Vision of what the Church could be

GUY Fleming ("Methodists merger fear", Herald, March 18) has accurately articulated the confused and agitated state of many local Methodist people in the wake of the president of the Methodist Church's recent statement, "that the Methodist people are ready to go out of existence and be absorbed into the Church of England".

I am aware of no such readiness at local level.

I am aware, and I count myself among such a number, of Methodists who are willing to "die to be one in Christ".

That means a change of structure within both camps, Anglicans as well as Methodists.

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This will be resisted, make no mistake. "Dying to be one" is a convenient platitude that Rome, Canterbury and the Methodist leadership engage with.

Fifty-five years ago there was a scheme of union - it was killed off by Catholic Anglicans. What's different this time? Well, at least an Anglican Methodist Covenant has come into being. However, this has worked well in some areas. In others, it has not worked at all. In the Diocese of Chichester, it has been "politely" ignored and at worse, "rudely" dismissed.

The Church of England is split over issues of "gay clergy", "women bishops" and a threatened "Exodus" to Rome of Catholic Anglicans.

Now that the Pope has proposed an "Anglican Ordinariate", these who will go are the "grandchildren" of those who killed off the 1960s scheme.

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It's my belief that the president of the Methodist Church would have been a lot more "prophetic" had he drawn attention to the Anglican Ordinariate.

Drawing attention to a "vision" of what renewed/restored/retired church in England could be.

Michael G Blades

Methodist preacher

Wallace Avenue

Worthing

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