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Methodism
August 5, 2008
Dear Friends,
At our General Church Meeting on June 8th we thanked Margaret Matthews for her wonderful leadership as Senior Steward in recent years at Otford Methodist and welcomed Barbara Davies to succeed her. We also elected Ann Suaznabar and Mike Harris as new stewards.
We are passing through changing times in Methodism (as well as many other areas of life) and the stewards asked me to share something of the present structures of Methodism at the General Meeting and then print them in our Newsletter. I summarized them in the Table below showing the different geographical areas, what the differing Governing Bodies are and the lead people for each. At the GCM I put this with the National Level first but here I have turned it round so that you can begin with our own church and see the wider areas in which we are se. We belong to Otford Methodist Church (very local) which is in the Sevenoaks Circuit (fairly local as it covers only Sevenoaks, Weald and Otford), which is set in the South East District (our regional area covering the whole South East of the country south of London) and finally we belong in the British Connexion (which covers the whole country)
The Area Governing Group Lead Person Our Person
Otford Church Church Council Minister Kath Pawlett
Sevenoaks Circuit Circuit Meeting Superintendent Peter Hills
Circuit Steward Margaret Matthews
S E District Synod Chair John Hellyer
& Area Meeting Assistant Sheila Foreman
Connexion Conference President Martin Atkins
Vice President Ruby Beech
Being aware of our wider Methodist Family helps us to pray for our fellow Christians and remember that we are inter-related with them, for example in the way we support Chaplaincy work through our financial contributions and we have received grants towards our new Hall. Preachers from other churches lead our worship and our Ministers are appointed to whole circuits. Each year for the beginning of the Methodist year in September a Prayer Handbook is issued inviting us to pray for a different District each day of the month and to think of the even wider family overseas. (There are usually copies on the Bookstall in September)
Some people have asked what sort of changes are happening and I think there are both Structural Changes and Renewal Changes:
• Structural Changes especially “Mapping a Way Forward – regrouping for Mission” which is about creating larger Circuits. We are already sharing preachers with Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Maidstone and our Sevenoaks Circuit
• Renewal changes which include “Fresh Expressions” which means new ways of doing things. These may be in large ways such as planting Churches in a Pub or small ways like the Café Evenings we have developed, intended as a stepping stone to worship together
It is hard to cover such a large topic in a short space so please do ask me if you have any questions. Please also remember in your prayers the annual Conference, (which as our Table above shows is the Governing Body for our country), which begins on July 3rd in Scarborough and will be facing difficult decisions about the use of limited resources up and down the country.
The Methodist family is only one of the many ways in which we share fellowship with other Christians. First of all we belong with our own local Church and then relate to all the other Churches around us and we are blessed in Otford to do that. Ultimately our whole Church family is all those on earth and in Heaven who are followers of Jesus Christ.
God Bless you
With warmest Christian Greetings
Kath
PS At the GCM I made the invitation for anyone who would like to find out more about being a Member of our Church to talk to me about it. This may be someone who has never been a Church Member elsewhere or someone who has a membership in another Church which could be transferred here. Do talk to me about your individual situation.
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