Alan,
You may find information on the issues you highlight could be found on the
mission pages of the Connexional Website.
JOHN E STATON
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK
www.christianreflection.org.uk
Sent from my iPad
On 21 Jan 2021, at 21:09, Alan Sharp <alansharp26@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The "Recorder" of January 8 had a two-page spread "Special Sundays 2021". It
seems to have all the dates listed in the Methodist Diary, plus quite a few
others - e.g. Tax Justice Sunday, Rural Mission Sunday, Climate Sunday. The
closing paragraph says "There are many subjects, not in the above list, to
which local churches will want to draw attention ... such subjects include
home and overseas mission" Then it says "The Methodist Church Connexional
Team produces resources on these". So these two Sundays, once regular
features, are reduced to a footnote!
And the "Special Sundays" page on the website is not very generous in
material on these topics. The Prayer Manual lists some amazing things
happening around the world, mentioned only briefly. Background material about
them would be useful: churches in Latvia; the Czech Republic; the persecution
in Cameroon; the growing church in Cuba; the work in Tanzania with disabled
people, to pick out just a few. These, and many more initiatives, could be
highlighted in resource material for worship.
Otherwise, surely we risk congregations becoming unaware of what our Church
is achieving, and lose any stimulus this can give.
Alan
