Date and venue announced for Methodist Conference 2011

In 2011, the Methodist Conference will be heading northwest to Southport, from 30 June to 7 July.

The Methodist Conference is the governing body of the Methodist Church and meets annually in June or July. Next year’s Conference will be held in Portsmouth, from 24 June to 1 July, at the Portsmouth Guildhall.

Six months of searching for a suitable venue to bring the event back to the north of England for 2011 have concluded with the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.

“This is a newly refurbished venue, well suited to the needs of today’s Methodist Conference,” said Ben Bradley, Connexional Events Coordinator. “I’m excited by what Southport has to offer. Not only does it boast all the best features of a Victorian resort town, but it has all the amenities the modern conference goer would expect.”

The opening ceremony of the Conference and Conference worship are due to be held in the Southport Theatre Auditorium with a capacity for seating over 1,600 people. Conference business sessions will take place in the Art Deco Floral Hall in the adjoining convention centre.

Source; Methodist News Service 05/11/2009

Methodist Conference at Scarborough

This year's Methodist Conference will take place in Scarborough at the Spa Complex, from 5-10 July. It is the first time that the Conference has been to Scarborough in ten years.

The annual Conference is the governing body of The Methodist Church, debating and determining policy and legislation for the Church and considering issues of national and international concern. Over five days, 384 voting members of the Conference will be joined by thousands of visitors at the Spa Centre to celebrate church life and debate issues of both church and public interest.

Topics for discussion include embryology and early human life, equality and diversity in the Church and the Church's new Youth Participation initiative. There will also be an update on the Anglican-Methodist Covenant.

The full timetable for the Methodist Conference, including downloadable versions of all the reports to be debated, will soon be available online at http://www.methodistconference.org.uk.