to have confidence in the full glory of Christian disciple-

ship to see more and more people becoming Christians and taking God seriously, being enriched by treading the

path of holiness - which is a wonderful path to tread. The early Methodists talked about ‘Perfect love’. Charles Wesley

10

wrote hymns about it.

We cannot sit back in complacency. We have a massive Kingdom of God task. I'm wanting this year to challenge the

church to bring one person to faith - to make one new member. It's not impossible. This next year, let’s make bring-

ing people to faith the main point, we don't do it alone. The unconditional love of Jesus is our motivation. We see

Jesus in the pages of the New Testament showing unconditional love to boys and girls, men and women from all

stratas of society at that time. It goes all the way to the cross: this unconditional love is so powerful.

When John Wesley died in 1791 it was estimated that he had earned over thirty thousand pounds in his lifetime. He

had given it all away. He left behind some books, his faded Geneva gown. His executors found that his total treasury

amounted to ten guineas (£10.50 pounds)! And his will directed that four of these guineas should pay four unem-

ployed men to carry his coffin and the remainder to be distributed among his poorest preachers.

What else did he leave behind? Changed lives hundreds of them, Christian communities dotted all over this country

and in other parts of the world, fellowships seeking to take God seriously. Oh, that we may all draw to the foot of the

cross and experience his powerful love and make this our legacy - one of transformed lives, transformed communi-

ties - thanks be to God!

The Vice Presidents address to Conference

Mr President, members of Conference and guests, friends. I have been enormously touched, and humbled, by the number of people

who have said they will be praying for me as I prepare to take up the privilege and responsibility of serving as your Vice President in the

coming year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and please keep on praying!

'The Trade Union movement owes more to Methodism than it does to Marx.' I am enormously proud of that. It draws many visitors to

Englesea Brook, where I am the director of a Heritage for Mission project which focuses on the story of Primitive Methodism. One visitor

memorably announced, 'I am anti-God, but a Methodist in my DNA.' It was a great conversation starter!

One of the questions I am frequently asked is, 'Where are the Methodist voices today?' They have heard of Donald Soper, but after that

I begin to struggle a bit! What is our distinctive Methodist voice? And how can we gain confidence in sharing our own faith story?

Part of the problem of course is that we don't and can't speak with one voice. The strength of Methodism is that it is a democratic

movement of people, with many different views about how we should work out our Christian discipleship. But we can't stay silent. God

calls us to speak out. It is not easy grappling with how to live with contradictory convictions, but that is our calling.

How can we find our voice? I believe this is a key challenge, if we are to make a difference to individual lives, and bring hope to a world

whose future is threatened by violence and climate change.

So I am going to offer you my four 'Ps' (and in your conference bags you will find four postcards for you to use in your own prayer and

reflection).

'Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions.'(Joel 2.28)

My first 'P' is Prophesy.

Where are the Methodist voices? They are here. We can't pass the responsibility to someone else. God pours out his Spirit on each one

of us, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation or ethnic background. We all have a unique story to share about the transforming

love of God in our life.

Equality and empowerment are at the heart of our Methodist identity. Lay people have a voice as well as ordained people. John Wesley

accepted that women could have an 'extraordinary call'. In the early 19th century, when the Wesleyans banned women from preaching,

it was the 'Prims' and Bible Christians who recognised that God pours out his Spirit on daughters as well as sons. Women were sent out

as evangelists, speaking God's words in places that others sometimes feared to go.

For the early Methodists it didn't matter how young, or how old you were. 'If you know the love of God in your heart then stand up and

share it brother! - or sister!' In the little hamlet of Englesea Brook, Sarah Smith, a farm labourer's wife, taught the children to read and

she also taught them how to pray. She then started a prayer meeting in her cottage, led by the children. Six of those children went on

to become itinerant ministers, including Ann Brownsword and her brother Thomas, known as the 'boy preacher'. The youngest person I

have found on a Methodist preaching plan was 11 years and 8 months.

There are no barriers to the outpouring of the Spirit. Desires, hopes and dreams inspire action. What more can we do to empower older

people to share their dreams and young people their visions?

The prophetic voice is often counter-cultural, subversive. Sometimes we don't listen to the right voices. To discern what the Spirit is

saying to us as a church, we need to listen to the voices of those on the margins. Whose voice is ignored? Whose voice do we want to

silence?

We need to listen to the uncomfortable voices. We need to take the risk of being hurt when we speak out, and our voice is ignored or

rejected.

'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.'(1 Thess 5:16-18)

11

My second 'P' is Pray.

Finding our voice begins with prayer. To pray is to be immersed in the presence of God. Sarah Crosby, the first woman to convince John

Wesley that she had a call to preach, had a passion for souls and the ability to attract and hold great crowds. She would start each day

at 4am, with an hour of prayer. This gave her a constant sense of God's presence which sustained her through the busiest times. She

felt so surrounded and filled with the presence of God that she had a sense of calm even when speaking to huge crowds, like this!

If we are to find our voice, first we need to pray. William Clowes, one of the founders of the Primitive Methodist revival, was going

to preach at Beverley, a 9 mile walk from his home in Hull. When John Flesher, who was going with him, called for him, he was

told that Clowes could not be disturbed. Later in the afternoon Flesher came back again, only to receive the same answer. When

he called for the third time, there was no time to spare. Clowes appeared from his room, and greeted him with the words,

'Flesher, I am supple with God.' I love that image of prayer as our spiritual workout. I want to be supple with God.

The early Methodists took prayer seriously. One day in 1823, John Oxtoby's - 'Praying Johnny' as he was known - was at a meeting

to discuss what to do about Filey, a fishing village on the Yorkshire coast. All attempts at mission had met with such resistance

that it was decided to abandon it altogether. Abandon Filey?! John Oxtoby begged the meeting to give Filey one more chance, say-

ing he would go himself. The meeting agreed to one last try. When John reached the hill overlooking Filey he knelt down to pray.

He told God that he, John Oxtoby, had made a promise that God would revive his work in Filey, and God must do it, or his servant

would never be able to hold up his head again. At last, he received an assurance from God, and rose from his knees saying 'Filey

is taken!' That was the beginning of a remarkable revival.

In 1832 a cholera epidemic swept through the country, and thousands died. It was reported of one Methodist society in Yorkshire

that only 'one praying man' was left. This didn't mean he was the only man left in the church, but the only surviving member of the

prayer band. Praying bands were as important as preachers. They used their voices at camp meetings, and after services, pray-

ing people into the kingdom.

Many people lack confidence in praying in public. After his conversion, Hugh Bourne shared his new found faith with Daniel Shubotham

and Matthias Bayley. Daniel and Matthias were talking one night and decided they would like to pray together, but neither thought they

could do it. Matthias found a prayer book, but couldn't find a suitable prayer. So they plucked up the courage, had a go, and found God

helped them. That led to a prayer meeting in Jane Hall's cottage to which Hugh Bourne was invited. Hugh found he was expected to

pray, and actually he'd never prayed in public before. He was particularly nervous because Matthias went first, and Hugh thought it was

the best prayer he had ever heard. However, they sang and Hugh Bourne followed. He wrote in his journal, 'The instant I began, heaven

opened on my soul', and I felt the Lord had fitted me to be a 'praying labourer'. The next morning Hugh Bourne told Daniel what a bless-

ing he'd received from Matthias' prayer. 'Why', said Daniel, 'He is praying no more because he cannot pray as you did.' The prayer meet-

ings continued, the prayers grew in confidence, and in the words of Hugh Bourne, 'timid, inexperienced Christians were led to become

energetic workers for Christ'.

Prayer is at the heart of our walk with God. What steps can we take to help each other to find our voice, so that we can grow in confi-

dence, in praying with each other as we come to faith, and grow as disciples of Christ?

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind … Love your neighbour as yourself.'(Matthew

22.37,39)

My third 'P' is Passion.

If there is one word which runs through the early Methodists like a stick of rock, it is enthusiasm. They had a passion for sharing the

good news with everyone they met.

My grandson Edwin is not yet two. He is passionate about cooking. He sits on the floor with a saucepan and a wooden spoon stirring

away. His passion for cooking comes from copying his parents. We become passionate about loving others by loving God and staying

close to him, watching what he does. God's love is not half-hearted but extravagant. He gives everything of himself to us.

We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart. When we come to know the love of Christ for ourselves we want to share our

joy with others. At Englesea Brook we have a display of 'loving cups' or 'love feast' cups. One day this sparked a visitor to tell me his

story. 'The moment I set out on my path to being a Christian was at a Love Feast. I was five or six years old and sitting on my mother's

lap. There was a window with rectangles of red and blue glass, and the sun was shining through. An old man stood up and the light sur-

rounded his white hair, and there were the vivid colours of the red and blue, and he said 'I want to tell you about my Jesus'. And I

thought, I want some of that.'

'I want to tell you about my Jesus'. Now that reminded me of Steve Wild. He has an endearing way of talking about his lovely wife as 'my

Laura'. I find that really moving, because those words convey the depth of his love for her. Are we prepared to tell others about 'my Je-

sus'?

A real delight this year has been meeting Megan Thomas, our Youth President, and being inspired by her love for Jesus. Telling me

about her experiences she said, 'I've discovered that if I ask people about their grandchildren, their faces light up, and they can't wait to

tell me about them.' As a grandma myself, I found my hand going straight to my phone, I was all ready to show her the pictures! Then

she brought me up short as she added, 'If only we could share our love for Jesus like that.'

'Speak out for those who cannot speak … Defend the rights of the poor and needy.'(Proverbs 31.8-9)

My fourth 'P' is Protest.

If we are passionate about loving God and loving our neighbour, we have to speak out for those who have no voice. For those with men-

tal health issues who have had their benefits sanctioned. For the million people living in poverty who have to use food banks. For mi-

grants seeking a better life and a means to support their families. For Pacific islanders who are suffering the effects of climate change.

Loving our neighbour means being concerned for the weakest and most vulnerable in society, both locally and globally. It means speak-

ing out on their behalf. It means challenging systems that enslave people. Now, this is where it gets messy. Should Christians get in-

volved in politics? Yes!

12

We have a proud heritage of Methodists at the heart of local government. One

of my heroines, Charlotte Edwards in Norfolk, one of the first women district

councillors, challenged and changed the unjust system of paying poor relief in

kind, and the unjust treatment of unmarried mothers in the workhouse. Meth-

odist local preachers became the first trade union leaders, men like Tommy

Hepburn and the Durham miners, and Joseph Arch and the agricultural work-

ers. Most of the first working class MPs were Methodists.

Have we lost that passion for living out the gospel through social and political

action? Is there a danger that we have privatised our faith, so that it makes us

feel better as individuals, but we fail to relate it to wider community and global

concerns? I want to call on Methodists to get involved in local and national

politics. To become a voice for change, challenging the politics of self-interest

and upholding the politics of the common good.

One way we can have a voice is by writing to our MP. Our MPs represent us in

decisions that are made in Parliament. How will they know our views unless we

tell them? If we lack confidence in understanding the issues, there is help at

hand. JPIT, the Joint Public Issues Team of the Methodists, Baptists, URC and

now the Church of Scotland, produce a newsletter, Praxis. This keeps me up to

date with key issues and provides templates for action. JPIT's latest report, on

benefit sanctions,shows that they disproportionately impact the most vulnera-

ble people, affecting 100,000 children last year.

At times the church has been very risk averse. In the early 19th century, new

chapels were even named Hanover or Brunswick, after the Royal Family, to

demonstrate that Methodists were loyal citizens.

In 1819, in Manchester, protesters met in St Peter's Fields, to call for parlia-

mentary reform. 15 people were killed and 400-700 injured after the cavalry

charged into the crowd. 400 Wesleyan Methodists were excluded from the

church for speaking out against the 'Peterloo' massacre.

In 2015, in Manchester, protesters set up a tent camp in St Peter's Square, to

call for proper support for homeless people, following £2 million in funding cuts. I was really challenged when my friend Susan asked

me, 'With the homeless who set up their tent camp in Manchester, where is the Church in this? What if all the Christians stood in soli-

darity with these people?' What if …?

Civil disobedience may be a necessary part of Christian discipleship. Speaking out can get us into trouble, although today I hope we

would not be excluded from the Methodist Church. Methodists have a history of passive resistance. In the early 20th century, many

faced imprisonment for non-payment of taxes in protest at the government's education policy. In 2014, one of our Methodist ministers

in training was arrested for taking part in a demonstration against the arms trade.

Who is God calling you to speak out for?

Finally, I want to tell you about Dorothy Ripley, whose story has inspired me, and which shows that we don't need to wait for the

church to speak out. We just need to obey God's call and find our own voice.

Dorothy Ripley lived in Whitby, where her father built the first Methodist Church, and John Wesley was a frequent visitor. Dorothy

experienced a call to preach, but as a woman, the church would not accept her. One day, while she was praying, Dorothy heard

God calling her to go to America to preach freedom for enslaved people, and convict slave holders of their sin, so they would set

people free. This was before the Anti-Slavery Society in England, let alone America, but Dorothy felt she had to obey God's call.

A single woman, with no money, she set out to walk to London to find a boat that would take her to America. Eventually, she found

a Quaker sea captain in Bristol who would take her. On arriving in America, Dorothy decided she must go first to Washington, to

tell the President what she planned to do. Everyone thought she was mad, but she told them she had to obey God not man. Amaz-

ingly, Dorothy got an interview with Thomas Jefferson, and had the courage to ask about his own slave holding, urging him to have

compassion for his 300 slaves. When she asked for his approval for her mission, he warned her that she would have an uphill

struggle, but they parted 'in peace'.

The Dorothy decided to make her base in Charleston, the stronghold of Southern slavery. (Its legacy is still with us.And of course

that place is very much in our minds. It was here, only last week, that nine people were killed in a racial attack at the African

Methodist Episcopal Church.) For Dorothy, it was an immensely brave move, and she narrowly escaped several attempts on her

life.

Dorothy must have made a tremendous impression on Jefferson, because in 1806 she became the first woman to speak to Con-

gress. Apparently, she preached to a crowded audience with the same evangelical fervour as if she was at a camp meeting!

Dorothy saw herself as an evangelist. She traveled for over 30 years throughout America, and crossing the Atlantic at least 9

times. In 1818, we find her in Nottinghamshire, where she opened the first Primitive Methodist chapel in the county at Bingham,

and was thrown into prison for open air preaching and inciting a riot. She was an amazing woman, who was not owned by the

church, because her voice was too radical.

Dorothy Ripley was a woman of prayer, and lived by what she called the 'Bank of Faith'. She had a passion for sharing the love of

God with others. She acted on God's call to love her neighbour, and spoke out for those who did not have a voice. She was pre-

pared to challenge individual sin and sinful systems that enslaved people. She changed lives.

God calls you, and me, to find our voice.

13

Christian Aid Video

Christian Aid have produced a video of the work of our partners in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, along with an accom-

panying study resource: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/whatwedo/middle-east/iopt-film.aspx.

We hope that your small groups and churches might be willing to engage with this resource and if you have any questions, please don't

hesitate to contact me.

Steph Cooper scooper@christian-aid.org 07970 735861

Thanks very much

News release

1 July 2015

Roger Walton & Rachel Lampard elected as Methodist President & Vice-President for 2016/17

The Methodist Conference has elected the Revd Dr Roger Walton to be President of the Conference in 2016/17, and Ms Rachel Lam-

pard to be Vice-President. Both will start their year of office when the Conference meets in London on 2 July 2016. They will succeed

the current President and Vice-President, the Revd Steve Wild and Dr Jill Barber, as the first item of the Conference's business.

For ten years Roger was the Director of the Open Learning Centre, and for eleven years the Director of the Wesley Study Centre in

Durham. He is currently the Chair of the West Yorkshire Methodist District and the Methodist representative to the General Synod of

the Church of England.

“This is a wonderful gift from the Church and I am deeply honoured,” said Roger. “I owe so much to the Methodist people and have

learned the way of Jesus in this church. I hope to encourage us to continue be a learning, loving and outward looking community for

transformation of the world.”

Rachel is the leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, which has for many years been at the forefront of campaigns about UK poverty,

nuclear weapons and climate change. She has been a Commissioner with the Gambling Commission since 2006 and is an active

member of Winchester Road Methodist church in Walthamstow.

“I feel humbled and very excited,” she said. “I am looking forward to meeting with Methodist people around the Connexion, celebrating

together our shared Christian commitment to justice as we explore what it means to follow Jesus today. I would ask you to pray for

Roger and me as we take on this responsibility.”

14

The Encounter Programme – York and Hull District

Rob Cooper

Are you looking for an opportunity to join with a group of Christians to reflect on Christian living and to discern what God may be call-

ing you to do? If you are then the Encounter programme may be just what you are looking for.

Encounter is a programme of exploration into discipleship and vocation developed and run by the Methodist Church. It aims to help

people to know themselves better, develop a deeper relationship with God, identify their gifts and discern who and how they are to be

in the world, including exploring various possibilities for service.

Encounter helps you reflect on your journey to see where God has called you in the past and may be calling you now. Together with

others you will reflect on what you already do as a follower of Christ, share and reflect on some new experiences and learn more about the Christian faith.

What are the aims of Encounter?

Encounter is designed to help you to develop a deeper understanding of the call from Jesus to ‘Follow me’. It provides an opportunity

to consider the following questions:

What gifts and skills are God-given?

What does it mean for me to follow Jesus today?

What is my calling?

How does my church tradition help me to serve God today? How am I Christian within and beyond my local church?

What part do I play in God’s mission?

Who is Encounter for?

Encounter is for Christians who have a desire to deepen their faith and increase their awareness of what being a Christian disciple means for their everyday lives and what God is calling them to be and do. Encounter aims to deepen understanding of vocation in a

broad sense, exploring calling in your home and work context as well as possibilities for service in church and community settings.

What does Encounter Involve?

The core part of Encounter revolves around monthly meetings of 8-12 ‘explorers’ usually held on an evening over a period up to a year. Sessions involve prayer, engagement with the Bible, discussion, guest speakers and time for reflection.

Between meetings you will complete various individual activities of your own choosing. These will include practical experiences of

Christian service or ministry and some type of structured learning, such as a short course, a study day or guided reading. During the

programme you will also meet regularly with an Encounter Accompanist to discuss and reflect on how you are growing in your relation-

ship with God and discerning your unique calling in the world.

The cost of the programme is £90. For explorers connected to the Methodist Church £30 is paid by each explorer, their Circuit and their District.

Here is what a past Encounter explorers said about the programme:

For me Encounter was a real gift. Over the course of the year, it provided space and lots of different ways and opportunities to explore

my own discipleship and calling, and to deepen my relationship with God.

Perhaps most importantly it has helped me to see my whole life as a follower of Christ. Inevitably our lives will be compartmentalised into church, family, work etc., but it’s seeing that each one of these areas is part of our Christian journey and each one provides op-

portunities for growth and witness. That God is present in every aspect of our life. The course explores the importance of ‘balance’ in

our lives, and helps you to look at your life afresh, and to see whether the way you are living, is one in which you can be all that God

has called you to be. I’m not very good at making decisions, and one particular session spoke about involving God in decision making,

and remembering that the knowledge of God’s love for you is more important than any decision you might make.

Perhaps the thing that surprised me most, was that over the course of the year I did encounter God in lots of different ways, some-times in worship but also in ordinary times, and places, and through ordinary people.

The course was excellent in helping me to get to know myself better, providing tools for analysing my personality in a ‘safe’ way,

which celebrated my strengths and helped me to identify my gifts and talents, giving me a stronger sense of self.

One of the things that the course introduced me to and that I have carried on, was journaling. This is a really useful tool for reflecting

on experiences and of how God is active in my life. Talking through experiences with my accompanist, again, a new concept to me,

and trying to discern where God may have been in different situations, was also key in my journey this year. So, Encounter has changed the way I look at myself, my understanding of God and his purposes and my place in the world. I had

been wondering for some time, how I could best use my gifts and talents to serve God always feeling like I did a little bit of this and

that and feeling pulled in lots of different directions. But now, I feel more focused and free, and am following a call to train as a wor-

ship leader this autumn.

How can I find out more….

I have recently taken over as York and Hull District Encounter Coordinator. If you would to have a chat about Encounter and how it

could benefit you please give me a call on 01904 761605 or email me on rob.cooper@2bpeople.com. Alternatively, please visit the Encounter website http://www.methodistencounter.org.uk

15

Consecration of the Bishop of Hull

Two thousand people, including sixty bishops from across the globe, gathered at York Minster on Friday 3rd July for the Consecration

of the Rt Revd Alison White as Bishop of Hull.

The Bishops attending the service included the Rt Revd Ingeborg Midttømme (Bishop of Møre in Norway) the Rt Revd Garth Counsell (Bishop of Table Bay in our twin Diocese of Cape Town) the Rt Revd Helen-Ann Hartley (Bishop of Wiakato in New Zealand), and the Rt

Revd Terence Drainey,(Roman Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough).

Also attending the service were children from Broomhaugh C of E First School in Riding Mill, where Alison was vicar, and students

from Archbishop Sentamu Academy.

Speaking before the service, the Very Revd Vivienne Faull, Dean of York, said this was “a day of celebration for the Northern Prov-

ince”. This was especially the case for the Diocese of York as we not only welcomed Bishop Alison to the Diocese, but also marked

the first anniversary of the consecrations of Bishops Paul and John!

Alison was presented for consecration by the Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Revd John Inge, and the recently retired Bishop of Newcas-

tle, the Rt Revd Martin Wharton. The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd James Bell, preached the sermon.

During the service, a one minute’s silence was held at noon for the victims of the attack in Tunisia.

At the end of the service, Alison was presented with her pastoral staff, made with a traditional Northumbrian ram’s horn by Neville

Straker of Amble.

Speaking about the service, the Revd Maggie Jeavons, Vicar of Sutton in Holderness said, “The consecration was amazing, fantastic,

actually really moving. When I think about Alison joining us in the Hull, I just think Alleluia!”

The Rt Revd Paul Ferguson, Bishop of Whitby said, “It’s a marvellous day, so great we have Alison joining us as a Bishop in the Dio-

cese of York. She’s somebody who’s got an immense amount of wisdom and wonderful godliness. There are so many people around

the country whose lives have been touched by Alison and her ministry, and it’s fantastic to see them all here at the Minster.”

16

Full details of Prayer weekend http://yorkhullmethodist.org.uk/images/site/pdf/prayerweekend.pdf

17

18

19

20

You are invited to

a presentation given by Paul Field

of the Stolen Lives project at:

the Lindsey Suite, Staff House,

University of Hull, Cottingham Rd,

Hull, HU6 7RX

at 7:30, Wednesday 19th August

Stolen Lives is a new thought-provoking creative project which looks at the issues of historical and contemporary slavery through a combination of music, songs, words, images, film and animation.

It aims to raise awareness of modern-day slavery, human trafficking and trans-global child labour issues, thereby helping to inform today’s (and tomorrow’s) campaigners by providing them with an engaging vibrant tool to help the fight against modern slavery.

Stolen Lives is a project of the Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull, led by Prof. John Oldfield in collaboration with Paul Field, a contempo-rary singer/song writer and is supported by the Arts and Humanities Re-search Council’s Follow-on funding for Impact and Engagement.

For further information and to let us know you are coming, please email n.a.shaw@hull.ac.uk

21

Riding Lights Theatre Company presents

BAKED ALASKA ...time to change the temperature

BAKED ALASKA is a deliciously entertaining new show from Riding Lights Theatre Company. Inter-connecting stories of the wild and unpre-

dictable effects of climate change from the four corners of the earth are combined into a rich recipe of hope with lashings of vibrant music,

high energy storytelling and laughter that will surprise you.

Opening at Friargate Theatre in York on the 15th September, BAKED ALASKA is touring the UK ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference

in Paris. Riding Lights is working in partnership with Christian Aid and Operation Noah, both members of the Climate Coalition, and the Dio-

cese of Lichfield.

Anna Burden from Christian Aid said,

“This year is a crucial one in the battle against climate change, which is already hitting poor people hardest. The national BAKED ALASKA

tour with Riding Lights will be an amazing opportunity to bring this message to thousands of people in the run up to the Paris talks and en-

courage every one of us to get involved, raise concerns with our local MP and be part of the answer.”

BAKED ALASKA is on tour in the UK from 15th September to 21st November 2015.

Box Office: 01904 655317.

Tickets are on sale from July 6th, price £12 adult, £9 concessions, £7.50 groups of 8+ under 18s.

For more information and a full tour schedule visit www.ridinglights.org/baked-alaska

22

Yorsay is sent on behalf of the York & Hull Methodist District by the Communications Office

Bob Lawe 27 Ryde Avenue Hull Hu5 1QA yhdistrictcommunications@msn.com

Please note that some of you may receive this and other mailings from a Karoo or other yhdistrict e mail addresses–

Please do not reply or use these addresses as they are for mail delivery only The views expressed in this newsletter

are not necessarily the official views of the Methodist Church or of the York & Hull Methodist District and no in-

ferred support for any of the items or organisations should be taken as granted. Yorsay Newsletter © 2015 York &

Hull Methodist District – All rights reserved.

Publication deadline for next month Yorsay is noon on 19th of the previous month

Camblesforth Church

presents

AN EVENING OF SONG with

THE FILEY FISHERMEN’S CHOIR “Continuing a tradition dating from 1823 when the fishermen of Filey became active

Christians and went out in small bands throughout the North of England spreading the

Gospel.”

AT PORTHOLME CHURCH, SELBY

Saturday, 31st October

At 6:30pm.

Followed by a buffet supper.

Ticket price: £6:00. Please ring Fiona (01757 618446) for tickets. Also available at the door

In aid of Camblesforth Church new building project.

ALL WELCOME