The Revd Loraine N Mellor and Jill Baker elected as Methodist President and Vice-President for 2017/18

The Methodist Conference has elected the Revd LoraineN Mellor to be President and Jill Baker to be Vice-President. Bothwill start their year of office when the Representative Session ofthe Methodist Conference meets in Birmingham on 24 June 2017. Theywill succeed the current President and Vice-President, the Revd DrRoger Walton and Rachel Lampard.

Loraine has been a presbyter since 1995 and is Chair of theNottingham and Derby District. A member of the Church's Strategyand Resources Committee, Loraine is coordinator of the Larger thanCircuit group which is considering how the Church can best reflectthe missional needs of today's Church.

"I want to encourage and enable the Church to put God back onthe agenda in our communities and enthuse people to share the GoodNews. The Church has reached a tipping point, the time has come forus to take some risks in our mission and in our discipleship inorder to help us grow," said Mrs Mellor.

Jill is a local preacher and tutor in the Scotland District,exploring and leading pilgrimages. She enjoys writing and, in thepast, spent eight years as a mission partner in the SouthCaribbean. Jill was President of Methodist Women in Britain between2011 and 2013.

"I am thankful to the Methodist family for the prayer and forthe support it offers in hard times. I am committed to workinglocally and connexionally for an inclusive, just, compassionate andcreative Church."

The role of President of the Methodist Conference is reserved forpresbyters (ministers) and that of Vice-President for lay people ordeacons.

Images of Loraine and Jill can be found on the MethodistFlickr page here.