The Methodist Church responds to the riots across England
Methodist churches in their local communities have been working and praying hard in the aftermath of the riots across England last week. There have been prayer vigils in Tottenham, Wolverhampton, Central London, Manchester and Birmingham, and many other locations.
Street pastors, town centre and retail chaplains have been out on the streets; Methodist ministers have been interviewed on local radio stations; Wolverhampton churches are helping small businesses which have lost all their stock; The Nexus Fresh Expression in Central Buildings, Manchester has been offering free coffee to people helping with the clean-up. For more details go to the Methodist Media page on Facebook.
Commenting on the events, the chair of the London District, the Revd Jenny Impey said, "A number of our people live close to the hot spots and have spoken of their shock at what they have witnessed, but are responding in positive ways by helping with clean-up operations, calling together people for prayer and positive action and contacting church members to ensure that they are OK.
"Many people across London and elsewhere are counting the cost of the destruction on our streets. Our churches, which are at the heart of the communities affected, want to play their part in partnership with others to bring healing and peace to those areas, and demonstrate that this city is a place of peaceful, diverse and vibrant communities."
There is also a prayer on the Methodist website written in response to the riots.
If you would like to make a donation to the Mission in Britain Fund which makes grants to local churches and circuits, you can give online through JustGiving here. Or, if you would prefer to send a cheque, please make it payable to Mission in Britain Fund and send it to The Mission in Britain Fund, Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.In Brief
Living Wage
From 1 September all those employed by the Methodist Church must be paid at least the Living Wage. The Living Wage is an hourly rate higher than the legally enforced Minimum Wage, and is calculated so that everyone is able to earn a decent living if they work full time.
For more information click here.
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What in the world is happening?
Click here to read about
- the Methodist Church's response to the shooting in Norway
- how the South Korean government has changed its attitude towards aid to North Korea
- the compassionate ministry of the Orphan Committee in Choma Consistory, Zambia
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Racial Justice Sunday
- 11 September 2011
This year's Racial Justice Sunday resources are based around the theme 'Created by God, treated like slaves: tackling human trafficking'.
Click here to download the material.
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Peacemaking Sunday
- 18 September 2011
Peacemaking Sunday marks the United Nations International Day of Peace on 21 September. Read more and download worship resources prepared by the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church here.
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Inspire national gathering, July 2011
"Brilliant!" was the feedback from those who attended the Inspire national gathering this year. The day's theme was "Transforming encounters - mission as a way of life". It meant that those present could reflect on how mission starts with our own encounter with God's transforming love, and is then worked out in our transforming encounters with those whom we meet.
To read further about the day, discover more about Inspire or sign up for their monthly e-newsletter, click here.
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Ideas to help your church link with the 2012 Games
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Click here to explore the resources and find out what will suit you in your local context. (The full list is on the right hand side of the linked page.)
East Africa famine
The grant will help to buy and distribute food to areas most affected by the famine. The worst hit areas are mainly in northern Kenya, which has had little or no rainfall lately. There is massive crop failure, drying up of the few water sources and death of animals, which are the communities’ major source of income. "Over a million people now stand the risk of death if nothing is done to lessen the impact of this catastrophe," says partnership coordinator for Africa, Dr Bunmi Olayisade. "It is necessary for stakeholders to put their efforts together to save lives and restore hope to the people in the affected areas. It will also be important for the government, NGOs and well-wishers to develop long term mechanisms that would include irrigation and other support to save the people of northern Kenya from the continued ravages of hunger." The Methodist Church is appealing for funds to support the relief work. If you wish to donate, you can do so via the Methodist World Mission Fund online through JustGiving
There is also a special prayer on the Methodist website.
The Methodist Church in Britain has made a solidarity grant of £20,000 to the Methodist Church in Kenya, to help with relief work in light of the ongoing famine in East Africa.
The Methodists' Handwritten Bible goes online
It contains 7,000 pages with verses written in English, Chinese, Welsh and Braille, plus accompanying illustrations. More than 30,000 volunteers joined in from every part of Britain and further afield - including prisons, schools, colleges, libraries, nursing homes, airports and shopping centres. Dave Webster, internet communications coordinator who was responsible for uploading the Handwritten Bible online, said: "The Handwritten Bible has the human touch. The care and love that people put into it are expressed in the ever-changing handwriting and illustrations. This makes reading it a unique and moving experience." The Methodists’ Handwritten Bible will be available for display at churches, Bible Fresh events, anniversaries and museums until the 2012 Methodist Conference. For more details contact Jenny Ellis.
Members of local churches are invited to attend prayer breakfast meetings arranged with the Christian groupings within each party: Liberal Democrat - Tuesday 20 September (Birmingham) Labour - Tuesday 27 September (Liverpool) Conservative - Tuesday 4 October (Manchester) For more details email the Joint Public Issues Team.
The Methodists’ Handwritten Bible, created by tens of thousands of people across Britain and Northern Ireland, is now online.
Church leaders' delegation to the party conferences 
Leaders from the Baptist Union, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church will again be joining with leaders from the Salvation Army and Society of Friends in a delegation to the autumn conferences of the three main political parties. By attending some of the sessions and meeting with MPs, the delegation is able to demonstrate the support of the Churches for those involved in the political process.
7.45-9.00am at Birmingham Christian Centre
7.45-9.00am at the Friends' Meeting House
7.45-9.00am at Living Oasis Christian Bookshop
Just Food: Harvest 2011 (resources from the Arthur Rank Centre)
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It is predicted that by 2030 the world will need to produce 50% more food and energy, together with 30% more available fresh water, whilst mitigating and adapting to climate change. This threatens to create a ‘perfect storm’ of global events." (Prof John Beddington, UK chief scientific adviser, September 2009).
The Arthur Rank Centre has produced resources for Harvest 2011 to encourage a Christian response to the global food challenge, including Bible readings, prayers, links and background material. Find them here.
Also check out the CTBI resources for Creation Time: Our daily bread - food in God's creation.
Theatre groups offer original 2012 drama to churches
Touring during 2012 will be a revision John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a collaboration with a Muslim theatre company, an exploration of the roots of the modern Olympic movement, and an interactive game show with the focus on ‘reaching your potential’. The companies behind these dramas are Saltmine, Lantern Arts, Riding Lights and Act4. The productions are suitable for schools as well as adults and have been created with the encouragement of More Than Gold, the agency helping churches make the most of the 2012 Games. More details can be found at www.morethangold.org.uk/productions.
Four leading Christian theatre groups have produced original productions to help churches make the most of the 2012 Games.
Methodists at Greenbelt
There will also be a Methodist presence on one of the Greenbelt panels. Paul Morrison from the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) will be debating The poor are poor because the rich are rich
In the visual arts look out for works from the Methodist Church Collection of Modern Christian Art.
Peter and his wife Rita headed up the Healing Touch at Easter People for six years and have led courses on healing ministry across the country. The book costs £12.50 (including p&p) and is available from Peter Edwards, 28 Broomfield Grove, Rotherham S60 2SY. 
Methodists attending Greenbelt are invited to come to the Methodist Church venue Galilee on Saturday 27 August from 6.45-7.45pm to mingle together over some nibbles and refreshments. The president of the Conference, the vice-president, the general secretary and the president designate will all be there. This will follow on from Martyn Atkins’ talk, Why the first Christians were really Methodists. 
Healing has been integral to the Church's life and ministry since the beginnings of Christianity. But in recent times it has become marginalised and often treated with suspicion by mainstream Churches. The Healing Touch of God is an attempt to show the Church, and the Methodist Church in particular, that healing ministry should be as much a part of every congregation’s life as any other form of prayer. In the book, the author Peter Edwards (a Methodist minister) uses his experience of ministry in his local church in Rotherham.
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