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MARCH
20 March 2008
The really good news gospel: the Easter
message from the Methodist President
Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, President of the Methodist
Conference, says;
“Donald English used to say that death and
resurrection is not simply what happened to Jesus but is the deep movement God
implants in all creation. The Christian God is a God of death and resurrection.
“Like many I have been challenged by poignant
examples of death - its reality and hard consequences - and blessed by wonderful
examples of resurrection - and the hope and joy it brings.
“I will never forget a conversation with
a Sierra Leonian man, bearing the scars of the rebel war in the 1990’s so
powerfully depicted in the recent film Blood
Diamond. He thanked me fervently for bringing the
gospel to his land - he talked to me as if I was one of those first Methodist
missionaries to West Africa! He explained with deep emotion how he had received
Christ quite recently, in the war years, and this coming to faith had enabled
him to begin to forgive those who mutilated him - and, as I learned a little
later, killed his wife. I was moved to tears. In all his pain and lasting
disability he knew that Jesus was alive, and there was hope in his life. He knew
in a deep way that the gospel of Christ truly is good news.
“More recently, when in Uganda with MRDF, I met
Christian folk who have so little, who live with the reality and proximity of
death and suffering in a way I do not, yet who remind me more than most of the
life and hope of Christian faith. Death and resurrection belong together.
“Or I think of some friends who have died in
recent times. They knew their prognosis. They lived with the stark consequences
of their impending death, for themselves and especially their loved ones. And at
just the time when hope might be most lacking in these dear people and those who
love them, they talk of the nearness of Christ, the wonderful love and
forgiveness of God, the comfort of their faith, their trust in Jesus, the
salvation he freely gave and their hope of heaven. In the most traumatic
situations of life, it is often those going through them who embody and make
clear that the Christian gospel truly is good news.
“Death and resurrection is also evident in the
life of our churches. I was at Walworth Methodist Church some weeks ago. A
church with a venerable past, ‘Clubland’ had a great ministry among local
youths and others in that London neighbourhood. But there came a time when
almost all signs of life disappeared, and a long three days of darkness ensued.
But resurrection has come and new life bursts out everywhere. Methodist
Christians, young and old, many (originally) from various parts of West Africa
and beyond, share life and worship that exudes the good news gospel.
“Our world lives with death and resurrection in
many ways and in many places. An ‘average’ news broadcast gives cause to
both weep and rejoice. In places of death and darkness we must continue to weep
with those who weep and ‘look for the morning’ as people of resurrection
faith and hope. With those who rejoice in life and hope we must celebrate and
point to God, the giver of it all.
“Our Easter faith is not death or
resurrection, it is death and
resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is not a reversal of death. It is much
more than that. The risen Jesus is known by the scars of crucifixion. He is the
Living One Who Died. But now he is alive forever. And, marvellously, he stands
today with this needy world in the reality of death and the promise of new life.
This ministry he shares with us, his Easter People Church, a people bearing the
marks of both death and new life. A people who know and live out the profound
truth that death and resurrection life both lie deep in the purposes of God, in
whom all things will be well. Alleluia!”
17 March, 2008
Marking the 5th
Anniversary of the Iraq War on 19 March
Anthea Cox, Methodist Co-ordinating Secretary for
Public Life and Social Justice: “The war in Iraq has been far more costly in
terms of lives lost than anyone could have imagined. We are acutely aware of the
appalling death toll of Iraqi civilians as the country struggles to contain the
violence. We are mindful of British troops currently serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan and the Chaplains who serve alongside them. We are aware of the
costly service that they undertake. Our hearts go out to all families who have
lost loved ones in the past five years.
“The kidnapping and tragic death of Archbishop
Rahho illustrates the extreme danger faced by Christians and other minorities in
Iraq today. We are enormously concerned for the Iraqi Christian community and
will continue to uphold them in our prayers.
“Following the failure to find weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq many more people now question whether the invasion was
justified and whether this was the only course open to us. It is right that such
questions should still be asked today. Iraq has shown us that a military
response that seeks to exert control can easily bring further chaos. We need to
learn lessons regarding the role of diplomacy, the relationship between the
intelligence services and government policy-making and the importance of
regional alliances in addressing conflict and post-conflict reconstruction.
“The UK must continue to work with the people
of Iraq and offer support. We would ask those with influence to consider how
regional powers might be brought together to work on solutions and how to
provide security for minorities. We also need to consider how external powers
can best help to foster national reconciliation and strengthen political
institutions in Iraq.”
12 March 2008
"Set All
Free" comes to an end
After
almost three successful years of working to raise awareness of slavery, with a
particular emphasis on the 2007 bicentenary of the Act to abolish the
Transatlantic Slave Trade, the set all free project is due to end on 31
March 2008.
set
all free was established by Churches Together in England in March 2005 as a
three-year project to encourage churches and other interested parties to
remember, reflect and respond to issues of slavery and freedom. The aim
was to make connections between past and present day slavery in order to end
modern forms of exploitation and racial prejudice.
Richard Reddie,
Project Director, says, 'The last three years have seen a marked increase in
awareness of the ongoing impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Britain and
the fact that slavery still exists today. set all free
has been one of the main organisations that has been responsible for writing
back into history a subject that had previously been written out. As a
result of all the work undertaken by many, Britain will now have a Slavery
Memorial Day (23 August), and the teaching of Transatlantic slavery is to be
part of the national curriculum from September 2008. In addition, there
are plans to have a permanent memorial to the millions of the lives lost during
this protracted human tragedy.'
set all
free has
produced a wide range of resources which have educated, informed and inspired
many people to find out more about their history and work to make slavery a
thing of the past (see http://www.setallfree.net/resources_current.html)
set all free
has been funded by the Churches, Congregational & General Insurance, and
especially the Jerusalem Trust, which has provided the salary of the Project
Director. (The project received no funding from the Government or
Heritage Lottery Fund.) Applications to Trusts for further funding have
been unsuccessful. As the current project draws to an end, Kate Yates will be
leaving Churches Together in England’s employ at the end of March. From then
on communication should be with richard.reddie@cte.org.uk
Meanwhile, Bill
Snelson, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, says that CTE has
been concerned to see that the themes and emphases that have been identified
within set all free should be carried forward, and kept within the
mainstream of the Churches’ thinking and experience. Churches Together in
England has been looking, with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, at ways
to sustain relationships and extend the work.
set all free
would also like to thank those who helped during this three year ‘journey’
and encourage them to continue their engagement via those organisations within
the set all free network.
·
To contact organisations within the set all free network, click on the
LINKS button on www.setallfree.net
·
If you would like more information on the legacies of the Transatlantic Slave
Trade click on the LEGACIES button on the toolbar on www.setallfree.net
·
If you would like more information on modern day slavery, click on the
SLAVERY NOW and WHAT TO DO buttons on www.setallfree.net
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BOLTON
AND ROCHDALE METHODIST
DISTRICT