Agenda Volume 3 - Methodist Conference

59. Memorials to the Conference
the concern expressed by other Districts
at the proposed budget reduction to the
VentureFX project and asks the Conference
to reinstate the previously agreed
VentureFX budget over the next two years.
The Synod gives thanks to God for new
and encouraging signs being seen through
hundreds of grass root fresh expressions
and the early stages of the 13 VentureFX
projects within the Methodist Church.
The Conference of 2011 whole-heartedly
affirmed the General Secretary’s Report
which stated:
that making more disciples of Jesus Christ
through apt and appropriate ways is a
key priority for our Connexion today. This
involves committing ourselves, even in a
time of scarcity, to put a disproportionate
degree of resources and energy to this
end, as the acknowledged weakest ‘health
indicator’ throughout our Connexion.
Reply
The Conference adopts the same reply as
M19.
M24 Inter Faith Relations
The London District Synod (R) (Present:
182. Voting: 140 for, 23 against)
commends to the Conference the work of
the Inter Faith Relations Office and regrets
the decision in the Central Services Budget
proposals that in future the Connexional
Team will only deal with inter faith matters
at the level of the Secretary for External
Relations. While the Secretary for External
Relations is perfectly suited to manage
matters at a strategic level, we believe
that any such post holder would be unlikely
to have either the time or the specialist
knowledge to enable them to deal with the
background tasks and maintain the legion
of low-level relationships that have made
the Methodist Inter Faith Relations Office
renowned across not only the Christian
denominations but also the eight major
religions in the United Kingdom.
We believe that the proposal to simply do
away with the Inter Faith Relations Office
may be justified on purely financial grounds
but shows a poor understanding of both the
nature and importance of the role of the
Inter Faith Relations Officer to the Methodist
Church at both a national and a local level.
In an increasingly diverse and multifaith
country we need to understand our
neighbours and, as the Conference has
previously recognised (for example in
the 1999 statement Called to Love and
Praise), learn about our own faith through
relationships with friends of other religions.
We propose that a proper evaluation be
carried out to determine the most costeffective
and practical means of providing
a recognisable inter faith service from
within the Connexional Team. We also
believe that while this evaluation is in
production the current Inter Faith Relations
Officer should remain in post.
Reply
The Conference reaffirms its commitment
to seeking positive inter faith relations
and welcomes the dedicated, patient and
prophetic work done towards this end in
many places around the Connexion. The
786 Conference Agenda 2012