25 March 2021
The Methodist Church is to commit to a two-year project looking at how the Church speaks out on social issues and challenges injustices. The project will be led by Rachel Lampard and aims to make the Church more effective in speaking and acting for justice and transformation.
Rachel Lampard, who will shortly move to this secondment from her role as Team Leader of the Joint Public Issues Team said: “I am excited to be part of this project listening to Methodists and those beyond our church, including those who are sometimes unheard; discerning the values upon which our commitment to justice can be based; and acting to help Methodists use these resources to speak and act on issues of justice.
“I hope and pray that this will be a project which engages people from around the Connexion and leaves us all with a deeper passion for God’s justice in the world.”
The Methodist Church’s Head of Mission Jude Levermore said: “The world is living in a time of huge change with domestic and global injustices being revealed and intensified. Methodists have long been committed to working for justice. At this time when the Methodist Church is responding to Our Calling through the Methodist Way of Life and the God for All strategy, it is a crucial moment for us to renew our own voice as a justice-seeking church.”
Notes to Editors:
The project will run for 2 years and will report to Methodist Council and Methodist Conference during this time. More details of the consultations will be available on www.methodist.org.uk over time.
Rachel Lampard has worked for the Methodist Church as Secretary for Parliamentary and Political Affairs since 2000 with responsibility for the Church’s engagement with political issues in a range of areas. She was a Commissioner with the Gambling Commission, responsible for regulating the gambling industry in the public interest, for 9 years. She was the Vice-President of the Methodist Conference 2016/17.
The Joint Public Issues Team works for peace and justice on behalf of the Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland and he United Reformed Church.
Simeon Mitchell, currently JPIT Deputy Team Leader and Church and Society Secretary for the United Reformed Church will take over as interim JPIT Team Leader. Simeon is a Methodist Local Preacher and Church and Circuit Steward in the Oxford Circuit. An interim Deputy Team Leader will be recruited by the Methodist Church