Home Minister's Letters From Barry Weetman
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Dear Friends,
A man that looks on glass on it may stay his eye;
Or, if he pleaseth, through it pass, and then the heavens espy.
H P 803 George Herbert
‘And Peter turned to the other disciples and said...’Verily, we need a water cooler’. James responded, ‘....and matching filing cabinets’. Thomas chimed in, ‘That’s not much good without matching desks’. ‘Great!’ said Judas (the nice one, not the other one) ‘But then there will have to be waste paper baskets. You can’t have a properly run church without all the administrative apparatus in hand. And how about a telephone answering machine? And those leather chairs that recline when you pull a handle’ At this the Master entered. ‘What are you talking about? ‘, he asked. ‘Water coolers!’ said Peter, getting in first. ‘Answering machines. And desks. And filing cabinets,’ said John, more quietly, for he had a feeling he knew what would happen next. ‘And waste paper baskets!’ said Judas Two, excited, for after all they had been his idea.
‘Oh dear. How long have I been with you?’, said the Master, wearily. ‘It is a faithless generation that longeth for matching filing cabinets. As for you, go and preach the kingdom of God – oh, and cancel the office supplies order. Unless the church is first built up there will be no time for administration’
(quoted with permission from ‘and then the Master said......’)
On reading the various Conference reports in the Methodist Recorder and the reports on the General Synod of the Church of England in the Times, I can’t help being quietly amazed on just how much time, and energy and hot air has been spent on administration and internal organisation. Impassioned debates about the closing of Wesley College (sad, as an ex Wesley man, but inevitable given that so much of our training has been moved elsewhere), debates about the new hymn book – of interest, but hardly earth shattering news - the need to cut the size of the connexional team to match diminishing resources, personnel files to be established for ministers and deacons (this would worry me but I suspect mine will be misfiled), caring for places of worship etc. So Conference went on.
There was indeed action urged about Israel and Palestinian relationships, and various churches overseas in the Congo, Fiji and Korea but otherwise so much of the business seems to have been internal. As for the General Synod of the C of E,, it seems so far to be wrapped up in the whole business of women bishops and gay clergy – two issues which are not of concern to Methodists as we rightly decided some years ago that woman and men could both have a full ministry and status within the church, and that gays could be ordained as long as they were celibate, which is implicit by our stated viewpoint that we believe in ‘fidelity within marriage and chastity outside it’. Meanwhile, as the churches debate their internal organisation the Methodist Recorder asks
‘Where have the missing generation(s) gone’ . Anyone see the connection?
Every blessing
John Davies
‘You have nothing to do but save souls. .Therefore spend and be spent in this work.’ John Wesley
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Dear Friends,
On theology and greenhouses.......
Some years ago I attempted to establish a vegetable garden. It was a dismal failure – the ground was waterlogged (on the site of an old pond I am told), it was too sheltered by trees – our own and our neighbours’ - and it was on the ‘blue clay’ part of the garden – hard work! I could have raised the level by bringing soil in which would have sorted the drainage but which would have done nothing about the trees, or the slugs and snails which thrive in that part of the garden, so I grassed it over and gave in.
Recently though I have been tempted to have a go again, especially when considering the cost of soft fruit and tomatoes, and decided to buy a greenhouse, and start another vegetable plot, this time near the house, on good ground, away from the trees. It came, of course, from ebay – everything in our house seems to come from ebay these days, from cars to printer cartridges! There was good news and bad news – the good news was it came from Aldridge, was already dismantled, had all of its glass, and seemingly all of its fixings, and some trestles for the inside; however, it did not have any instructions, which was the bad news.
So Paula and I pieced bits together, scratched our heads, looked at other peoples until something clicked and up it went, on a brick base – where did the bricks come from? Ebay, again, 300 for 99p.! In the end, I broke two pieces of glass, cut my thumb and improved my bricklaying, which can’t be bad.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because when we thought about it it seemed to Paula and me that there is a sense in which we have not just been erecting a greenhouse but enacting a parable – living out a sermon illustration – several, in fact.
In the first place, before we do something – for ourselves or for God – we must count the cost.
After this we prepare the ground, and put the work in.
There is often too an act of faith with any project - in this case buying a greenhouse and erecting it without no instructions showed faith, both in the vendor, that the greenhouse was complete, and in my own DIY skills that eventually all these bits of aluminium would transform into something useful!
In the church too we sometimes need to step out in faith if we feel God wants us to do something, and by the same process – looking at the need, counting the cost, preparing the ground, putting the work in, that we might reap the benefit. And with churches, as with vegetable gardens, the end result is up to God.
Every blessing
John Davies
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Dear Friends,
Several of us from the Circuit recently spent a very stimulating day at 'Building Vision', at Handsworth, a day organised jointly by the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury and Birmingham Districts to help us all to dream dreams and explore our mission.
The workshops were many and varied - Action for Children, Palestine, mapping the way forward, children and worship, drama, puppets, climate change. Methodist Relief & Development Fund, family friendly church, Christian Aid and so on. The main problem was choosing between them as we could only attend three.
In the end I plumped for Palestine, the Bible Study and Building a Community Church. The session on Palestine was illuminating, though depressing - it was some time since I had been to anything which gave details of life on the West Bank, and things seem to just keep getting worse, with attitudes hardening on either side. No wonder there is such deep hatred that suicide bombers can now recruit so easily. There are those in Israel who oppose the measures taken by their Government on humanitarian grounds but they are few and far between. A pity.
The bible study, on Gideon, was excellent, and it was lovely to sit at someone else's feet for a change! The session on Building a Community Church turned out to be a presentation about the Wednesbury Circuit and the vast amount of community work done in the name of the church at both Woods and Central. All food for thought. Those who went from this Circuit chose a wide range of seminars between us and we were all agreed we had had a stimulating and enjoyable time.
On Saturday 12th. June we will be having our own 'Home Grown' Vision Day here in the Walsall Circuit, at Central Hall between 9.30 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. The day will cost £2.50 but a good buffet lunch will be provided.* It will give opportunity to think about new ways of is being 'church' for those around us, to dream dreams, share our own experiences, listen to the experiences of others and share resources. It is being organised by Mrs. Louisa Haynes, and to book please ring her on 01922 459875, or email FXVDWalsall@hotmail.co.uk . Please come if you can, and encourage others to attend - it promises to be a useful and thought-provoking day.
Every blessing,
John Davies
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Why the Methodist Church should remain a separate denomination.
On February 11th. 2010 Rev. Dr. David Gamble, President of the Methodist Conference, addressed the Church of England Synod about Anglican Methodist Unity in these words-
We are prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for the sake of mission. In other words we are prepared to be changed and even to cease having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom.”
This prompted a letter from me to the Methodist Recorder, eventually published in March, in which I said that we should continue to be a separate Denomination because there was something distinctive about our witness which would be lost if we became part of a greater church by uniting with the Anglicans. Since that was published I have had many messages - mainly ones of support - and I have been asked if I would comment further. I do so willingly but the more I look at it the more I realise that there is more than one month's worth here, so I ask you to bear with me.
The Methodist Church has always had an ambivalent relationship with the Church of England - hardly surprising when one considers that John and Charles Wesley founded a group of religious societies which after their deaths became a separate Church yet they themselves remained priests in the Church of England for the rest of their lives. Since Methodist Union in 1932 when the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist Churches got together there has been in some quarters a growing feeling that perhaps it was time for Methodism to become a society within the Church of England, and this lay behind the unity schemes which dominated our relationships in the 1960's and 1970's. As a son of the Church of Wales (and therefore a baptised Anglican) I have some sympathy for this but I am now increasingly convinced that this is not the right move to make and more would be lost than would be gained.
In particular we differ on the subjects of ordination, ministry and the place of women within the ministry of the church. The recent disagreement over whether Rev. Lord Griffiths, one of our foremost Methodist Ministers, should be allowed to be 'conditionally ordained' within the Church of England illustrates the point that we see ordination differently - and it is still the case that many in the Church of England do not see Methodist ordination as valid. On our side, we still hold proudly to the 'priesthood of all believers' and give a far greater place - and say - to the laity in our church government and administration than the C of E tends to, and a far greater place to lay ministry. Put simply, unlike many high Anglicans, whilst we believe that some are called to be separated for the work of God through the Presbyteral ministry we do not believe that God needs them to be the bridge through which he administers his grace. We believe that God can use and speak through all.
Then there is the whole issue of women in ministry. Methodism has for over 30 years accepted that the call of women to the Presbyterial Ministry as being as valid as that of men. We have no flying bishops, nor any need of them. In particular, whilst in modern Anglicanism it is seemingly impossible without being a theological liberal - those church leaders in favour of women's ministry in the C of E are almost always in favour of homosexuality for example - in Methodism, one can be in favour of
women's ministry and yet be a either a conservative or a liberal in terms of your theology which seems to me to be far more healthy - truly liberal in fact! (cont. next time)
The argument from history.
The argument is often made nowadays that as John Wesley was an Anglican Priest who wished nothing other than that the Methodist movement should remain a class within the Church of England, this wish should be binding on a current generation of Methodists. However, this does not give due weight to the pressures which were in Methodism even in Wesley's lifetime to separate, nor does it show much awareness of the nature of the Church of England at the time, or of John and Charles Wesleys' Nonconformist, indeed, Puritan ancestry. Let's start there.
Whilst John and Charles' parents were Anglicans, both came from prominent Nonconformist families having their roots in the Puritan movement of the century before , and much of their upbringing with its emphasis on discipline, rigorous self examination, abstemiousness and hard work can be seen to have been influenced by this. John himself read widely and included Puritan authors in his reading, and once the Methodist movement got under way he drew on Puritan authors for such things as the love feast and the Covenant service. Indeed, at times the early Methodist movement seemed to have more in common with the Pentecostal movement than with modern Anglicanism, with an active and powerful lay ministry, prayer meetings which often went on all night, great emphasis on personal holiness and biblical literalism, not to mention people falling over under the influence of the Spirit in Methodist meetings. It is no coincidence that many early Pentecostals were once Methodists, including the famous healer Smith Wigglesworth, as was General Booth, who left Wesleyan Methodism to found the Salvation Army when he felt that the Methodist Church of his day was not ministering appropriately to those who lived and died in the urban slums.
Also, the Church of England of the 18th. century was a very different animal to the church we have now - far more 'low church' in its style of worship - very much closer to that which is now found in Presbyterian and Congregationalist Churches. It was not until the 1830's that the Tractarian movement got under way, seeing its inspiration as the pre Reformation Roman Catholic church, and gave us the current common distinctions between 'High' and 'Low' Anglicanism. Worship in a High Anglican church today would seem very alien to anyone from the 18c. - and just because John Wesley may not have wished Methodism to be separate from the Church if his day, it does not follow that he would wish the same thing now.
It was the strange amalgamation of Tory Anglicanism, Puritanism (both the quiet and gentle sort which gave rise to Quakerism and the noisy sort of which the Pentecostals are the closest we have now), mixed up with a bit of benevolent paternalism which made 18c and 19c. Methodism what it was, and to just tamely become part of the Established Church seems to say that all of that is simply of historical interest, whereas I think that having a denomination which draws on all those sources is something unique and worth preserving; apart from which I feel there is a religious balance in Methodism there which saves us from some of the excesses of other denominations.
In the Victorian era and up to the end of the inter war years, Methodism was regarded by all as a unique and truly Nonconformist denomination, to be ranked with Baptists, Congregationalists etc, and was often seen as having a valuable role in being a bridge church between the other Nonconformist churches and the Church of England.. Let us again assume this role, but with a renewed confidence in ourselves as a separate denomination and an awareness of our unique heritage.
Every blessing
John Davies
Dear Friends
Methodist Church Haiti Appeal
I have been asked to update everybody about the response to the Methodist Churches appeal for Haiti. I am pleased to say that appeals by the the Methodist Church World Mission Fund and MRDF have so far raised more than £400,000, and are supporting the emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation work being carried out by our own Methodist Church in Haiti. Our own Circuit has already raised the best part of a thousand pounds. It is hoped that as well as giving the offering collected at the end of January, our churches where they can will continue to give through coffee mornings etc. The need will be long term, though the attention of the media will soon switch elsewhere.
Methodists are one of the largest churches in the Caribbean. Revd George Mulrain, President of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, had this to say recently "Our contribution to Haiti does not wait until a disaster strikes. It is ongoing. Various agencies and organizations are contributing to relief in Haiti, which is commendable. But soon the dust will settle and the media folk will turn to another "breaking news story" as the saga of Haiti recedes into the background. Not so with us as Methodists. We are there to stay, because, our motive is not to make the news headlines. The love of Christ constrains us and we stay."
The Revd Tom Quenet, Methodist Partnership Coordinator for the Americas and the Caribbean, is planning to visit Haiti later this month. "The figures that the Methodist Church in Haiti has sent represent a massive loss of the church's infrastructure to serve the men, women and children of Haiti," he said. "The destruction of schools mean that the effects of the earthquake will be felt by many generations into the future, the loss of clinics means that lives will be shortened for lack of health care, the destruction of child care facilities will mean that children and young people will become vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. The overwhelmingly generous response of the Methodist people means that not only are people receiving water, food and shelter in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, but also the Haitian church will be best ready to respond in alleviating the long term consequences."
Although these days we are used to working ecumenically , and through non religious organisations such as Christian Aid, there is still something to be said for supporting aid efforts channelled through our own denomination where we can, especially to somewhere like Haiti where so much of the educational and charitable work is carried out by the Christian church.
People can donate via the Methodist Church by visiting ww.justgiving.com/Methodist-ChurchHaiti-Appeal, or sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund to Dave Bennett, Fundraising Coordinator, at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW 1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled `Haiti Appeal'. For further information visit www.methodist.org.uk or contact Revd Tom Quenet on 020 7467 5160.
All quotes are from the Methodist Church Website
Every blessing
John Davies
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To all Senior Church Stewards:
It is worth asking whether we could find in each church someone or a
couple of people who would be willing to do 'Readers Services' perhaps once a Quarter -
I would undertake to find materials and issue a suitable Order of Service with suggested hymns. In some cases those who have already been on a Worship Leaders course may wish to do this.
Warmest Regards
John Davies