The Methodist Conference comes to Plymouth

This year's Methodist Conference will be held at PlymouthPavilions, 28 June to 5 July. The Conference is the governing bodyof the Methodist Church and meets annually to discuss mattersaffecting the life of the Church, the nation and the world.

The Conference's representative session will open on Saturday 30June with the induction of the President, the Revd Dr Mark Wakelin,and the Vice-President, Mr Michael King. Following Sunday morningworship on 1 July, Methodist presbyters and deacons will beordained in venues across the South West of England,including Plymouth Central Hall and GwennapPit in Cornwall. Nearly 5,500 tickets have been distributed forthe weekend events of the Conference.

Ben Bradley, Events Coordinator for the Methodist Church, said:"We're delighted to be in Plymouth this year, especially in a venuethat meets the needs of such a large and varied event. Plymouth isa vibrant city with a rich naval heritage and a beautiful coastline- we just hope the Methodist Conference members will get theopportunity to explore."

The Conference is a gathering of 306 representatives from eachMethodist district, along with some who have been elected by theConference, together with some ex officio members, andinternational, ecumenical and youth representatives. Key topics fordebate at this year's Conference include the the ethical dilemmasof the use of unmanned drones in warfare, acelebration of 40 years of rural mission, a major overhaul of theChurch's learning and trainingnetworks, and far-reaching recommendations to enhance theChurch's engagement with the education sector .

Video of the debates will be streamed live online through theMethodist Conference website.

Alongside the debates of the Conference business sessions, therewill be a wide range of fringe events throughout the week in venuesaround Plymouth, including:

• Wesley &Wellbeing- exhibition exploring John Wesley's little-knownpassion for bringing reliable medicine to the poor and his oftenfar-sighted ideas on healthy living (30 June - 5 July, NewContinental Hotel)
• Godspell - a musical based on the Gospelof Matthew, with a variety of modern music (30 June, 7:30pm,Salvation Army Congress Hall)
• The Beckly Lecture - "TheCourage to Pay: Tax, faith, honesty and business," given by taxexpert Richard Murphy (2 July, 7.30pm, Plymouth Pavilions)
• Boat trip around Plymouth Sound- a suppercruise around Plymouth Sound chatting about the use of creativearts in worship (3 July, 7:45pm)

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1. Members of the media wishing to attend the Conferenceshould contact Anna Drew on 0207 467 5191 ordrewa@methodistchurch.org.uk. 
2. For more information, visit the Methodist Conference website.
3. The Conference blog provides aninformal look at the Conference, fringe events and the peoplebehind it. 
4. Follow the Conference conversation on Twitter via the #methconfhastag. Please note that comments and opinions on Twitter and theblog do not necessarily represent the Methodist Church'sposition.