in Durban in August
World Methodist Conference to be held
in Durban in August
THE 20TH WORLD METHODIST CONFERENCE will be held in Durban, South Africa from Aug 4 to 8 this year.
The theme for the conference is “Jesus Christ – for the Healing of the Nations”. The conference will give participants an opportunity to hear from some of the Church’s leading voices today when they congregate at Durban’s International Convention Centre.
The Methodist Church in Singapore will be represented by a 12-member delegation to be led by Bishop Dr Robert Solomon. The team will include the three Annual Conference Presidents – the Rev Dr Chong Chin Chung (Chinese Annual Conference), the Rev James Nagulan (Emmanuel Tamil Annual Conference), and the Rev Dr Wee Boon Hup (Trinity Annual Conference).
The speakers are Bishop Ivan Abrahams, Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church of Southern Africa and Co-Chairman of the Social and International Affairs Committee of the World Methodist Council (he is the Host Bishop for the coming conference); Haifa the Rev Dr John Barrett, Chairman of the World Methodist Council; Archbishop Elias Chacour, Archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and Galilee of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and a recipient of the World Methodist Peace Award in 1994; Dr Mvume Dandala, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and General Secretary of the All Africa Council of Churches; Dr Martyn Atkinis, General Secretary of the British Methodist Church; the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Dr Joy Moore, Associate Dean for Black Church Studies and Church Relations and Visiting Professor of Homiletics and the Practice of Ministry at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina; and Dr Claudio Betti, one of the founders of the Community of St Egidio.
There will be keynote addresses, workshops, seminars, worship services, Bible Study sessions and musical presentations.
The conference will open on the morning of Aug 4 with a video presentation on the History of World Methodist Conferences, to be followed by the usual colourful Procession of Banners by representatives of the various participating countries.
The Rev Dr Barrett will lead in the opening worship service, after which Bishop Abrahams and civic leaders will give their welcome addresses.
Dr Dandala will then deliver the first keynote address based on the conference theme, “Jesus Christ – for the Healing of the Nations” to round off the morning’s programme.
In the afternoon, there will be seminars on Ecumenics and Dialogue; Education; Evangelism; Family Life; Social and International Affairs; Theological Education; Worship and Liturgy; and Youth and Young Adults.
The conference will close on Aug 8 with the installation of the newly-elected officers of the World Methodist Council, to be followed immediately by a Holy Communion Service. The new Chairman of the council will be the preacher.