Down by the Danube

Home thoughts from abroad? Well, I am in Budapest.

The diaconal convocation was, as usual, a great affair, aided by the powerful and persuasive input by Steve Hollinhurst on Implicit, New age and contemporary forms of spirituality. He sets out cogently the challenges and opportunities before us if we are to communicate Christianity in an authentic and accessible way to increasing proportions of our populations. I was grateful to be able to preach and lead communion to conclude the convocation.

Then it was off to the airport, Manchester to Zurich Friday evening. I was meeting with the executive of the Central and Southern Methodist Conferences meeting in Zurich. I went to attend the executive of the Central and Southern Conferences of European Methodism. This includes representatives of Methodist Churches in
Austria, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, and several others.

From there we (Colin Ride as Europe Secretary is with me) flew to Budapest, where I am now. Yesterday we preached three times in different Methodist churches around Miskolc circuit. One of these was a Gipsy congregation (their description of themselves, not mine) which was just fantastic, and will certainly figure in a future Methodist Recorder piece.

Then today we have looked round other aspects of the Methodist Church in Hungary, including a home for the elderly.

Tomorrow Colin and I head south to the Methodist Church in Serbia. If I can get on the net from there, I will blog again...

M


(posted by Toby on behalf of the President)