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BILLERICAY METHODIST CHURCH |
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Our community―the Methodist Church |
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We are proud to belong to the Methodist Church. After the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland it is the largest Christian denomination in Britain. Membership is about 330,000 but over one million have some connection with the church. 70 million people worldwide have Methodist links. Small beginnings Methodism was founded by John Wesley and his brother Charles, both priests of the Church of England, following their religious conversion in 1738. They considered the church of the time unfit for purpose and emphasized the need for holy living as an outcome of faith, leading towards Christian perfection. For John Wesley, Christian 'works' had to accompany faith, and he campaigned for welfare and prison reform, social justice and universal education - matters important to the Methodist Church today. Charles Wesley expressed his faith in hymn writing. He wrote over 5,000 and many are still sung today. Welcome for all The Methodist Church welcomes all - regardless of age, gender, race, sexuality or marital status. Newcomers need not bring a fully formed faith; indeed, doubts and questions are normal and many will be shared with long established members! Alcohol and gambling Opposition to alcohol and gambling is all that many outsiders know of Methodists. Whilst both are forbidden on our premises, they are now seen as matters of personal morality. |
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How Methodism is organised In Britain, individual Methodist churches are grouped together into circuits and the circuits supervise the work of ministers and other preachers. Our circuit, the South Essex Circuit, is typical. We have 12 churches, four ministers and three full-time lay workers. Ministers and lay workers are paid from the weekly offerings of those who attend church; there is no external funding. Circuits are grouped into districts - ours is the Beds (Bedfordshire), Essex & Herts (Hertfordshire) District - each led by a chairman. The chairman of the district plays a similar role to a diocesan bishop in the Church of England, but does not claim any form of apostolic succession. The 33 districts of Britain form the connexion, whose governing body is the annual Methodist Conference. The Conference, like all Methodist ruling bodies, is democratically elected.
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