A big welcome to the Methodist Friends of Israel

During a turbulent few weeks in British Methodism there has been much talk of how we as Methodists can distance ourselves from the disastorous report to our Methodist Conference attacking the State of Israel.

I'm delighted to be able to report that Methodist Friends of Israel is now in business. My congratulations to those who have got the project off the ground.

I hope that support for the new grouping isn't just confined to those of us in Britain who have had the horrendous experience of  recent weeks. My prayer is that Methodist Friends of Israel becomes a recognised, accepted and celebrated part of our Methodist family.

I actually had discussions with various people about setting up such a group and then found that others had exactly the same idea. God does move in mysterious ways and I was as surprised as anyone to hear of this initiative earlier today.

This story is going to run and run. Those who complacently sat and allowed this issue to fester will regret that they did not do more to stop the Methodist Church jumping onto the anti-Israel bandwagon.

There is a lot going on in the background that I am not yet at liberty to mention here. I am confident though that our Methodist movement is going to be changed forever. The days when a tiny clique can hi jack our good name and use it to ride their hobby horses will soon come to an end.

One other lesson from the last few weeks:  It is quite clear that we can not longer rely on the Connexional newspaper The Methodist Recorder to faithfully represent what grass roots Methodists feel. They have made their bias clear.I know of at least one letter that was sent but never published. I have sent the Recorder letters in the past on the Connexions shameful role in supporting "responsible gambling" but protecting Racheal Lampard was more important than open discussion.

More and more Methodists are turning to the web to get am accurate picture of what is happening. In recent weeks there has been a discernible increase in direct traffic to this site. I am beginning to wonder if the days of the lone ranger "Methodist Preacher" blogger are drawing to a close. We need an online channel that is more open to ideas and people, able to allow ordinary Methodists the platform that the Recorder and Conference believe should be the preserve of the chosen few.


Once again - a big welcome to Methodist Friends of Israel.