Issue 20 • Autumn 2020 HOPE Inspiring stories from the life of your Methodist Church Issue 20 • Autumn 2020 Published by the Methodist Church in Britain © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP) 2020. Registered charity no. 1132208 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, David Perry without the prior permission of the publisher, Editor except for articles and photographs downloaded for local church use that are fully acknowledged. All rights reserved. The Revd Dr Paul Nzacahayo May the God of hope fill you with all at the Queen’s joy and peace as you trust in him, Foundation so that you may overflow with hope What is the Connexion? by the power of the Holy Spirit. Methodists belong to local Romans 15:13 (NIV) Photo credits churches and also value All photographs copyright the contributors unless being part of a larger otherwise stated. Front cover © Mark Kensett; community. In calling the his edition of the connexion Pages 4-5 © Mark Kensett and Josh Davies; Methodist Church in Britain Page 6 © Robin Prime; Pages 8-9 © Mark Kensett; ‘the Connexion’, Methodism magazine explores contexts Pages 10-11 © Robin Prime; Page 12 © Robin Prime; reflects its historical and and issues that are difficult, Pages 14-15 © Mark Kensett; Pages 16-17 spiritual roots. © Robin Prime; Pages 18-19 © Kim Gouldson challenging, hurtful and vexed. What do we @senaraphotography; Pages 20-22 © Ian Ledgard; In the 18th century a do when life puts a ‘No Entry’ sign in our Page 23 © Getty Images and TMCP; Page 24 ‘connexion’ simply meant way? How should we respond when racism, © Getty Images; Page 26 © Getty Images those connected to a person or a group – for instance, the Covid-19 pandemic, civil war, the Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: a politician’s network of climate emergency, ill-health, deprivation Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National supporters. So when people and church decline seem insurmountable Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States spoke of “Mr Wesley’s of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Connexion” they meant and overwhelming? Scripture quotations marked NIV taken from the Holy followers of the movement The photograph above shows a simple Bible, New International Version Anglicised Copyright led by John Wesley. heart of love placed against a familiar ‘No © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. Wesley believed that Entry’ sign. The image depicts a radical act All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark belonging and mutual which subverts the sign’s given meaning, of Biblica UK trademark number 1448790. responsibility were fundamental Christian that of an absolute prohibition in red qualities. The language and white intended to terminate, block, of connexion allowed frustrate, impede and obstruct the journey Methodist Church House him to express this 25 Marylebone Road interdependence, developing ahead. In this picture a simple heart of London NW1 5JR its spiritual and practical love offers an alternative reality, a different significance in the way of seeing and framing what happens Tel: 020 7486 5502 organisation and ethos of his Email: next. A simple heart of love questions [email protected] movement. Both language Web: www.methodist.org.uk and practice are important the assumptions and fears posed by the Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps for Methodists today. seemingly absolute denial represented by Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter ‘No Entry’. Go to www.methodist. Watch us on YouTube or Vimeo org.uk/theconnexion Our simple hearts of love are capable See our pictures on Instagram and to order more copies of of astonishing acts of hope. I placed the Flickr the connexion, and for simple wooden heart, made of olive wood downloading the pdf to Information contained in this magazine was reuse articles in your crafted by Palestinian Christians, onto the correct at the time of going to press. Views own church magazine. expressed in the articles may not be the official sign to depict this truth. The stories in this position of the Methodist Church in Britain. Images are available at edition show what happens when we take www.flickr.com/ While coronavirus limits church activities, methodistmedia St Paul’s words to heart, and trust in the this mailing of the connexion is limited to God of hope. one copy to each address. For more copies, What do you think order directly from Methodist Publishing at www.methodistpublishing.org.uk while about this issue? Love and peace, stocks last, or download the pdf at Email theconnexioneditor@ www.methodist.org.uk/theconnexion methodistchurch.org.uk David 2 the connexion • Autumn 2020 www.methodist.org.uk • Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Flickr Highlights Coming together Where is hope in the Hope for God’s 6 in hope to fight racism 10 middle of a pandemic? 12 creation post-Covid-19 Apart but together: Bringing hope Boxes of hope new ways to worship and wonder 16 18 20 offer a path of hope Year of Prayer weekly online service for the whole Church he Conference has declared 2020/2021 a year the Holy Spirit’s help to be a growing, evangelistic, of prayer so that our Church’s commitments inclusive, justice-seeking Church. to evangelism, church growth, church at the The service is live on Zoom and Facebook each margins, and pioneering and church planting will flow from Tuesday at 12.45pm and then available on Facebook. a deep, contemplative orientation to God’s grace and Designed to fit into a busy working day, it is just 15 love. minutes and is led by a different person from As part of this movement of prayer, a weekly online across the Connexion each week. Sign up here: service offers the opportunity for all of us to ask for www.methodist.org.uk/yearofprayer/ Reset the Debt the Methodist Conference, said: #Godiswithus campaign calling for debt “During lockdown churches saw people he Methodist cancellation for people forced feed their families – but bills, even Church-wide 2020 into unavoidable debt during rent, went unpaid. They are now facing Christmas campaign a crisis – demanding a compassionate lockdown is launched by the Joint shares people’s stories about and just response.” Public Issues Team and ecumenical their walk with God in this Jubilee is an ancient Biblical concept charity Church Action on Poverty. extraordinary year. It encourages ensuring a just society where no one is It calls for the Government to create Methodists to reflect, tell their trapped in poverty because of debts: stories, and reach out to others a Jubilee Fund providing grants On a regular basis land was returned outside the Church, encouraging to pay off and cancel unavoidable debt to people, resources shared, slaves them to do the same. accrued by the poorest households. freed, land rested, and debts forgiven. Get involved at Around six million people have fallen Write to your MP www.findingourhope.co.uk behind on rent, council tax and other and support the This Christmas, take part in household bills because of coronavirus campaign online #Godiswithus and almost one in five have borrowed and in your church money to pay for everyday essentials. community: The Revd Richard Teal, President of www.resetthedebt.uk www.methodist.org.uk • Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Flickr the connexion • Autumn 2020 3 need a campaign to ensure ‘Black Lives Matter’. The concept of slavery has left an indelible mark on our psyche. The ideology that caused western nations to traverse the globe taking over lands and people has left both white and black people believing one group of people’s lives are less worthy. We pass on these beliefs and prejudices to our children who, unless something changes, will pass them on to their own children. I agree with Professor Reddie that our Church’s record in eradicating this disease is not encouraging. I am writing these words from a place of despair and anger. But I am also hopeful. My hope is not naïve optimism, but rather the kind of hope capable of standing in the middle of despair and imagining a different future. This hope enables me to resist racism in whatever form it takes. What gives me hope is that human beings have also proved that they can treat each other with godly love and care. Racism and reasons for hope Years ago I arrived in a new circuit to find a white colleague had taken over the manse designated for me. He believed that the manse my predecessor had vacated was too good for someone who had been living in an African hut and even had the audacity to say this to me. The circuit steward, a white woman, was enraged and asked my colleague to apologise. She stood her ground and refused to give up until I got The Revd Dr Paul Nzacahayo finds hope that apology. This circuit steward gives in Christians actively resisting racism me hope. As a black tutor, when a group of white students made my teaching experience the rofessor Anthony Reddie concluded worst they could make it, another white his contribution in the last issue of student, on seeing that I was being treated the connexion with the words: less respectfully than my white colleagues, To live “I have lost patience with a Church that has decided to confront her fellow students. hopefully, we treated black people with benign neglect for She called out their racism for what it far too long.” was.