wfn.org | Conferences explore Wesleyan spirituality

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

Aug. 5, 1998	Contact: Linda Bloom*(212) 870-3803*New York
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By United Methodist News Service*

The Wesleyan heritage of spirituality was the theme for two July
conferences organized by the Charles Wesley Heritage Centre in Bristol,
England.

The first meeting, focusing on hymns, spirituality and mission,  drew
participants from Ghana, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Korea,
Jamaica, Norway, New Zealand, the United States and Britain. 

The Rev. Lorna Khoo, center director, said the conference was planned to
be a catalyst for three movements:
*	The rediscovery, reclaiming and re-use of hymns in international
mission;
*	The creation of new hymns in the Wesleyan spirit or the
composition of new indigenous tunes for old Wesleyan hymns; and
*	The birth of new projects inspired by networking, resource
sharing and fellowship at the conference.

New tunes were introduced to Wesleyan hymns by British, Malaysian and
Singaporean composers: the Rev. Brian Hoare, the Rev. David Loo and Lim
Swee Hong. Professor Simei Monteiro shared a Wesley-inspired hymn sung
to Latin American music.

Several participants commented on the strong sense of community that
developed during the five-day meeting, Khoo said.

One participant, the Rev. Lynne Wall of New Zealand, noted that the
conference avoided becoming a "piously sentimental celebration of our
roots." Wall attributed that to prayer and study beforehand, along with
the participants' willingness "to wrestle with the texts and our own
experience of spirituality and mission within the very diverse Christian
communities from which we came."

The second July conference drew Methodist women leaders from emerging
churches. The purpose of the 10-day event, according to Khoo, was to
empower the women with "the spiritual riches of the Wesleyan heritage,"
equipping them to pass that knowledge along to others.

Participants came from Kenya, South Africa, Colombia, Lithuania, Latvia,
Russia, Cambodia and Nepal. Faculty included Khoo; Ann Craig, a Women's
Division executive, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries; and the
Rev. Paul Chilcote, a professor at Methodist Theological Seminary in
Ohio.

During the conference, participants studied the lives, theology,
spirituality and hymns of the Wesleys; discussed cross-cultural issues
in mission; worshipped together and watched a one-woman play about
Susanna Wesley.

Both events occurred at Trinity College in Bristol and  received
financial support from the Board of Global Ministries.

# # #

*Information for this story was provided by the Rev. Lorna Khoo,
director of the Charles Wesley Heritage Centre.

United Methodist News Service
(615)742-5470
Releases and photos also available at
http://www.umc.org/umns/