Presidency offers gratitude to lay and ordained church leaders

Ahead of “Thank You Day” on Sunday 4^th July, the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference have written to lay and ordained Church leaders offering their gratitude for their sacrificial service especially during the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to Local Preachers, the Revd Sonia Hicks and Barbara Easton, said:

“We would like to say thank you to you for your commitment to the work; for all the things you labour on alone, for the fellowship in which you support other preachers; for the service you offer in leading our Methodist people in the places in which you are called. The last couple of years have added new layers of challenge to this – thank you for your faithfulness in this too.”

In their letter to ordained ministers the President and Vice-President, said:

“In many ways, you have given your lives over to this work. We know it brings its joys and satisfaction, but also comes with burdens to carry and costs to be borne by you and, sometimes, your families. This has been sharpened over the last couple of years, as the pandemic has added new challenges to the demands of ministry. The church has been somewhat in the eye of the storm as our communities have faced extraordinary difficulties, and you have often been in the middle of that, at the same time responding to all the challenges of the pandemic to church life.”

Thank You Day began with a small group of people proposing the idea but has now received the support of organisations including from the faith and voluntary sectors as well as the NHS and a number of media organisations.

The Revd Sonia Hicks is an ordained minister and Barbara Easton is a Local Preacher. They were elected and inducted into their posts on Saturday 26^th June. More information about the new President and Vice-President is here.