The Conference is the Church’s governing body, which meets once a year to discuss matters affecting the Church and wider society. Around 1,400 people are expected to attend the opening weekend of the Conference, which will see the induction of the new President and Vice President. Up to 3,000 people are expected to attend ordination services for new Methodist ministers, which will take place in venues throughout the region, including Liverpool and Chester cathedrals.

Revd James Booth, Chair of the Liverpool Methodist District, said: “I am delighted to be able to welcome this year’s Methodist Conference to the splendidly refurbished Theatre and Convention Centre in Southport. Our presence in Conference in the town and region will visibly affirm our continuing commitment to serve the communities of which we are part – and we will be making important decisions about our future life as the Methodist Church.”

The Conference was last held in Southport in 1999. Hot topics on this year’s agenda include debates on the ‘Big Society’ , poverty and inequality , climate change and the Church’s involvement in the 2012 Olympic Games. All of the Conference reports are available online here. Those unable to attend the Conference will be able to watch the debates live online via the Methodist Conference website.

The Conference will also celebrate the Church’s new hymn collection, Singing the Faith, due to be published this September. The collection was the subject of special editions of BBC1’s Songs of Praise and BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Service on 26 June. More information about Singing the Faith can be found here .

24 June 2011

Methodist President urges South Korean government to resume food aid

The Methodist Church in Britain has expressed solidarity with the people of Korea after Churches distributing food aid were threatened with legal action by the South Korean government.

Revd Alison Tomlin, President of the Methodist Conference, sent a letter to the President of South Korea this week urging the government to resume food aid. The Methodist World Mission Fund has issued a £10,000 grant to the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in response to the crisis.

The NCCK sent 172 tons of flour to the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) on 18 May through the Amity Foundation, an organisation that receives funding from the Methodist Church’s World Mission Fund. The flour was sent in response to food shortages in North Korea reported by the World Food Program and the NCCK. The emergency supply was distributed by the KCF in North Korea to kindergartens in three towns, reaching around 31,400 children. Revd Kang Young Sup, Chairman of the KCF, expressed his thanks and indicated that another eight towns were in need. But the South Korean Government has threatened to take the NCCK to court for distributing the emergency supplies via China without its consent.

Steve Pearce, partnership coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, asked people to pray for Korea. “This is a terrible situation,” he said. “People are starving in North Korea. We urge people to help support the food relief effort through The World Mission Fund and to pray for peace and justice in Korea. The Methodist Church will continue its membership of the NCCK partners group and stand in solidarity with its actions.”

Revd Heawon Chae, executive coordinator for Peace, Reunification and Development Cooperation on the Korean peninsula, said: “It took almost two months for the Amity Foundation to purchase the flour and transport it in trucks to Shineuijoo, a city at the border. The Korean government is now very angry at the NCCK’s activity and it’s going to take this to court as an illegal activity.”

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s government ended donations of food and medicine to the North when he took up office three years ago. In a statement, the NCCK affirmed that “Christians in South Korea firmly believe that supporting food aid to our brothers and sisters in the North who are faced with starving is to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ.”

A prayer for Korea and a copy of the letter sent to the President of South Korea can be found here.

People can donate to the food relief effort in North Korea via the Methodist Church by visiting www.justgiving.com or sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund to Steve Pearce, Partnership Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled ‘North Korea Appeal’. For further information visit www.methodist.org.uk or contact Steve Pearce on 020 7467 5161.