At Methodist Conference in July 2007, a number of proposals are being tabled that will seriously reduce the level of staffing dedicated to national-level support of work with 0-19 year old children and young people to a cripplingly low level - two full-time permanent members of staff, leaving 0-19s under-resourced and 19-25s feeling excluded.
An additional project looking at work with 20-40s is being proposed, but this would be a short-term project with no guarantee of follow-up work and would most likely be disjointed from the other work with young people.
This petition is to speak out against the cuts - to say that workers with children and young people of the Methodist Church deserve the proper support from the national team to work effectively in developing the emerging generation of followers of Jesus Christ. Already a staggering
2236
people have signed the petition, since it was launched on the 22nd of April.
. Once you've signed the petition, please write a quick email to any contacts who might be willing to add their name to the list. There's a paper petition that you can download, print out and take to your church to gain support from your congregations - the link's just below.
We, the
2236 here undersigned, petition Methodist Conference to resist the cuts in funding for national youth work.
| Name | Comment |
| Sarah Deakin | Some of my best memories are of working with a local MYC and of London Weekend- met some great people! |
| Hazel Towle | The youth of today are the future of Methodism. Youth work is important if Methodism is to survive. |
| Phil Henly | The youth are the future of the church, we need them and for that they need us! |
| Ann Williams | |
| Wendy Forman | Youth work is vital to the Methodist Church and to the young people of Britain. We cannot fail in our mission in teh 21st century. |
| Bekky Alston | Whats the point of closing it down?!? |
| Jennifer Wareing | Without the youth in the church TODAY there will be no church tomorrow! |
| Elizabeth Pickles | |
| Elizabeth Pickles | |
| Matthew Gorst | |
| Edith Gorst | |
| Brian Gorst | No Youth in the Church today No Church Tomorrow |
| Whilma Kelsall | |
| Andrew Gorst | |
| Christine Ashford | Surely we should be putting more effort into reaching out to young people, not less. |
| Yvonne Wood | |
| Flo Owens | |
| Ken Scoble | |
| David Hellyer | |
| David Germany | Seeing how children/youth work within our churches has declined in the last 20 years sure the nationally we should be increasing resources in this area rather than cutting them. |
| Martyn Greatorex | What would Jesus say!If the Methodist Church doesn't try to reach young people, who will? |
| Janet Rogerson | Young people need to learn of God’s saving grace. We can’t achieve this without people who understand today’s youth. |
| Polly Vernon | |
| Eileen Hogan | |
| Matthew Ould-Oram | |
| Matthew Ould-Oram | |
| Rex Oram and Joy Oram | |
| Elizabeth Ould-Oram | Our young people are the future Church; they need more not fewer workers. |
| Peter Green | no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.
I've read the proposals and they're horrible.
Don't do it. |
| John F.Scowen | |
| S Guinn | Since attending MC for the last so many years the youth groups should keep continuing as a church. |
| Anna Dunipace | |
| Emma Wright | |
| Zachary Pointon | |
| Lucy Honeychurch | |
| Alan Davis | We must protect the future of Metodism |
| Jeremy English | My journey to local preacher started in MAYC....encouragement, not abandonment |
| Andrew Butler | The faith of this age group needs encouragement. What a short sighted approach. |
| Brian Hambleton | |
| Jean Hill | We need to encourage the young people, not discourage them |
| Ann Angus | |
| Alan Thompson | We need to encourage not discourage the faith of this age group |
| Ann Hill | We need to encourage the faith of this age group |
| Alan Jefferson | |
| audrey rummeli | work with young people is vital |
| audrey rummeli | work with young people is vital |
| hermann rummeli | work among young people is vital |
| Gary Setterfield | If the church is to continue and grow year after year, it is the youth of today who will have the innovative ideas and the direction needed to attract the youth of tomorrow thus enabling continued development and growth.
With the use of internet and new technology, which the youth fully embrace, these are the young people who can spread the church's word quicker and farther than ever before. |
| Tanya Setterfield | Is the youth of today not the Church of tomorrow? this proposal is insane! Are we not supposed to be making the church more open to everyone, especially children. Are we trying to kill the church off or are we trying to help it grow with new ideas, life and direction? is it not the youth of the past which has brought the church to the place that it is today, so therfore is not the youth of today that will carry the church forward into tomorrow. |
| Diane Colthorpe | we need to encourage work with our young people or our churches will die out |