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Methodist/URC Health and Healing Development Group
Committee Members
Revd Jim Needham (Convener) Revd Jim Hollyman (Secretary) Mrs Jackie Ballard, Dr Ivan Cox, Revd Ward Jones, Dr Margaret Moore, Revd Brenda Russell, Revd Malcolm White, Dr Janet Wigley.
1 Developing links
The House of Bishops of the Church of England has set up a working party on healing and wholeness, chaired by Bishop John Perry. It is due to report in January 2000 on the understanding and experience of the ministry of healing in the Church of England. The report will include information on the healing ministry from other denominations as well as from other churches in the world-wide Anglican communion. The Development group was very glad to welcome a representative from the Working Party to its January meeting and has written to Bishop Perry to express our encouragement of the project. It is hoped that further links in working with the Church of England will develop.
2 Churches Council for Health
and Healing
The past year has been a traumatic one for CCHH, not least with the sad death of the previous Director, Prof Rachel Rosser. The Executive has reformed under the chairmanship of the Bishop of Chelmsford and is now exploring the future format of the organisation. The key ongoing piece of work begun last year was the preparation of a Position Paper on Health and Healing. Because of the work being done in the Anglican Church on their own understanding of the Church’s ministry of Health and Healing, the CCHH position Paper has been put on hold.
3 Open Learning Centre Study Course
Due to the previous Methodist Secretary for Health and Healing (who is writing the course) being appointed to a District Chairmanship, the date for the course’s availability has been revised to Easter 2000
4 FURY and Mental Health
The Fellowship of United Reformed Youth and the Health and Healing Development Group formed a working group to follow up the resolutions on mental health issues passed at last year’s FURY Assembly and General Assembly. The group has promoted leaflets about "positive steps" for mental health through FURY National, at FURY Assembly and at TGIFURY. participants which explored stress, unhappiness and depression. Currently the working group is exploring ways in which it can work with the National Youth Resource Centre to further the awareness of mental health issues amongst young people and centre users. The working group wishes to centre its work around the experiences of people who live with mental illness and their carers. It has been inviting people to share with the group the stories of their experience. From this it is hoped to learn how the church currently supports people with mental illness and their carers, and how it might better do so.
5 Willersley Castle Conference
A successful conference on Health, Healing and Worship was held in November 1998, with over 40 participants. The next conference, on a theme to be decided, will be held at the same venue from 6th - 10th November 2000.
6 Membership
During the year we have welcomed Dr Ivan Cox, Revd Brenda Russell and Revd Dr Malcolm White as new members of the group. Revd Jim Hollyman retires from the group this July after serving as secretary to the previous URC committee for six years and the joint group since its inception.
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