Hello everyone and welcome to The Week Ahead.
Mike Ivatt will be staffing the out-of-hours media emergency support line on 020 7467 5170.
Wishing you all a wonderful week,
Rosie Winn and Mike Ivatt
Media Office
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The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) invite you to step into a transformational encounter with the divine this Advent. Each week, they reflect on the encounters experienced by those at Jesus’ birth in the context of the issues we face as a society. JPIT poet-in-residence, the Revd Lucy Berry, will be releasing a poem each week across Advent.
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Thelma Commey has been announced as the next Methodist Youth President. Thelma, from Milton Keynes, is 18 years old and attends Queensway Methodist Church in Bletchley. She was elected at this year’s 3Generate event and will serve from September 2019 to September 2020.
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Faith in Politics podcast
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The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) have released the latest Faith in Politics podcast. The new episode features an interview with MP Michael Tomlinson and a discussion on the recent UN report on poverty in the UK.
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Refugee and migrant statement
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A Christmas statement has been signed by leaders of Churches from across Europe, including the Methodist Church in Britain, affirming the values of dignity, respect and compassion for refugees and migrants.
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Barbara Glasson, President Designate of the Methodist Conference, has given an exclusive interview to the Church Times about herself and her faith.
(The Church Times website may require registration)
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Singing the Faith’s ‘Advent one stop shop’ is open for business, with links and resources to help with worship planning. Among the resources is the Thirty Second Christmas, which uncovers forgotten gems from the audio clips posted for every hymn in Singing the Faith.
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An Enchanted Christmas – Wesley’s Chapel
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John Wesley’s House will be filled with traditional Christmas decorations on Wednesday 12 December. Meet John Wesley and other Georgian characters from the past as they prepare for the celebrations. 11.00am to 3.00pm, free entry.
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The latest One Mission Matters magazine, which shares stories of Methodist mission in Britain and around the world is out this week. This edition highlights the Methodist Church’s response to the ongoing refugee crisis.
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On the radio
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Living with the Gods:
The Power of Images
BBC Radio 4, 9.00pm
Friday, 7 December 2018
Neil MacGregor considers the role images play in the expression of shared beliefs – how they are reproduced, interpreted and rejected, and how they change behaviour.
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In the Child’s Best Interests
BBC Radio 4, 5.00pm
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Fergus Walsh reflects on the ethical, legal and medical dilemmas surrounding ending the life of a critically ill child, and how and when the decision should be made.
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Beyond Belief
BBC Radio 4, 4:30pm
Monday, 10 December 2018
Ernie Rea and guests dig beneath the headlines to examine the religious roots and meaning of blasphemy and explore why it remains so serious an offence in so many countries.
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On TV
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Secret Life of Farm Animals
BBC Four, 8.00pm
Thursday, 6 December 2018
Documentary examining the behaviour of farm animals, testing their intelligence, discovering unlikely relationships and uncovering a side to them that may never have been seen before.
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My Faith and Me: JJ Chalmers
BBC One, 11.30am
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers discusses the injuries he sustained serving in Afghanistan, and how his faith helped him to work through recovery.
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Care
BBC One, 9.00pm
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Drama by Jimmy McGovern and Gillian Juckes, starring Sheridan Smith as single mother Jenny, who is able to support her two children owing to the constant childcare support of her own mother Mary.
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Video Thursday: Fund for Human Need
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The Fund for Human Need (FHN) is a small Methodist-affiliated charity established to relieve poverty and hunger. Emergency payments are made, irrespective of faith, ethnic origin or social group, to individuals in the UK, most of whom are refugees, asylum seekers or homeless, and to those in other kinds of personal distress.
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In the coming week, the 2018/2019 Methodist Prayer Handbook, A World Transformed, encourages us to pray with Christians in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Britain and Ireland. The theme for next week’s A Word in Time Bible studies is ‘Messenger of the Covenant’. Order your Prayer Handbook here.
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You can find the UK parliamentary business online here. If you want to find out about the Scottish Parliamentary calendar, click here and the timetable for the National Assembly for Wales, click here.
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The Week Ahead is a regular mailing that gives you a heads-up on forthcoming events and opportunities, as well as highlighting new information and resources across the Methodist Church. We cannot know about everything that’s going on, so please do email us if you have any feedback or ideas for items to include.
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