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Committee Members

Chairman: Revd Ward Jones, Secretary: Revd Jim Hollyman, Mrs Jackie Ballard, Dr Ivan Cox, Revd Robin Hine, Revd Jim Needham, Dr Margaret Moore, Revd Malcolm White, Dr Janet Wigley.

1.1 A Christian Studies Diploma course on Health and Healing will be available either in the Autumn or Winter of this year via the Methodist Open Learning Centre. The standard will be HE Level One.

2.1 A conference with this theme is to be held at Willersley Castle, Derbyshire from 16th-19th November, 1998 (with an option of an additional day). Details and booking forms have been circulated to Advisers. Subsidies available; please ask the Secretary.

3 50th Anniversary of the founding of the NHS

3.1 50th Anniversary of the founding of the NHS - 5th July, 1998: Worship material produced by the Free Churches’ Council and some hospital chaplains will be available for use in churches.

4.1 Opportunities for training for the ministry of healing continue to be made available by the Anglican Acorn Trust. The joint development group continues to co-operate in this work so that it is increasingly an ecumenical venture.

5.1 The Health and Healing Bulletin, a joint Methodist and United Reformed Church publication may be ordered from the Revd David Owens who handles subscriptions and distribution at 66 Barnes Way, Worcester WR5 3AP.

Annex 1: The Health and Healing Joint Group strategy has two main goals:

1 The promotion of the normality of this aspect of ministry;

2 The development of good practice.

Action to achieve the first goal:

a) Production of position paper in a popular format on health and healing.

(agency for action: the Joint Group with the Churches’ Council for Health and Healing - CCHH)

b) The inclusion of prayers for healing in the service books of both denominations and, specifically, the inclusion of the calling ‘to heal’ in the final version of the Methodist ordination service.

(agency for action: the Methodist Pastoral Care and Christian Education committee, the URC Doctrine Prayer and Worship committee)

c) Training programmes for theological colleges and courses to be encouraged to include health and healing in the curriculum.

(agency for action: denominational committees and CCHH)

d) Promotion of the Church’s relationship with the world of medicine.

(agency for action: CCHH primarily)

e) Developing the role of the Connexional Secretary for Health and Healing in the Methodist Church.

f) Further co-operation with other Methodist and URC staff members, where work overlaps.

Action to achieve the second goal:

a) Promotion of the publication Guidelines for Good Practice in the Ministry of Healing

(agency for action: bookstalls and similar opportunities)

b) Continuing the role of (Methodist) District and (United Reformed Church) Provincial Advisers in Health and Healing, servicing and supporting them.

(agency for action: Joint Group, Bulletin, joint training with ACORN)

c) Using the open Learning Centre course.

d) Stimulating local contacts with medical practitioners.

(agency for action: Connexional Secretary, Free Churches’ Council Hospital Chaplaincy Secretary)

Annex 2: Resolution passed at FURY Assembly:

FURY Assembly recognises that many people suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, depression, schizophrenia and obsessive behaviour.

FURY Assembly believes that the Church requires a greater understanding of mental illness to be able to respond helpfully to the needs of people with mental health difficulties and their families and carers.

FURY Assembly requests the FURY Council to raise the issue in the following ways:

a) Produce new resource material for young people, in conjunction with and promoting existing material already available, about mental health, themselves and the Church;

b) Publish an article about these issues in FURY National;

c) Work with the Equal Opportunities committee, Church and Society committee and other appropriate councils of the church to raise awareness of these issues;

d) Take the issues to General Assembly with a view for positive action;

e) Provoke discussion of the issues within ecumenical youth organisations.