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The Methodist Peace Fellowship 2010 Conference Meeting was at Eastney Methodist Church, Portsmouth. At the AGM in the afternoon Rev. Dr. Inderjit Bhogal was elected to follow Rev. Dr. Kenneth Greet at President of MPF. Rev. Maurice Wright stepped down as Secretary and Rev. Marie Dove was elected his successor. Dr. Greet spoke of his indebtedness to those in the peace movement he had known and to the Bible for his pacifist conviction. He then officially handed over to Dr. Bhogal. Mr. Denis Beaumont, the chair, made presentations to both Dr. Greet and Rev. Maurice Wright with thanks.

An appreciative audience then heard two encouraging stories of Peacemaking and Peacebuilding. Miss Rosamund Bale, a medical student, had attended the Future Leaders’ Conference in August 2009 arranged by Sri Lanka Unites which brought together young people from communities normally divided by culture, ethnicity and religion and generated excitement and new friendships. Her first visit was in 2006 through friendship with a fellow student at Durham University while there was still fighting in the North. Her last visit was assisted by a grant from the R. J. Barker Fund administered by MPF. More may be read in “Peace in the 21st Century” No 35. She said that now the fighting is over there is a lot of reconciliation needed in Sri Lanka and the Conference which is being repeated this year with more young people is a sign of hope.

Dr. Bhogal spoke about peacebuilding in Sheffield and how he had been inspired by Numbers 35:9-13 to think in terms of sanctuary for Asylum seekers who are often regarded as bogus which is far from the case. Sharing the idea led to a meeting representing the diverse community of Sheffield and it became the first City of Sanctuary. This has spread to a number of towns, cities and urban areas and he hopes it will take root in rural communities too. Inderjit recommended “Becoming a City of Sanctuary” a small book he had co-authored describing the theory and practice with guidance for those wishing to investigate it for their community.

For more information, or to join MPF, please contact the Secretary, Revd Marie Dove MA, by email (MPF Secretary) or telephone (01262 679612). You can download our Membership Leaflet, with more information, here.

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