Now is the time

The commitment of Russia and the USA to dismantling over one third of their nuclear arsenals has given renewed impetus to disarmament.

As governments prepare to meet in New York for the five year Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in May the Methodist Church and others have issued a clear call. "Now is the time" they state for all governments to commit to the path towards zero nuclear weapons through multilateral negotiations.

Working with others, the Methodist Church wants the United Kingdom delegation to the NPT Review Conference to receive a huge number of signatures on a petition and need your help this month.

Eagle-eyed readers would have spotted a reference to this in the letters page of The Times last week.

Please sign up to Now is the Time and, if possible, download a petition form for other to sign.

Who to vote for?

The Methodist Church has worked with other Churches and Church agencies to create an electronic booklet and website. This includes information on how to arrange a hustings meeting at local churches as well as a downloadable guide offering information on the important questions of this election campaign.

The election materials do not support a particular Church view or political party line, but aim to help people engage with a range of important issues facing the country, however they may decide to vote.

Pray for China

Early on Wednesday 14 April an earthquake devastated the remote western Qinghai Province of China. Initials reports suggest over 600 deaths and 10,000 people injured.

Join with the Methodist Church in praying for all those involved. Click here to use a prayer written in response to the tragedy.

Free weekly prayer texts from the Methodist Church

Following a successful pilot, the Methodist Church is now offering free weekly prayer texts to help Methodists join in prayer with hundreds of others on topical and personal issues.

Users of the pilot service were asked to text in their feedback and the result was overwhelmingly positive. June M texted in to say, "I welcome those prayer time texts, they make me stop & pray whatever I'm doing, where ever I am. Thank you 4 a valued service."

To start receiving the texts simply send a text message reading PRAYNOW to 82088, which will be charged at your standard network rate. All prayer texts received will be free of charge.

You can also get weekly Methodist prayer text messages on Twitter as well as on your mobile phone. To get the prayer texts on Twitter follow www.twitter.com/methodistprayer.

Property Consents comes to us all

On 1 January 2010 the Property Consent website went live across the Connexion.

Now, if your church wants to alter or improve, buy, sell, lease or share its property, the Church Council will need to nominate someone to register as a user on the website to create and progress the project through the website to gain final consent from the district. This replaces Schedule 1, amongst other paperwork.

The only time the Connexional Team has to be involved in the consent process is if your property is listed or in a conservation area. (Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP) will of course continue to be involved with sales, leases, purchases and sharing agreements.)

You can still choose to request guidance from the Connexional Team in relation to technical aspects or external funding and the website also allows you to apply for connexional property grants.

To find out more about the consents process or for help using the website, speak to your superintendent minister or district property secretary. Failing that contact the Consent Support Team (email: support@property.methodist.org.uk tel: 0161 236 5194).

For more information go to the help and guidance section of the Property Consent website.

Ban the bomblet - Churches celebrate the Cluster Munitions Act

Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Church leaders have welcomed the passing of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act.

It enables the UK to ratify the international treaty banning cluster munitions - something that has been called for by thousands of people around the world.

Cluster munitions have been widely used in conflicts around the globe, but on 1 August this year, an international treaty will come into effect, banning the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions, and requiring countries to assist survivors and affected communities.

The Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, general secretary of the Methodist Church, said, "The moral significance of this bill cannot be overstated. It builds upon widespread recognition of key ethical principles that are enshrined in international humanitarian law. When ensuring our own security we must recognise the importance of adhering to these principles."

For more information click here.

The Power of Blessing

With the support of the Connexional Team, MET (Methodist Evangelicals Together) have begun a new prayer initiative through its membership based on The Power of Blessing. The main focus is to encourage prayers of blessing over the Methodist Church, its vision and planning, its members and the Connexional Team.

As Linda Ashford, vice-chair of MET points out, "There are a lot of really good things happening with the Methodist Church and yet so often we focus on the negative things. This prayer initiative is aimed at counteracting the negativity by praying positively."

For more information, teaching, prayer topics and sermon notes go to the MET website

Young Preacher of the Year competition

Are you a young preacher? Or do you have a young preacher at your church who deserves recognition for their excellent sermons?

This year sees the launch of the Young Preacher of the Year Competition, a project run in partnership by Premier Christian Media and the College of Preachers. The aim is to find the very best up-and-coming preachers from across the UK.

If you think you have got what it takes and are aged between 18 and 30 as of 18 January 2010 then you are welcome to enter. Entrants must provide a sermon preached in an act of worship, in audio format with transcript. You must also have the endorsement of an ordained minister within your church.

To register your interest click here. Entries close on 28 May 2010, and the Awards will take place in November 2010.

Changes in copyright law for churches

Changes have just taken place regarding the licence requirements for music played from sound recordings (MP3s, CDs, etc) on church premises. They came into effect from the 1 April 2010. However, how these rights are to be administered to churches has yet to be decided.

In the meantime click here for the news item supplied through the Intellectual Property Office.

For current guidance on music performance in churches go to the Music Performance Fact File.

Breakout 2010: Connect - for the weekend and beyond

Breakout, the national Methodist youth event for 11-23 year olds, is taking place from 9-11 July 2010 at Cliff College in Derbyshire.

Breakout’s varied programme has something for everyone - bands, comedians, theatre, worship, global action, interactive cafe tent, media hub, sports, a dedicated youth worker area and so much more.

For details about the line-up then check the website, where you can also purchase tickets.

Get yourself connected .... with each other ... with the world ... with God …

Fernley Hartley Lecture - 7 May 2010

For the first time in its 140 year history the Fernley Hartley Lecture will be delivered by a Methodist lay person, and in a setting other than the Conference venue.

Dr Clive Marsh will deliver the 2010 lecture on Friday 7 May at the University of Leicester, where he is the director of learning and teaching in the Institute of Lifelong Learning.

Entitled Adventures in Affective Space: The Reconstruction of Piety in an Age of Entertainment, it asks whether popular culture has replaced religion or whether it functions as religion.

The lecture begins at 7.00pm in the Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 3 on the main campus of the University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH.

For more information (including post-lecture dinner and accommodation) contact Michelle Bennett.

Abundant Harvest

Great things can come from small beginnings – that’s the message of MRDF’s 2010 harvest pack, Abundant Harvest.

Using stories from an MRDF partner in Cambodia, the pack focuses on how rural communities are now thriving, thanks to their hard work and a little investment. MRDF support, in the form of agricultural training and loans of chickens, has led to better health and educational opportunities for hundreds of families, essentially allowing them to work themselves out of poverty.

The Harvest pack includes worship resources, multimedia presentations, children’s and youth activities, recipes and event ideas - everything your church needs to celebrate harvest.

Order your free pack today.

Catch up with the latest Methodist podcasts

Conflict and Compassion - Karen Burke talks to Vice-President of Conference Dr Richard Vautrey to find out how his brief visit to Israel and Palestine furthered his understanding of the conflict, while Anna Drew learns whether the word "love" can produce problems in translation when she interviews Phil Prior from Wycliffe Bible Translators. Karen also chats to Methodist Youth President Pete Brady to discover how he is enabling young people to get their voices heard.

To listen click here.

Haiti Recording at Abbey Road Studios - The Haiti earthquake disaster may be slipping from the media radar but fundraising for the victims is still going strong. More than 200 professional singers turned up at The Beatles' former music hub - Abbey Road studios in north London - to record the charity single Somebody Please out for release on 27 April 2010. Listen to interviews with Graham Kendrick, former ex-factor finalist, Beverley Trotman and Noel Robinson, co-writer of the single. You can also catch a sound bite from the track and learn what part the singers' faith played in the recording by tuning into this podcast.