FFL - May 2023

First Friday Letter

The World Methodist Council May 2023

Greetings from the General Secretary

Dear Friends,

April marked various religious feasts, fasts, and celebrations in the Abrahamic faiths; the Jewish Passover spanned seven days to commemorate freedom from slavery in Egypt; for Christians, Easter celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, while Eid al Fitr marked the end of Ramadan. It was encouraging to see how many Methodists shared greetings and good wishes and even participated in the events of the other faith tradition.

Besides participating in the customary Holy Week and Easter services, Jackie and I also traveled to Gothenburg, Sweden, to meet with the host and program committee to make some final arrangements for the World Methodist Conference in 2024. I am glad to report that everything is on track, and registration will open in June. I also wish to encourage churches to submit their delegates list and nominations for Council Officers as soon as possible, as there will be a significant leadership transition in 2024.

On the second Sunday in May, we will celebrate Mother’s Day, which was first celebrated in 1907 by Anna Jarvis at a worship service at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia. We celebrate mother figures who have been instrumental in our life’s journey, from mothers, sisters, mothers-in-law, stepmothers, aunts, and nieces. We honor and celebrate all women, commit ourselves to challenging gender stereotypes and embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion.

On the 148th day of this calendar year, the 28th of May, we celebrate Pentecost, also known as Whit Sunday. May the Holy Spirit descend on us as upon the apostles and other disciples as described in Acts 2: 1-31 so that nothing will shake the foundations of our lives. It is my prayer that we will be sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit and that the fruits – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will be manifest in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23)

This issue covers the 10th Conference of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU), Plans for the 22nd World Methodist Conference, Work of the Estonia Methodist Church and more.

Later this month, I will host Rev. Dr. Martin Mujinga, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church Zimbabwe and General Secretary Elect of the African Methodist Council. I will also attend the ZacTax Africa relaunch with other World Communions in Johannesburg.

We look forward to your participation in the Consultation on Migration in Manila, Philippines, September 4-7, 2023, and the School of Peace Studies, Cape Town, South Africa, March 11-18, 2024.

During the past month, the Mostert/Abrahams family marked the passing and celebration of the life of Pamela Fester, my wife’s sister, after a short battle with cancer. We wish to thank all our friends in the WMC for their prayers, messages of condolences, and support.

Grace and Peace

Ivan

Plans ramp up for 2024 Conference in Sweden

2024 WMC Program and Host Committee members take time to pose for a photo at a recent meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, where the Conference will be held. Pictured from left to right are:

George Olvik, Head of Communication for the Uniting Church in Sweden

Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary of the World Methodist Council

Lasse Svensson, President of the Uniting Church in Sweden

Jackie Bolden, Headquarters Director for the World Methodist Council

Knut Refsdal, District Superintendent for The United Methodist Church in Norway

Christian Alsted, Resident Bishop, Nordic and Baltic Episcopal area - Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conferences of The United Methodist Church

Thomas Risager, District Superintendent of Methodist Church, Denmark.

Renowned speakers from around the world, workshops and seminars on Migration, Pilgrimage and Guiding Lights offer many ways for the Methodist, Wesleyan and Uniting family to connect. Began to plan now for this special event that last happened in 2016 and will not take place again until 2030.

Apply now to attend Conference 18 to 35 years old, get help with lodging

Scholarship opportunities for the 22nd World Methodist Council Conference are open now to young adults between the ages of 18 and 35.

If you would like to be a part of an exciting movement and meet other young Methodists from around the world, apply by clicking on the link below. Lodging and food in the amount of up to 1,000 US Dollars is available to you. Supporting documents must be received at the time of the application in order to receive consideration.

https://worldmethodistcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/WMC-Application-Form.pdf

Korean Methodist Church celebrates 120th anniversary

2023 marks the 120th anniversary of the Wonsan Revival Movement led by missionary Robert A. Hardie, who is considered the father of the Korean Church Revival Movement. Hardie, a Canadian medical missionary appointed by the Southern Methodist Church, began his evangelism work by practicing medicine in Wonsan, Hamgeyongnamdo within the northern Gangwon-do region. Although he worked diligently for five years, his work did not bear significant fruit. Amidst his concern, he led a 1-week prayer meeting in Wonsan that started on 24 August 1903. He realized that his hard work was useless without the presence of the Holy Spirit. After, he openly confessed his sins of being arrogant and disregarding Koreans at a Sunday service held at Wonsan Methodist Church on 24 August 1903. His personal repentance ignited the fire of repentance in the hearts of Koreans and it became the fuse that started a great revival movement in Wonsan.

The Korean Methodist Church aspires to have this experience of repentance and revival once again through the “120th Anniversary Commemoration of Missionary Hardie’s Spiritual Awakening” after the period of spiritual stagnation during the Covid-19 pandemic. We pray that our society will be able to experience Hardie’s spiritual awakening and revival once again. There will be a “commemoration relay” hosted at different regions across Korea over four meetings.

1. Southern Region: 17 August (Thursday) at Busan Onnuri Church

2. Gangwon Region: 20 August (Sunday) at Gangneung Central Church

3. Central Region: 22 August (Tuesday) at Daejeon Hanbit Church

4. Seoul, Metropolitan Area: 24 August (Thu) at Good Shepherd Church

Manchester Wesley Research Centre offers seminar

The next Methodist Studies Seminar will be hosted by the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Cliff College at Nazarene Theological College in Manchester and online on Friday 12 May 2023. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. The programme and registration link can be found at: https://www.mwrc.ac.uk/methodist-studies-seminars.

Methodist Studies Seminars provide an opportunity for established and emerging scholars of Methodist Studies to present the findings of their research. We conceive of Methodist Studies broadly and aim to provide opportunities for students of history, theology, literature, art, material culture and other fields related to Methodism. For more information, contact Dr. Geordan Hammond, Director of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre and Co-editor of Studies in the Holiness and Pentecostal Movements and Wesley and Methodist Studies.

Robert A. Hardie

Hope amid struggles of the Ukrainian refugees

Stable. Unchanged. It is adjectives like these that are heard again and again when the coordinators for the work with people who have fled Ukraine try to assess the situation in their respective countries. There are comparatively few new people arriving in Poland, Czechia, Hungary or Romania in these days and weeks to stay temporarily or to travel on. In western Ukraine, too, the number of newly arriving internally displaced persons is at a relatively low level, according to Yulia Starodubets, pastor of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Ukraine. And Kirsten Hastrup, assistant to Bishop Christian Alsted, who is responsible for the UMC in Ukraine, makes similar observations in Scandinavian countries.

This sounds positive at first, because it means that many things still need strength, but are also running in a more or less orderly fashion. Many people who fled Ukraine to neighboring countries have now found their own homes and jobs, and they have become part of the respective societies. But it also means that the situation in Ukraine is not yet such that a return on a large scale could be considered. Peace, the blossoming of new life, the beginning of a new future are still in the waiting. Because the cruel war, destruction, death and suffering have not found an end even after 14 months. And Jana Krizova, pastor and coordinator in Czechia, once again pointed out in an online conversation what she observes in the Czech society: that many are getting used to the war.

Faithfulness in prayer - faithfulness in action

Pastor Krizova underlined how grateful she is that the people in the UMC in Czechia are not indifferent to the unchanged situation, but continue to do what is necessary with empathy and commitment. And this is no different in the other countries. Even if Yulia Starodubets, in particular, pointed out that the pressure that weighs especially on those who have been working for people in need since the beginning of the war, leads here and there to health issues. And that, as a consequence, the people who would help needed psychological and pastoral help themselves.

But still the prayer for peace, the request for protection for the fled and displaced people and the concrete help go hand in hand in a way that is as effective as it is encouraging - whether in Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Romania or Ukraine itself.

Concrete help

• In Czechia, the accompaniment of Ukrainians who have found refuge in the country continues. In cooperation with Methodists in Slovakia, relief supplies are also sporadically brought to Western Ukraine. However, the focus of the activities is the longer the more the support of two organizations in Western Ukraine, which offer a place of refuge, psychological support and also general medical

and surgical assistance.

• In Romania, the community centers with their wide range of services have become an important anchor for people who have fled Ukraine, says Sarah Putman, who works as coordinator. The regular organization of aid transports to Ukraine is also continued.

• Such transports also still take place in Poland, as coordinator Szarlota Kaminska said. However, the volume has decreased noticeably compared to last year.

• Of increasing importance is help for traumatized people. This is the case in Romania and even more so in Ukraine itself. Therefore, thanks to the help of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), the UMC in Ukraine will buy a property in Uzhhorod, which will become a place of refuge for internally displaced persons as well as a place of recreation and fellowship. Psychological support and help in overcoming trauma will also be offered there.

• The UMC in Hungary is working in a special and varied way for Ukrainians who have found a place to stay in a large camp near Debrecen. Relief transports would also continue to be organized. Boglárka Khaled, the coordinator of the work, also pointed out that a negative development, to which the war in Ukraine contributes, has long since reached the Hungarian population in a painful way: a strong inflation, which confronts many materially poor people with existential problems.

Hope despite everything?

It is perhaps precisely such developments that contribute to the fact that the willingness to provide state aid is no longer unrestricted. What Pastor Krizova described as merely the content of rumors for Czechia has already become reality in Romania: State support for rent and food will be significantly reduced or even stopped completely in May 2023. This means that people who have fled Ukraine will have to think again about what to do - whether they can stay where they are and find other means of payment, or whether they will have to find cheaper housing somewhere. And yet, even though the road may still be long, and even though many a challenge will still arise - in the coordinators’ reports there is always a glimmer of hope. A hope that has been nurtured especially in many international and multilingual Easter services. A hope that allows people to trust in God beyond the horizon of the recognizable. A hope that counts on life being victorious.

25 April 2023 / Urs Schweizer (based on reports from UA, CZ, HU, PL and RO).

Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2023

After reviewing hundreds of nominations of outstanding individuals and entities, the 2023 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity independent judging committee selected humanitarian organization the Community of Sant’Egidio and Kenyan peacebuilder Ms. Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil – known as ‘Mama Shamsa’ - as this year’s co-honorees.

The Community of Sant’Egidio and Mama Shamsa were selected for their outstanding leadership and dedication to overcoming divisions, building resilient communities, and cultivating compassion and hope

at local, regional, and international levels. By granting the 2023 award to the Community of Sant’Egidio and Mama Shamsa, the judging committee hopes to amplify their work and inspire individuals and institutions around the world to play an active role in promoting the values of human fraternity.

The co-recipients were honored during an award ceremony on February 4, 2023 – the UN-recognized International Day of Human Fraternity - in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

IAMSCU celebrates Methodist education

After a record-breaking number of registrations for the International Association of Methodist Schools, College, and Universities (IAMSCU) Conference, Methodist educators from around the world joined to celebrate 275 years of Methodist education, which began with the foundation of the first Methodist school in 1748.

This unique conference, took participants back to the birthplace of the Wesleyan and Methodist tradition, honoring the 275th anniversary of Kingswood School, founded by John Wesley in the United Kingdom. The conference also celebrates the current impact of Methodist education, which includes Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Education, Higher Education, and Theological Education offered by more than 1,000 schools in 80 countries, and five continents. To showcase this diversity and discuss future perspectives for Methodist education in the future, the conference was based in a broad concept was held at three different

locations in England, which represent the variety of institutions active in these areas, and took place between 25 April - 2 May.

The reconnection with persons, churches, schools, colleges, seminaries and universities in the Wesleyan, Methodist, United, and Uniting traditions and the opportunity to visit important historical places in England gave the motivation to reconnect more intentionally with the network of members and friends of the WMC Education Committee. The chance to reconnect and start planning IAMSCU’s participation in the World Methodist Council and Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, to be held 13-18 August 2024.

You can also watch the videos with program highlights: https://2023methodistschools.org.uk/index. php/watch-the-conference/

The 2023 honorees and judging committee together with H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, during the 2023 award ceremony in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Nazarenes receive grant to nurture children

Nazarene Theological Seminary has received a grant of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish Caring Nurture and Nurturing Care Through Worship and Prayer with Children, a project that seeks to develop corporate worship and prayer practices that nurture children and their faith within congregational communities of care.

The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The aim of the national initiative is to support faith-based organizations as they help children come to know and love God and grow in faith.

Lilly Endowment is making nearly $32 million in grants available to various organizations through this invitational round of the Nurturing Children initiative. The grants are funding efforts to help organizations develop new and/or enhance existing programs that support congregations as they design worship services and prayer practices that more intentionally and fully engage children.

“The generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc. enables NTS to shape the daily lives of children and adults through worship, prayer, and intergenerational engagement,” said NTS President Jeren Rowell. “But more than this, it offers a myriad of educational and academic opportunities and possibilities that will impact denominational efforts for years to come.”

NTS will focus part of its efforts on a prior collaboration with West Coast partners by engaging children in worship and prayer among diverse ethnic and immigrant congregations in Northern California. The rest of the project’s efforts will address children with autism, an area often overlooked by many faith communities, through the support of an ecumenical network of Kansas City-based churches. Each congregation will work

collaboratively to develop forms of nurture sensitive to the needs of culturally diverse and neurodivergent children.

Dean Blevins, who serves as professor of Practical Theology and Christian Discipleship at NTS, explains that both approaches will utilize “design thinking,” a creative problem-solving process, to determine best practices for moving forward. As congregations work together, their observations, reflections, and data will not only provide important benchmarks but will inform future denominational conferences and training events. Blevins hopes the project’s findings will stimulate further academic study and add continued insights in the caring nurture of culturally diverse and neurodivergent children.

Nazarene Theological Seminary is one of 26 organizations taking part in the initiative. The participating organizations represent and serve congregations in a broad spectrum of Christian traditions, including Baptist, Catholic, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed and United Church of Christ, and organizations that describe themselves as nondenominational, ecumenical, and multi-denominational. Several organizations serve congregations in Black, Hispanic, and Asian traditions.

Lilly Endowment launched the Nurturing Children initiative in 2022 as part of its commitment to support efforts that enhance the vitality of Christian congregations.

To Learn more about the grant and the Lilly Endowment, click here.

--Nazarene Theological Seminary

Photo 56679027 / Children © Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime.com

Leaders include:

Bishop John F. White, 4th Episcopal District Chair, AMEC Department of Retirement Services

Bishop Harry L. Seawright, 9th Episcopal District Chair, AMEC Commission on Economic Development

Bishop Marvin C. Zanders, II, 16th Episcopal District Co-Chair, AMEC Department of Retirement Services

Dr. James F. Miller, Executive Director Department of Retirement Services

Prestigious Peace Award nominees sought

Nominate someone who exemplifies Courage, Creativity, and Consistency for the World Methodist Peace Award. Some awardees have been world figures; others may be little known beyond their immediate communities. Their stories are recorded here: https://worldmethodistcouncil.org/recipients/

Applications submitted by 15 July will be considered for this year. Any application received after 15 July will be reviewed later for 2024. All supporting documents must be included at the time of submission. The nominee should show courage in regard to physical danger or putting personal interest at risk. Creativity should include opening new initiatives and attracting others in working for the cause of peace. Consistency is judged by effort over a period of time

and intensity, despite setbacks. Here is the link to read the full criteria: http://worldmethodistcouncil. org/whatwedo/world-methodist-peace-award/

The recipient receives a medallion, citation and US $1,000 which is symbolic of the larger recognition achieved in working for peace, justice and reconciliation. Their bio and photo are included in the World Methodist Council Peace Award booklet and a featured article in WMC and Wesleyan/ Methodist publications. Go to worldmethodistcouncil.org and click on the “What We Do” tab, then click on the “World Methodist Peace Award” tab to complete the online application. Please send all nomination forms to Bishop Ivan Abrahams at info@worldmethodistcouncil. org

Advent giving forklifts aid to Ukrainians

WesleyMen (WMC Men’s Affiliate) is pleased to provide a follow-up on the donations provided by the World Methodist Conference family to the WesleyMen Advent offering in 2022. Your gifts were combined with a World Wesleyan Hunger Fund grant to Church World Service (CWS).

Your donations have supported the mission of CWS to provide permanent solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster with half of the funds directly helping Ukrainian refugees seeking refuge in neighboring Moldova. CWS has worked to integrate the needs and priorities of Moldovan communities— including families who have opened their homes to Ukrainians as days turned to weeks and months —into programs for refugees from Ukraine. They have provided food, clothing, school supplies, counseling services, cash assistance and more to both Ukrainian refugees and the families hosting them.

One unique aspect of the support was providing a forklift to a Moldovan food bank distribution center, rapidly repurposed as a food and supply distribution hub for organizations welcoming Ukrainians. The forklift was critical and is still used for the loading and unloading of humanitarian supplies (food, hygiene items, blankets, and winter clothing). Over 214 metric tons of supplies had been delivered by the end of 2022.

During the darkest of times, a familiar meal can bring us back to a place of calm and happiness.

-Julia

| May 21st, 2023

Read more of Julia’s story: https://cwsglobal.org/stories/a-familiar-meal-a-sense-of-home/

If you’re interested in more information, visit the CWS website at https://cwsglobal.org/ukraine-one-yearlater/ or watch this video: https://youtu.be/4L6NmQ5qY24

Many in our Wesleyan family already know about CWS. Today the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, and United Methodist Church are all part of CWS. If you want to learn more about CWS and how you can join the movement to build a world where all have food, a voice, and a safe place to call home, visit www.cwsglobal.org

Article provided by Steve Hickle of the Wesley Men

Peruvian Methodists are Creation caretakers

In the framework of Earth Day, which is celebrated every April 22nd since 1970, the Methodist Church of Peru promoted the celebration, reflection and action on Creation stewardship in Sunday worship services, Sunday schools and other spaces.

Each Sunday morning in the morning, Peruvian Methodists join the Community Prayer via Zoom. In this opportunity, Rev. Jimmy Benitez-Arraiza, Northern Coast District Superintendent shared a reflection based on Genesis 1:28, about the meaning of Earth stewardship. Then, local churches observed the day through their worship services, adapting the liturgies developed by the Wesleyan Theological Seminary and the Climate Justice Taskforce, from the Methodist Church of Peru. This continued in the Sunday schools through experiential lessons on what it means to be a steward of Creation, culminating with practical actions such as planting new seeds, watering and maintaining the plants in the church. Local churches seeking to embrace the practice of avoiding the use of disposable materials.

These actions will continue during May in all Sunday Schools. “Methodists, Caretakers of our Earth” seeks to reflect on the problem of climate change and our great responsibility as Christians of being stewards of Creation. This unit works with the care of the earth, a topic very little touched by Christians, but necessary to learn and put into practice in our times.

To learn more about the work of the Methodist Church of Peru, you can visit our website www.iglesiametodista.org.pe. The work of the Methodist Church of Peru in Climate Justice is shared through the initiative “Christians committed to Creation” of the Climate Justice Working Group https://www. facebook.com/cristianoscomprometidosconlacreacion.

Article provided by Methodist Church of Peru

WMC Consultation

on

migration slated for September in Manila

Building upon the WMC Consultation on Migrant/Diaspora Churches held in June 2019 in the London, UK area, the WMC is organizing a second Consultation on Migration.

When and where: The consultation will take place 4-7 September 2023 at the Shalom Hotel Manila.

Invited to participate are representatives from each of the WMC regions (Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands; Asia; Africa; North America; Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe), among them church leaders and representatives of migrant communities and representatives of Mission Agencies or other entities dealing with global migration.

Program opportunities include engaging in a creative process of listening and learning grounded in worship and Bible studies (interactive and intercultural). Listening to migrants and refugees: Wounds,

Gifts, Stories of transformation, strategizing how to serve.

Cost: Each participant or their sending church is to pay a fee of 400 USD per participant and to pay for the travel costs. Donations for the overall costs are appreciated.

Application process: In order to bring a diverse group of participants together, there will be a mixture of open applications as well as a selection of participants. Register at: https://docs.google.com/ forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSear5ziSuFTu5ZcV1RDsxhqGjB9qdrHrqIdsIJCVCKsHYcsZw/viewform?usp=sf_link. Notices will be sent to those accepted by mid-July.

Anyone interested please contact WMC Geneva Secretary, Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, before June 15, 2023 Kurpfalzstr. 55, 69226 Nußloch, Germany, Phone: +4915119689531, Email: rosemarie.wenner@emk.de

Poster to foster the celebration and observation of Earth Day by the Methodist Church of Peru.

Estonian Methodist Church contributes to society

Methodists in Estonia serve the community in various ways. Several congregations work in cooperation with Estonian Foodbank to organize FOOD AID for people in need:

• Võru Methodist church offers daily foodbank service for the whole region reaching to about 475 people every week;

• Jõhvi Methodist Church organizes daily food aid distri bution in Eastern Estonia;

• Members of Tallinn Methodist Church distribute food packages weekly to about 400 households;

• New Beginning Church in Tallinn distributes soup and food aid to about 70-150 people in a marketplace every Saturday morning;

• Members of Reeküla and Kuressaare churches are in volved in the foodbank work on the island of Saaremaa.

Methodists in Estonia have founded two CHILDREN CENTERS:

• Children Center Lighthouse is a day care center in Tallinn for children from low-income families. Lighthouse center offers food, clothing, learning support and free time activities for Estonian and Russian speaking kids and also Ukrainian refugee kids.

• Sunbeam center in Jõhvi is a childcare service for children with disabilities. The center offers learning activities and transport service for children and counselling for parents.

Methodists in Estonia have founded five CHRISTIAN REHABILITATION CENTERS for those who are considered to be hopeless, dangerous and rejected because of their addictions. The leader of four centers – Jarl Shapovalov – went through rehabilitation therapy in Russia. When he returned to Estonia, he together with the team from the New Beginning Methodist Church founded two rehabilitation centers where addicts can live and receive psychological and spiritual rehabilitation. The team also founded two adaptation centers where those who have finished the rehabilitation program in a closed environment learn to cope with living in society again. According to statistics, about half of those who have completed the whole program (250 from 500), are currently living a fulfilling life with no addiction and are members of churches. The percentage is higher than non-Christian rehab centers. We believe that the true restoration and change can take place when God is involved.

More than 126,000 UKRAINIAN REFUGEES arrived to Estonia during the war (it´s almost 10% of Estonian population). While many moved to other countries, many stayed in Estonia. With the help of donors and volunteers, the Estonian Methodist Church has been able to serve more than 2,050 refugees in 2022. The number of supported refugees is actually bigger than the number of members in the Estonian Methodist Church (1570 members). It has been a joy to see how people have opened their hearts and doors for the refugees. Local churches helped refugees with accommodation (more than 350 Ukrainians were accommodated in 2022), clothes, footwear, hygiene supplies, medical supplies, phone cards etc. 149 refugee children participated in Christian camps. There are several Ukrainian refugees studying at the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary. Several churches collect food, clothes, footwear, medical supplies and battery banks and send them to Ukraine. Methodists in Estonia offer counselling and prayer support to the refugees.

Article provided by Marjana Luist, Assistant to the Superintendent of the UMC in Estonia

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 Wednesday, 24 May at communications@worldmethodistcouncil.org if you would like your story to be included in the June edition of the First Friday Letter.

On the Web

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To subscribe to this newsletter, please email communications@worldmethodistcouncil.org.

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

All stories and photos, unless otherwise stated, are protected by their respective copyrights. Please do not copy without expressed written permission from the Council.

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