Mayb2day

Thanks to Andrew Graystone for drawing my attention to this 1 min 42 second sermon from Tamara Lowe in the ‘theMediaNet Mailing’:

If you are interested in finding out more about theMediaNet, then go to http://www.themedianet.org

For the latest maining, go to: http://doiop.com/medianetmailing1708

On Premier’s Big Breakfast (Sat): Simon Pinchbeck (Tough Talk); Noel Robinson (Gospel Artist); & Rev. Tim Ross (Using Twitter devotionally).

Sat. on Premier’s Big Breakfast: Dwane Fields (1st black Brit 2 North Pole); p&q with John Mansfield; & welshman leading an Asian fellowship

On Premier’s Big Breakfast (Sat): Sally Leigh (the future of food); Tim Vine (Comedian); & World Cup (Dan Walker, keeping Sunday special)

On Premier’s Big Breakfast (Sat): Tony Anthony (Avanti Ministries); Becky Cross (21 & sailing UK, Fellowship Afloat); & World Cup’s legacy.

Premier’s Big Breakfast (Sat): Steve Clifford (EA, Biblefresh); Karen Bulley (Creative All Age worship); World Cup evangelism; & Radiothon!

Hey, apparently, Methodists live longer than the average Brit!

Lead Media Officer, Anna Drew, sent out a Methodist news release that made it a bit easier to swallow yesterday’s announcement that we’re all going to have to work longer before we draw a state a pension.  I’m not sure that this is the reason why Methodist ministers will be expected to wait until they are 68 before they can draw their Methodist pension:

Last Sunday, Stanley Lucas of Cornwall died aged 110 (born on 15 January, 1900).  Stanley was thought to be not only the oldest male member of the British Methodist Church, but one of the oldest men in the world.

Is this sort of longevity characteristic of Methodists? Seemingly, yes. An analysis of family announcements printed in the Methodist Recorder carried out by British Religion in Numbers, hosted by Manchester University, shows that in 1973 the mean age of death for Methodist laity was 77.9 years for men and 83 for women. By 2008 these figures had risen to 83.9 and 91.1 respectively – well above the life expectancy for the UK population as a whole (77 for men and 82 for women).

Dr Richard Vautrey, GP and Vice President of the Methodist Conference, said, “I’m sure there are many different factors at work for Methodists to attain these numbers. But I would guess that our emphasis on caring for our spiritual as well as physical health, avoiding excess, engaging with people in our communities and being good neighbours all help.”

The position for male Methodist ministers is similar, with a mean age of death of 83.4 years for those whose obituaries appeared in the 2009 edition of the Minutes of the Annual Conference and Directory of the Methodist Church. Since the Methodist Church began ordaining women in 1973, too few Methodist women ministers die each year to draw any meaningful conclusions.

And this is not a new pattern. Clive Field’s unpublished Oxford DPhil thesis of 1974 revealed that, until the beginning of the twentieth century, the death rate per 1,000 among lay members of the various Methodist denominations in Britain was appreciably below the national level, especially in Wesleyan Methodism. Published studies by Kenneth Brown (‘A Social History of the Nonconformist Ministry in England and Wales, 1800-1930’) and Tim Allison (‘An Historical Cohort Study of Methodist Ministers Examining Lifespan and Socioeconomic Status’ – University of Manchester MSc thesis, 1995) demonstrate similar trends. More information about the research by British Religion in Numbers can be found at http://www.brin.ac.uk/news/?p=361.

Methodist commentators, both in the Victorian era and since, were quick to point out that the longevity of Methodists was not accidental. They posited a clear link between a religious, ‘clean’ and virtuous life on the one hand and a long one on the other. The avoidance of physical and moral excess was especially advocated.

The Church’s annual governing body, the Methodist Conference, is currently meeting in Portsmouth, and begins every year with singing “And are we yet alive?”, a hymn by Charles Wesley.

For more information contact Anna Drew.

Anna Drew
Lead Media Officer
Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR
Tel:      020 7467 5191
Mob:   07881 783 812
Fax:    020 7467 5229
Email: drewa@methodistchurch.org.uk

A prayer written by A W Tozer:

I come to you today, O Lord,
To give up my rights,
To lay down my life,
To offer my future,
To give my devotion, my skills, my energies
I shall not waste time
Deploring my weaknesses
Nor my unfittedness for the work.
I acknowledge your choice with my life
To make your Christ attractive and intelligible
To those around me.
I come to you for spiritual preparation.
Put your hand upon me,
Anoint me with the oil of the One with Good News.
Save me from compromise,
Heal my soul from small ambitions,
Deliver me from the itch to always be right,
Save me from wasting time.
I accept hard work, I ask for no easy place,
Help me not to judge others who walk a smoother path.
Show me those things that diminish spiritual power in a soul.
I now consecrate my days to you.
Make your will more precious than anybody or anything,
Fill me with your power
And when at the end of life’s journey I see you face to face
May I hear those undeserving words,
“Well done, you good and faithful servant”.

I ask this not for myself
But for the glory of the name of your Son.  Amen.

Listen to my interview with Simon Guillebaud talking about the work of Great Lakes Outreach and the elections in Burundi:

http://doiop.com/simonguillebaud

On Premier Radio’s Big Breakfast (Sat 12/6) Simon Guillebaud about Burundi (elections); Guvna B live (Global Day of prayer); the World Cup!

@stewardshipnews ThAnks for the RT! Tony

@GiniCarlin Hi – I’m fine. Glad you like the poster! Didn’t realise you were near Hamburg. Did you get to see the Fulham match? T

@drbexl Well summed up Bex!

@Chatbible Ha Ha Ha!

#cmn10 Dear Andrew G – please double check Moral Simon’s expense claim!