World Methodist Council

However busy you are, please don't forget to visit
the President and Vice-President's blog to follow the very interesting account by our Vice-President, Dr. Richard Vautrey, of the Methodist work in Chile, as he accompanies his wife to the Methodist World Council meeting - this year in Santiago. You will get an even better idea of the people and their work if you remember to click on each photo, to enlarge them and see them in greater detail. There is sure to be more to come yet before Dr. Vautrey and his wife return home on Saturday, and I shall be eagerly waiting to follow this exciting visit.

Then we can look forward to our President, the Revd David Gamble's, visit next week to the wonderful work funded by MRDF in India and his reports and photos from there.

Church calls for end to Pakistan blasphemy law

‘Outdated’ law is fuelling interreligious violence


The Methodist Church in Britain is calling on the Pakistani Government to repeal its controversial blasphemy law, and is encouraging Christians to sign an online petition.

The blasphemy law includes clauses that forbid defiling the Quran and defaming the prophet Mohammed. Under the current law, defiling the Quran merits imprisonment for life and defaming Mohammed merits death with or without a fine.

There is concern that the law is enflaming tensions between Christians and Muslims in Pakistan, and is being used to justify violence against Christians. In late July, three churches and 147 homes were burned during violent attacks against Christians that left ten dead and made more than 290 families homeless.

The President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd David Gamble, has signed the petition (available at http://pakistansignnow.petitionhost.com/#sign) and is urging others to do likewise.

David said; “The blasphemy law is being used by some to fuel violence between people of faith in Pakistan, rather than creating respect as it was once designed to do.
Atrocities such as those we have seen committed against Christians in recent days must be stopped and the Pakistani Government needs to prove its commitment to protecting religious minorities by repealing this outdated law.”

So far more than 1,600 people have signed the petition, which has been formulated by Christians and Muslims together and will be delivered to the Pakistan Government, urging them to help prevent further attacks.

Source: Methodist News Service 3/9/2009

Methodist President: Church must make the world a safer place

I haven't got around to writing about my time away at the Methodist Conference and with my family, but i'd like to share part of the speech made by the new President of Conference for 2009-2010, the revd David gamble. I hope to write more later.

In his inaugural presidential address to the annual Methodist Conference, Revd David Gamble spoke of the need for the Church to be a ‘safer space’ for people from every walk of life.

David spoke particularly of the importance of supporting the survivors of abuse, affirming his commitment to making the Church and the world a safer place. He said; “When I’m talking about creating safer space I’m talking about places, situations, moments, relationships, occasions where and when people feel accepted as they are, able to tell their story, not judged and not put at unnecessary risk.”

David was inducted as the President of the Methodist Conference as the first order of business at opening of the Conference in Wolverhampton. He will serve for one year, representing the Church and meeting people across Britain.

Speaking of climate change as ‘the biggest issue facing our world today’, he said, “In the face of what is happening to this planet as the direct result of how we live, do we just give up, or is there a word of hope and are there possibilities to turn the tide and make this planet a safer space? Christians and churches need to be fully involved, and have things to offer in making our world a safer space.”

David also called for greater openness and understanding between people of different perspectives, traditions and faiths, commenting that, “If we really listen to people’s different perspectives we may come to a fuller and richer understanding ourselves. We can challenge and be challenged if there is respect between us. Not to seek to cast out those who think differently, but to listen, to understand and to grow.”

People can follow David’s travels on the President and Vice President’s blog (http://www.methodist-presandvp.blogspot.com/).

Source: Methodist News service 04/07/09