Churches praise Government’s new stance on cluster munitions

At talks in Dublin over the last two weeks, governments have drafted the text for a treaty to ban the use of cluster bombs. This week the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has committed the UK to withdrawing the remaining two cluster munitions from its arsenal.

The Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church have for some time campaigned for a full ban on cluster munitions. Today they issued a joint statement welcoming the outcome of the Dublin summit.

Graham Sparkes, Head of Faith & Unity, the Baptist Union of Great Britain says; “the churches have been calling for such a treaty for a long time. Cluster bombs kill indiscriminately and continue to do so long after fighting has stopped, harming those who are already living in a vulnerable situation following the conflict.”

In the two months after the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on average three civilians were killed every day by unexploded cluster bombs. One third of these deaths were children.

Simon Loveitt, the United Reformed Church’s Spokesperson on Public Issues, says; “The agreement in Dublin offers hope for a future without such weapons and the chance to offer improved protection for civilians during and after conflict. In the past, the UK has been a significant user of cluster munitions. The UK Government’s support for a complete ban is therefore particularly important."

However, Steve Hucklesby, Methodist Secretary for International Affairs, warns that there is still much to be done; “The work is not yet finished. The strength of this treaty will largely depend on encouraging more governments to support it and take the important steps to phase out the stockpiling and use of these weapons.”

Information about the Churches’ campaign on cluster bombs can be found at:

www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/clustermunitions

1 May 2008

Connecting with The Connexional Noticeboard

A new feature on the Methodist website allows Methodists all over the country to share news and events with other people. This feature enables anyone to post news regarding their local church or circuit and publicise upcoming activities in local areas. This will give Methodists the opportunity to be inspired by the goings on of other circuits and churches.

The news section will allow Methodists to advertise their exciting new ideas and thoughts that have been put into practise, and to share what has worked well. It will give people a chance to connect with others and contribute ideas to help improve their local churches. When a news section is posted those people will leave their contact details so Methodists who are interested can contact them.

The events section is also an exciting part as this shows Methodists the full range of activities taking place all over the Connexion. Dave Webster, Co-Head of Communications for the Methodist Church, says “You can see what is happening in your local area or just generally around the country. We think that this is a simple but effective way for people to learn what else is happening across the Connexion, and to share their own success stories or to invite others to join in their celebrations.”

This feature is now available for posts right now at: www.methodist.org.uk/local