The Rev. Ian Henderson, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland is a delegate to the World Methodist Conference currently being held in Durban, South Africa. This is the 20th World gathering and will bring representatives from 132 countries.
The week long Conference will be held in the International Conference Centre in Durban and will have as its theme “For the Healing of the Nations” The delegates will hear a great number of speakers on the theme as well as having the opportunity of attending a great variety of seminars including one on AIDS; Ecumenical Dialogue; African Drumming in Methodist Worship and Re-tuning Charles Wesley.
During this Conference the World Methodist Peace Award will be made.
This Award was the result of the late Rev. Dr. Eric Gallagher speaking at the World Methodist Conference in Dublin in 1976 suggesting what the World Methodist Council could do in an effort for Peace. The first recipient was Ms Sadie Patterson from Belfast.
Among the other Irish to receive it have been Mr. Gordon Wilson and Rev. Dr. Harold Good. From the world stage came President Jimmy Carter. Accompanying the Rev. Henderson are his daughter Andrea; Ms Gillian Kingston (Lay Leader of the Irish Methodist Conference) and Ms Pam Algae from Belfast who is the Youth Delegate.
Ms Kingston was the Programme Coordinator for the 2006 World Methodist Conference held in Seoul, Korea.
At the parade of the delegates, the Irish Delegation will march under a banner made by the President’s daughter and Mrs. May Morrow from Donegal. It contains a shamrock, a harp, the celtic knot and a dove to represent Ireland.
The World Methodist Conference represents the 75 million Methodist/Wesleyan members throughout the world.
From South Africa, the President will go to Zambia where he will visit with Rev. David and Mrs. Rhoda Nixon, Mission Partners from the Methodist Church in Ireland who have been working Zambia at Choma for the past 13 years.