Local Preachers
It has been a huge privilege becoming the first District Local Preachers Secretary in the London District and we cannot underestimate the challenges that lie ahead are great. I know I also speak for the Assistant District LP Secretary – Daniella Fetuga-Joensuu who is looking forward to the challenge.
I want to thank the outgoing District LP Secretaries from: London North East – Michael Clegg, London South East – Gillian Collins, and for London South East – Peter Green, and I was privileged to be associated with London North West for a number of years. The transfer to the new District was smoothly carried out by the four District Secretaries and the London District Chairs for whom we are grateful.
Local Preaching is a crucial role in the life of the Methodist Church, and has been so ever since the time of Rev. John Wesley, when he appointed his first lay preachers in the 18th Century. Today we look back over 300 years of preaching experience in London and the Connexion. Countless men and women had offered themselves to Christ in the service of the church and to help our Methodist Societies worship God in all its richness and variety that the Holy Spirit can offer. It is through our calling as preachers that God is able to do this in 2008. Of course we are helped by an even larger army of people and resources in the church – worship leaders, organists/choirs, pastoral and care workers, stewards, drama groups, new technology, etc. and without them our task would be much more difficult.
We have 440 Accredited Local Preachers in this District, of whom 370 are active Sunday by Sunday. What are the other 70 doing you may be asking? There are a variety of reasons. Some have retired after having served a lifetime as local preachers and it is now time to take it easy. Many of them are still working in the background to help younger preachers as well as help with there own church fellowship groups. Some are suffering illness and some taking time out for a whole host of reasons but we hope for not too long.
We have 111 on-trials doing Faith & Worship training, and 39 on-notes who are working towards on-trial status. There are 247 churches in our District who have a need for preachers to be planned to run Sunday worship alongside Presbyters (146) and deacons (12 in 10 Circuits), and we must not forget the Circuit Tutors who deliver Faith and Worship as well as the mentors who support our preachers in training as they lead worship. A small number have been granted extensions by the District this year
I am indebted to Circuit Local Preachers Secretaries who keep us informed about what is going on at Circuit Level as well as being a port of call when we need to make contact. Every year LP Secretaries receive a pink form on which certain facts are asked for, to record what has happened in their Circuit for that year and record issued raised by the Circuit. It is returned to the District Secretaries for analysis.
Our role is to support you at Circuit level and to pass on Connexion matters appertaining to Local Preachers (Richard Foyn deals with Worship Leader matters). We hope it will be possible to visit every Circuit in the two years so that we can discuss this. Details of this are in the Newsletter that we issue every six months and you can find on the website.
Local Preachers are part of the District Worship Task Group which meets monthly to discuss worship matters. This includes the TDO (Paul Kybird), Worship Leaders (Richard Foyn, who is also Convenor), and others who are involved in the planning and implementation of worship in the London District. This group has already been responsible for planning and starting the Access Course - Faith & Worship using residential weekends and weekly meetings in London, a Worship Leaders Course similar to the Access Course is being planned, and a District conference: ‘Worship in The Global City’ which was held at Hinde Street M.C in October 2007.
Please keep an eye on the Methodist Church website – Local Preachers, for downloads and news. It has recently been re-vamped and is well worth looking at: www.methodist.org.uk I would like to hear if anyone is using the Hope 08 material available at: www.hope08.com and for what purpose.
I hope we meet soon.
Yours in Christ.
Geoffrey Goodman District LP Secretary
This page was last updated on 3 June 2008