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2 March 2023
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Methodist News.
Details of on-call media support can be found here.
Yours,
The Communications team
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International Women’s Day
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A prayer for International Women’s Day by the Revd Dr Barbara Glasson
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We
do not ask for strength, we have strength
we pray for resolve to use our strength for good
We
do not ask for courage, we have courage
we pray for resilience to rise above defeats
We
do not ask for acceptance, we are acceptable
we pray for persistence to demand equality for all
We
do not ask for a voice, we have voices
we pray for determination to speak love’s truth to power
As
Susannah Wesley used her insight, learning and strength to educate her
children equally
we pray that we, the Methodist people, will continually use our wisdom, courage
and diversity to turn the tables on injustice and embrace equity for all.
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International Women’s Day will be taking placing on Wednesday 8 March.
“The theme of International Women’s Day this year is #EmbraceEquity. Whilst equality and equity are often used interchangeably, they have very different meanings. Equity is about giving everyone what they need in order to be successful and not just the same thing as everyone else. It is a powerful idea that challenges us to look beyond what is ‘fair’ to what is ‘just’.”
You can read these rest of this blog by Irene Hayes here, and find out more about IWD on their website here.
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Did you know our Christmas film, There Is Room, is up for an award?
We’re absolutely delighted to be a finalist for on the the Smiley Charity Film Awards alongside many wonderful organisations.
If you’re able to, please head to the link here and vote for There Is Room.
It’s great to see that “There is room for all” is still something people are resonating with, even after Christmas!
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A prayer for the end of LGBT+ History Month, by the Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler
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Loving God,
We thank you for the stories we have heard this month, even when those stories have been hard to hear.
Forgive us the times that we have denied the diversity of your creation.
Forgive us our misunderstandings.
Forgive us the carelessness with language that has hurt others.
Thank you for those who have shared their stories with us.
Thank you for those who have persevered in the church in spite of our failings.
Thank you for those who have challenged and overcome discrimination.
And thank you for the changes that we have seen because of their witness, because of our repentance, and because of your guiding.
Encourage us, we pray, that we might continue to do and to be better. May your whole church become the diverse, welcoming and inclusive community you call us to be.
Amen.
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Small churches: what’s our future story?
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On 16 March, come along to a webinar full of hope and inspiration about the gifts each small
church has to offer its community.
In this 90-minute Zoom gathering you will
hear stories of small churches that have make big steps in discerning God’s
call and making changes for the sake of mission. You’ll also have an
opportunity to network with others and to receive input to help you in your own
discernment.
All members of small churches are welcome, both lay
and ordained.
To book click here.
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New course dates are now available!
This course is for all leaders in the Methodist Church (lay
and ordained, paid and unpaid) who really want to reach new people but also
understand that evangelism is a word with baggage.
It aims to equip leaders in their contexts to:
- confidently model what it means to follow our
shared calling to evangelism
- to intentionally prioritise and promote
evangelism
- to cultivate a culture of confident, authentic
faith sharing
For full details and to register
click here.
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From Junior Church to Foodbank Supplies
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“A 9-year-old girl from Gateshead has become an inspiration to all ages in her Methodist church by encouraging collections for her local foodbank.”
Click here to read about Eva’s story – from hearing about foodbanks to immediately taking action.
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Living Christianity in the Holy Land
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“We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the land called holy.”
Conrad Hicks had the chance to visit the Holy Land in January and has written about his experience of meeting people in a place with so much history and conflict.
You can read his blog here.
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On Monday morning, Trey Hall was back on BBC Radio 2 with Zoe Ball.
However, before he shared his Pause for Thought, Zoe surprised him by inviting the whole country to give him some fashion advice!
Listen back to it here.
You can also catch Trey on Pause for Thought with Zoe Ball for the next two Mondays.
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