Rev Brian Dobby, Mr Duncan Curwen, The President, Rev Stephen Poxon, Rev John Maiden
VISITS OF THE PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT OF CONFERENCE
Rev Inderjit Bhogal in 2000
Rev
Dr Neil Richardson in 2004
Sister
Eluned Williams in 2001
Vice
President Mrs Judy Jarvis in 2004
FORMER PRESIDENT'S AWARD TO MR DUNCAN CURWEN
AT CALDER VALE IN OCTOBER 2000
There was an imaginative programme of centenary events at Calder Vale in 2000, culminating with a visit of the President of Conference, the Rev Inderjit Bhogal, on Saturday 14th October 2000, when Mr Duncan Curwen received a special award for his very long service as a local preacher.
Rev Brian Dobby, Mr Duncan
Curwen, The President, Rev Stephen Poxon, Rev John Maiden
VISIT OF THE FORMER
VICE PRESIDENT,
SISTER ELUNED WILLIAMS MBE
The Vice President was warmly welcomed in the Circuit on Saturday 24th March 2001. She visited Scorton Methodist Church in the morning, and then travelled to Garstang to view the work of The Mustard Seed. In the afternoon she took part in a service of Worship and Prayer in which the impacts on farmers and rural communities of the Foot & Mouth Disease crisis were specially remembered.
Sister Eluned Williams
during her visit to The Mustard Seed
The Vice President
talking to Mrs Margaret Allen,
manager of The Mustard Seed
THE REV. DR. NEIL RICHARDSON, PRESIDENT
OF CONFERENCE,
VISITED BILSBORROW'S CANDLEMAS SERVICE ON FEBRUARY 3RD 2004
Rev John Maiden (Superintendent),
Mr Don Semple (Senior Steward at Bilsborrow)
Rev Dr Neil Richardson, Mrs Joyce Tindsley (Soloist), Rev Stephen Poxon (District
Chairman)
A FINE MEAL
AFTER THE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR WARM FELLOWSHIP
Mrs Nina Vasey, one of the
team preparing the meal
Fellowship is enjoyed
VISIT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
2004
GO
TO PRESS RELEASE ABOUT THIS EVENT
Mrs
Judy Jarvis was the leading speaker at the North Lancs District World Mission
Event held at Garstang Methodist Chuch on 5 February 2004,
on the theme of Fairtrade
The Vice President and the Chairman of the District, Rev Stephen Poxon, look
on as
the event is introduced by the chairman, Rev Peter Haywood
Young people from Blackpool make their own presentation about the economic injustice
that calls for the principle of Fair Trade. As they came to the front, the Chaiman
of the District had to hug the Fairtrade Banana as he made room for them!!
After the event, Mrs Jarvis sampled some Fairtrade produce in the well-stocked
Mustard Seed shop
FAIRTRADE FORUM
Methodists packed Garstang’s Church hall on 5th February to hear their Vice-President of Conference, Mrs Judy Jarvis, talk about her recent visit to Sri Lanka with a Christian Aid Delegation. They learned of the plight of 1.8 million rice growers who are struggling to earn a living as a consequence of world prices paid for their crop. “Changes in the international rules for trade justice were essential to the living of all these people and their dependents” Mrs Jarvis told her audience gathered from Churches across North Lancashire.
The Vice-President’s talk was preceded by a short sketch about ‘Trade Justice’ performed by a youth Group from Springfields church, Blackpool. Mr John Allen, Circuit Steward at Garstang, told the story of the Mustard Seed ‘One World’ shop and how Garstang became the ‘World’s First Fairtrade Town’. He emphasised the connection between the overseas growers and the local farming communities in Lancashire and urged people to be more circumspect in studying the labels on the food they buy. The testimonies he had heard about Fairtrade were compelling; citing the youth from Garstang who had gone to Ghana and returning with proof that Fairtrade was working and that it was not a charity, but helped to reduce the need for it. “The number of products carrying the Fairtrade label has risen to 200 and 31 towns and cities have followed the example of Garstang” he told the audience.
The meeting was chaired by the Rev. Peter Haywood, former Minister at Garstang, and was concluded by a presentation from Mrs Anne Garsed, from Fulwood Methodist Church, who set out the criteria by which each church in the Methodist District will be asked to pledge its support for Fairtrade and Trade Justice and serve teas and coffees carrying the Fairtrade label.