by Ivan Abrahams As I sat down to craft this introductory note for the June First Friday Letter, I was struck by the extent that this month’s calendar is defined by anniversaries of war. I began revisiting the histories and other facts associated with the First and Second World Wars and was stunned at the […]

World Methodist Evangelism announces the selection of the Rev Dr. Kimberly Reisman of West Lafayette, Indiana, as the new World Director beginning September 1, 2014. She will follow the Rev Dr. Eddie Fox, who is retiring after having served as World Director of World Methodist Evangelism for the past 25 years.   Doctor Reisman has Bachelor […]

On May 24th, Methodists from all over Brazil celebrated the John Wesley’s experience, with worships, liturgical  services and social activities. Only in Rio de Janeiro, which contains over forty percent of Brazilian Methodists (about 100,000  Methodist members) joined and participated in this recall. The Churches that held this event of ” Warmed Heart”,  had their […]

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, together with the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, have today issued a joint statement to their Churches. The Most Revd Justin Welby, the Most Revd John Sentamu, the Revd Ruth Gee and Dr Daleep Mukarji have issued the statement in response to a report that will be […]

What is weWorship? It is a Youth and Young Adult project which aims to gather prayers, liturgies and worship contributions of young people from the length and breadth of our Wesleyan, Methodist and Uniting Family, over the next three years. Why weWorship? Its purpose it to connect the stories and prayers of young , Methodist, […]

The World Methodist Council was saddened to learn of the passing of Bishop M Elia Peter on March 20, 2014. A former member of the World Methodist Council’s Executive Committee and member of the Council’s Honorable Order of Jerusalem, Bishop Peter was known for his distinctive sense of humor; sharp intellect; and above all, his […]

For over 30 years the World Methodist Council has presented the World Methodist Peace Award to an individual or group who have worked for peace, justice and reconciliation in their lives and in their ministries. The criteria for the Award are (1) Courage; (2) Creativity; and (3) Consistency in their work and witness to peace. […]

They fought against each other. Seeking to be obedient to a higher ideal, and even God. On both sides of the battle lines were Christians, among them – and Methodists. A hundred years ago the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary led to an escalating spiral of ultimatums, decisions and declarations of war, which for […]

At the 2013 World Methodist Council meeting in London, participants envisioned the 2016 World Methodist Conference in Houston to be our most inclusive yet. To make this vision a reality, we must draw on the connections we’ve developed over the years within our global Wesleyan/Methodist family. The planning and design team is seeking your expertise in […]

In spite of it being a document to bridge Catholic-Lutheran relations, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification had two different Chinese translations: One by a Catholic, one by a Lutheran. Nearly 15 years after the signing of the document, Chinese speaking Christians have now received a new ecumenical translation which was ratified in […]

In a letter to General Secretary Ivan Abrahams, Bishop Yong Jai Jun of the Korean Methodist Church showed both the human toll of the Ferry Sewol sinking that occurred on April 16. According to the Bishop, “it was reported that 11 local Korean Methodist Churches lost 23 church members which mostly are high school students […]