First Friday Letter The World Methodist Council
June 2024
Greetings from the General Secretary Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, 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
World Methodist Council
First Friday Letter page 1