June 2024 First Friday Letter

First Friday Letter

The World Methodist Council

Greetings from the General Secretary

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

June 2024

As we wave goodbye to May, it is all systems go with 68 days left until the World Methodist Conference (WMC) in Gothenburg, Sweden from 14-18 August 2024. So this edition of the First Friday Letter introduces you to more of our seminar speakers.

Since we began planning for the Conference with the theme On the Move: Migration, Pilgrimage, and Guiding Lights, I have been very conscious that we are on a journey. The lyrics of the Servant Song written by Richard Gillard in 1997 struck a cord within me: We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers on the road, we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I have just returned from a dynamic Africa Methodist Council Heads of Conferences and Women’s Movement Leadership Summit in Lagos, Nigeria where we drew from the deep wells of experience and drank from the calabash of collective wisdom of the men, women, and young delegates.

I had the honour and privilege of doing a public lecture titled; Leadership in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous World. The public lecture was chaired by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The gist of the lecture was that in the past decade, we have seen seismic shifts in the social, economic, and political landscape that demand bold and prophetic leadership. Little did I know that while in Nigeria, a political earthquake would shake my home country, South Africa. The recent national elections were a milestone in our young democracy. The African National Congress, one of Africa’s great liberation movements that governed the country for three decades, failed to gain a clear majority.

In my lecture, I reiterated that “change in legislation does not mean change of hearts. Political liberation is not enough – it has to be accompanied by spiritual and moral transformation, a revolution of the heart and soul. If this does not happen, the festering wounds of poverty, disease, crime, and corruption will bleed the life out of our beautiful continent.”

World Refugee Day is held every year on 20 June. On this day we honour the indomitable spirit, resilience, and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries. Currently, there are about 103 million people who have been forcibly displaced around the world. Do we need to be reminded that Jesus and the holy family were themselves refugees in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) and that the Israelites were once foreigners in Egypt, hence they were instructed, “The foreigners living among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as you love yourself”. (Leviticus 19:34)

Let us enter this second half of the year with renewed confidence and passion in the knowledge that God is in control. Psalm 46:10 encourages us: “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth.”

Peace!

Ivan

Learn more about our Seminar Speakers!

Rev. Lasse Svensson is the President of the Uniting Church in Sweden, since its founding in 2011. He lead the process towards forming a new denomination with roots from the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden, the Baptist Union of Sweden, and the Methodist Church in Sweden.

An Extraordinary Ecumenical Journey, The History of the Formation of Equmeniakyrkan - Thirteen years ago, three denominations, with the roots in the Swedish revival, wanted to form something new and joined together to become The Uniting Church in Sweden. There had been thoughts about unification since the three denominations started in the end of the 1800s, but it took more than a century for it to come into reality. Lasse Svensson will tell the story of how this diversity of congregations united in a common vision – “the encounter with Jesus Christ that transforms me, you, and the world.”

As the General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (recently retired), the Rev. Greg Bergquist embraced the historic educational mission of uniting knowledge and vital piety in the United Methodist and Wesleyan tradition – a ministry of discerning, learning, and leading in the Church and the World.

The concept of connectionalism is a fundamental theological value in the Wesleyan tradition – a relationally connected, contextually rooted, intercultural community that is relevant for this time, in this place – in other words, an intercultural and incarnational connectionalism.

The prophet Jeremiah calls us to the Ancient Paths. Indeed, as we journey to the future, our path runs through the past. One of the rich treasures that we find on this journey is the Wesley Hymns. In this seminar we will explore various ways of bringing this treasure with us as we move through the 21st Century. This seminar is geared for musicians and non-musicians, alike.

Dr. Todd A. Stepp is a pastor, ordained in the Church of the Nazarene. He graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and Asbury Theological Seminary where he focused on John Wesley’s understanding of worship. He lives in Greenville, Indiana and is an adjunct professor for Wesley Seminary.

Stefanie Gabuyo serves as a Support Officer at the European Methodist Council and as a Pioneer Mission Leader in Dublin with the Methodist Church in Ireland. Born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in Milan, Italy, she represents the fourth generation of Methodists in her family. With prior roles at the Secretariat office of the Methodist Churches in Italy (OPCEMI) and the Methodist Ecumenical Office in Rome, Stefanie is currently pursuing her BA (Hons) in Theology and Mission at Cliff College. Additionally, she has a background in Music and Pharmaceutical sciences.

6th WMC Online Prayer Meeting – On the Move

Praying for Peace and Justice for the Korean Peninsula

“Since February 2022 we live in fear. Ukrainian people are traumatized. Yet we Methodists are ready to stay and to serve”, said Rev Yulia Starodubets from Kyiw, Ukraine, at the 5 th Online Prayer Meeting in preparation for the World Methodist Conference “On the Move” from August 14-18, 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden. She and Pavlo Osypenko gave an impressive report how the small United Methodist Church in Ukraine accompanies internally displaced people and serves their physical and spiritual needs.

Two more Online Prayer meetings will be organized: Tuesday, June 11, 2024, WMC President Rev JC Park will be speaking about the ongoing challenge for North Korean refugees, most of them are women. Praying and working for peace on the Korean Peninsula is one of the priorities of the World Methodist Council. The Online Prayer will start at 7 am GMT, which is 8 am in London, 4 pm in Seoul and 7 pm in Auckland, a time which is accessible for people in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

The 7th and last Prayer Meeting will be organized Tuesday, July 9, 2024. We will receive firsthand information on the situation in Gaza. Mr. Nader Abuamsha will be with us. He directs the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches. The meeting will be starting at 6 pm GMT.

Registration is needed for both of the prayer meetings. Here is the registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZclfuytrD0tHtQ7VdxBK5GGGHa-wnP0U5bB

Save the dates:

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 7:00 am GMT

Tuesday, July 9, 2024 6:00 pm GMT

President JC Park

Be sure to book your room

Reserve your hotel room at Gothia Towers so that you are conveniently located where all Conference activities are being held. Council Meetings, Seminars, Worship and more will take place in Gothia Towers, where rooms are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. (If you have registered for the Conference, you may access the lodging link by using your Confirmation Code in the confirmation email.)

Follow the link below to access all Hotel Accommodation options!

https://booking.gothiatowers.com/reserve/e/block/ WOR120824/2024-08-13/2024-08-18/avail

WesleyMen Meet up in Gothenburg!

The World Methodist Conference will include the first world gathering of WesleyMen1 since Houston, 2016. Mark your schedules now for Thursday, August 15, 2024, 1700-1900.

In that moment between the day’s activities and evening worship, there will be food, fellowship, and the free flow of ideas. We look forward to reporting on our dual efforts to deepen discipleship and to put faith into action. You will hear about the John Wesley’s “means of grace” coming alive in the movement to FastPrayGive, the Wesley World Hunger Fund and the FastPrayGive publications, including seasonal daily devotions for Advent and Lent (see FastPrayGive.org), as well as our five-part small group study. 2 Your presence and voice will help shape WesleyMen for the next quinquennium! (Meeting room information available at registration.)

1The formal name of WesleyMen is The World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Men.

2 FastPrayGive: Ending Hunger By The Means of Grace, by Andy Morris.

Join the International Conference Choir!

To all who participate in the World Methodist Conference, we invite you to join the Conference Choir!

The Conference Choir will sing in the Evening Worship service on Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16 at 7 PM.

We sing accessible music in several different styles for mixed choirs under the direction of Ms. Helena Gatås and Ms. Anna-Maria Toftgård from the Choir Association of the Uniting Church in Sweden.

You will have time to prepare! After you register to the choir – we will send a link to the vocalfiles.

All nationalities are welcome to join the choir!

Practice onsite will be:

Thursday 15 August at 5 PM

Friday 16 August at 5 PM

For questions, contact Anna-Maria Toftgård, Artistic Director, anna-maria.toftgard@equmeniakyrkan.se

Link for registration for International Conference Choir:

https://forms.office.com/e/ZStUQmKHF9

Click Here to Register and View Unity Summit Information

We Refuse to Be Enemies

This visit is different. I had already visited the Nassar family farm near Bethlehem several times. The Tent of Nations. An active farm with olive groves and livestock and at the same time a project for peace work in Palestine. The family bought this piece of land in 1916. Registered with the Ottomans who ruled at the time. Even then, it was a testimony to the Christian presence in this part of the world and a commitment to peace among peoples and peace among religions. “We refuse to be enemies” is the principle inscribed on a stone at the entrance. In 1976, after the death of their father, the brothers Daoud and Daher took over the farm. In 1991, the farm was declared state land, i.e. land under the administration of the Israeli occupation. Since then, the family has been fighting to keep the land. In 2006, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that they could re-register their land. But to this day, after more than 30 years in the courts, they have not succeeded. There have been repeated delays on the part of the authorities and courts. The last hearing was also canceled by the Civil Administration in December 2023. And in all these years, the illegal settlements have advanced further and further towards the farm. The settlements are highly developed cities with complete urban infrastructure.

On this visit, I only met the two brothers. No one else. None of the many international volunteers who usually live and work there. No other family members. No farm workers. It was quiet and almost a little lonely and then suddenly we heard the noise of construction machinery. Right by the fence just a few steps away from a tree that General Secretary Bishop Abrahams and President Park had planted a few years ago on behalf of the World Methodist Council. In 2017, the worldwide Methodist family had awarded the Nassar family the World Methodist Council Peace Prize for their commitment to peace and justice in Palestine. A few meters from this tree, bulldozers were on their way to build a new road A road for the people in the illegal Israeli settlements that have been growing on the hills around the farm for decades. A road that will probably cut through the family’s land in the future. And what was different was that we heard the bombs exploding in the Gaza Strip, just 40 kilometers away. For the first time during a visit, Daoud explicitly asked that the international community, especially the Methodist community, publicly advocate for the farm to be preserved.

The family is subjected to many forms of intimidation and harassment. Access to their own land is repeatedly made difficult. Large blocks of stone have been dumped on the access road so that the farm can only be reached by taking difficult detours. There has been destruction of farmland, theft of animals and also physical violence against the brothers.

The settlers under the protection of the army are acting more and more uninhibitedly.

“We need your support now. Contact your governments,” says Daoud. “Registration must finally take place. The harassment by settlers and soldiers must stop.” It would be a great tragedy and loss if this sign of reconciliation and peace in the Holy Land were to be destroyed now of all times. October 7, with the terrible massacre by Hamas, has dramatically changed the world in the Holy Land. Violence and division characterize life in Israel and Palestine even more than before. This makes places like the Tent of Nations, where people refuse to be enemies, all the more important.

Written by Thomas Kemper

His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III Visits Dublin

On Monday, June 3rd , the Vice President, Gillian Kingston, was among those invited to meet with HH Baselios Marthoma Mathews III of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) for worship and a luncheon at Christ Church (Church of Ireland) Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland. His Holiness was on an Apostolic visit to MOSC in Ireland, accompanied by His Grace Abraham Mar Stephanos, Metropolitan of UK- Europe-Africa Diocese of MOSC.

The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church originated in the mission of the Apostle Thomas who went to India in A.D. 52. During the fourth century, the church entered into a close relationship with East Syrian Church, inheriting the East Syrian language and liturgies and gradually becoming known as Syrian. HH Mathews III is the present head of the church.

In his welcoming remarks, the Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, spoke of the enormous contribution women and men from southern India make to the health and caring services on the island of Ireland. He noted, in particular, their sacrificial work during the Covid epidemic.

Present were representatives of the churches, government and the diplomatic service. In a succession of brief speeches, there was an emphasis on unity in difference – we serve the one Lord Jesus Christ. Worship, language, culture may all differ, but, in our hearts and souls, we may be one. HE Shri Akhilesh Mishra, India’s Ambassador to Ireland, observed that, with our eyes we see difference, but in our hearts, we experience unity.

Following a service of worship, during which those gathered said together the Lord’s Prayer and the Nicaean Creed, a wonderful meal of authentic Indian cuisine was served in the Cathedral’s Chapter House, known as the Upper Room. Seated at the same table as His Holiness and the Archbishop of Dublin, along with other church leaders, Gillian greatly appreciated the lively conversation and diverse company. As His Grace, Abraham Mar Stephanos, observed, ‘This table fellowship is a foretaste of the banquet in heaven!’ And indeed it was…

Submitted by Vice President Gillian Kingston

Jackson named Foundation of Evangelism President

Rev. Dr. Jackson III

The Foundation for Evangelism’s board of trustees is pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Thomas Glenn “Jack” Jackson III, will be the next president of the Wesleyan-tradition grantmaking organization. Jackson will succeed Jane Boatwright Wood, who has served as president since 2012 and will be retiring.

Dr. Jackson brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to the Foundation’s mission and vision. He served as the Foundation-supported E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Claremont School of Theology from 2011-2022 and was the second Foundation for Evangelism Harry Denman Fellow.

The Foundation’s board chair, Gaye Nell Heck, shared that, “Dr. Jackson is a shining example of the Foundation’s decades-long efforts to equip disciples to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, as evidenced by his faith journey and his many academic and practical contributions to Wesleyan-tradition evangelism. His leadership in collaboration with the Foundation team will undoubtedly strengthen our ongoing efforts to advance the mission and values of the Foundation and lead our organization into its next chapter.”

Read more of this story at https://foundationforevangelism.org/catalyst/

His Grace Abraham Mar Stephanos and WMC Vice President Gillian Kingston

22nd World Methodist Conference Gothenburg, Sweden 13-18 August

Please send press releases, articles and resources! Submissions should be a page or less (450-500 words), edited and ready to publish. Contact us by Monday, 24 June at communications@worldmethodistcouncil.org if you would like your story to be included in the July edition of the First Friday Letter.

On the Web

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About the First Friday Letter

The First Friday Newsletter is a monthly publication of the World Methodist Council.

Publisher: Bishop Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary Communications: Michaela Bryson

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