Hinde Street is honoured to welcome Revd David Hardman to preach on Sunday 16th November at 11am. David is currently serving as the Methodist Liaison Officer in Jerusalem for the Methodist Church GB. Ordained in 1994, he has served churches and circuits in the city centre, inner-city and suburbs of Manchester and London. He has also worked for Christian Aid as Senior Regional Coordinator in the North West of England and most recently as Methodist Team Leader of the Joint Public Issues Team. Justice and Peace have been at the heart of David’s ministry, he is an accredited mediator with Place for Hope and a committed activist.
At this week’s service, David will draw our attention to Palestine: “On Friday 14th November, Kairos Palestine are launching their new document reflecting on living as faithful Christians under the occupation of the West Bank and in the Shadow of the war in Gaza. On Sunday I want to reflect on this lived experience of our Christian Sisters and Brothers and reflect on what their message means to us as members of the same body.”
We encourage all to take this opportunity to hear from David, who has also graciously offered time for questions in the spirit of our Café Church tradition. As David has very few preaching appointments each year in the UK, we are grateful to have this time with him. In the meantime, you can read more about the Methodist Liaison Office and the work they do below.
–
“The Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem was officially launched in October 2012 to engage the world Methodist family in Christ’s ministry of peace, justice, truth, and mercy among all peoples living in the Holy Land in partnership with the Palestinian Christian community.
The office is a partnership of the World Methodist Council, the Methodist Church of Britain and the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. Its purpose is to increase awareness and involvement of the worldwide Methodist community in the issues of Palestine and Israel. The Office is also charged with coordinating advocacy and education initiatives and can provide travel and volunteer opportunities for the global Methodist community.
We assert all humans are made in the image of God and worthy of equal value and dignity. Therefore the Methodist Liaison Office works with all who labour to establish and maintain human rights under international law, and who advocate and inhabit a non-violent approach.
Working within our Wesleyan tradition, we continue to offer, with humility, this principal as a frame of reference for all our partners in the region.
We are committed to working collaboratively and in partnership with Palestinian Christians and the historic churches in the region.
We are committed to communicating to our sponsoring churches the reality on the ground, and in particular the lived experience of Palestinian Christians, to enable informed advocacy. We deplore all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including antisemitism and islamophobia which we guard against and call out when seen and experienced.”
– Revd David Hardman