The 22nd World Methodist Conference will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, Aug. 13‒18, 2024.
Every five years, the World Methodist Conference meets as a global gathering of the Methodist-Wesleyan family. From August 13 to 18, 2024, the 22nd World Methodist Conference will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
And two Methodists in our midst will be attending.
Amy Crawford, Team Lead for the Identity and Mission Team in the Church in Mission (CiM) unit of the General Council Office, and Lloyd Nyarota, a United Methodist elder in the Zimbabwe East Conference on ecumenical appointment in The United Church of Canada, head to Sweden next week to attend the conference.
The overarching theme this year is On the Move, with emphasis on migration, pilgrimage, and illumination/guiding lights.
The Methodist Church is one of The United Church of Canada’s founding denominations, and as we recognize and celebrate our Centennial, which occurs next June, the relationship remains strong.
“I look forward to representing The United Church of Canada at the World Methodist Conference, and connecting with folks from around the world on issues related to the theme of migration and pilgrimage,” says Crawford. “The conference offers a great opportunity for us to be in community—and to celebrate—with global Methodists who are at work in the world.”
The conference offers high-profile speakers, a diversity of talents and cultures, and the opportunity to network and learn. Participants also help set the course for the World Methodist Council and its membership for the next five years.
“I am hoping to get insights on how the people from a Wesleyan tradition are keeping the commitment to minister in the world. We minister in a challenging and challenged world; the world is, at the moment, looking all over for a place that can generate new hope,” says Nyarota. “I hope the Wesleyan people, as we gather from all over the world, can retrace how Methodism was founded as an evangelical movement that changed lives and transformed society, setting a beacon of hope for the world. Can we do it again through deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice? As The United Church of Canada, can we contribute these values to our world Methodist siblings as we gather in Gothenburg? I am taking these values with me as a challenge towards both learning and contributing.”
AMY CRAWFORD is a diaconal minister who has served the General Council for 21 years. Before being admitted as a diaconal minister, Amy was a deacon in the United Methodist Church in Kansas and served in local churches, for the Conference (regional office), and at a theological school.
LLOYD NYAROTA is a United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries missionary spouse; his wife, Tazvionepi, serves ethnic minority congregations in Canada. Currently on an ecumenical appointment, Lloyd serves a shared ministry at St John’s United Anglican Church in the province of Alberta. He served as a consultant for the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, and is a founding General Coordinator of the United Methodist Africa Forum.