We invite you to join us online for this year’s Methodist Heritage Conference: Transformed Lives Transforming Lives.

This year’s Methodist Heritage Conference looks at the history of social justice within Methodism. The Conference is hosted by the Methodist Heritage Committee, in partnership with Englesea Brook, as part of their celebrations for the Hugh Bourne anniversary year.

The Methodist Heritage Conference is open to the Methodist Heritage community – whether you are involved with one of our Methodist Heritage sites, a researcher, or just interested in the history of Methodism.

Programme

The Methodist Heritage Conference takes place online on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May. The draft programme is as follows:

Friday

• (Optional - 9:30am: Pre Conference Zoom: for anyone unfamiliar with Zoom, you will be guided through how to use Zoom to engage with the rest of the Conference)

• 10:00am: Conference Opens, with welcomes from the Connexional team, and housekeeping notices

• 10:40am: Hugh Bourne and his legacy: the team at Englesea Brook explain the significance of Hugh Bourne and the Primitive Methodist movement that he started

• 12:00pm: Lunch Break, including an opt-in Break Room with other delegates

• 1:00pm: Keynote: Rachel Lampard, from Walking with Micah, talks about the new My Justice Journey project, looking at how artefacts tell the story of justice – or sometimes injustice. Following Rachel’s talk, there will be an opportunity for group discussion and reflection.

• 2:30pm: Break

• 3:00pm: Mike Norman shares the story of Timothy Hackworth, a railway engineer who revolutionised the railways in the 19th century, and whose endeavours were inspired by his faith.

• 3:45pm: Dr Ruth Slatter reflects on her project with the Methodist Women in Britain collection, held at Epworth Old Rectory.

• 4:30pm: Closing Prayer

• 4:45pm: Conference closes for the day

Saturday

• (Optional - 9:30am: Pre Conference Zoom: for anyone unfamiliar with Zoom, you will be guided through how to use Zoom to engage with the rest of the Conference)

• 10:00am: Conference Re-opens

• 10:15am: ‘Hugh Bourne, his spiritual daughters': David Leese shares his research

• 11:00am: Research Spotlights: short presentations by a range researchers, sharing their new discoveries about Methodist heritage

• 12:00pm: Lunch Break, including an opt-in Break Room with other delegates

• 1:00pm: Connexional Showcase: hear about the amazing projects and people that make up Methodist Heritage

• 2:30pm: Break

• 3pm: Parallel sessions –

• ‘How to tell your story’: session by Methodist Heritage Officer Sarah Hollingdale, for churches wanting to use their heritage for engagement; followed by a presentation by Sarah Holloway from Heritage Open Days

• OR

• Meet-up for District and Circuit Archivists; also open to those with an interest in becoming a District Archivist

• 4:00pm: Plenary

• 4:30pm: Conference Closes

Sunday

Although the Methodist Heritage Conference is now being held online, there is still an onsite service at Mow Cop on Sunday 29 May. This Service of Celebration marks the anniversary of the first Camp Meeting, and you are invited to attend the service and join with our friends from the Dane and Trent circuit.

Location

The Conference will now take place online.

When planning the Methodist Heritage Conference, we were continuously monitoring the situation with COVID. Many of our Methodist Heritage community still felt apprehensive about gathering, so we decided to move the conference from an onsite to an online event.

If you have any concerns about this, or want to attend the Conference but don't have internet access, please contact us using the details below.

Tickets

We have chosen to offer tickets for each day of the Conference separately, to provide flexibility for delegates. Please ensure that you purchase tickets for all the elements of the Conference that you would like to attend. Tickets for the Sunday service are free, but please book a free ticket to give us an idea of numbers.

Accessibility

The Methodist Heritage Conference seeks to be as accessible and inclusive as possible.

We are planning the conference with a variety of access needs in mind, and the booking form provides an opportunity to tell us about any specific adjustments you require. If you have any concerns about accessibility, please feel free to make contact using the email address below.

It is also a priority that the Conference is financially accessible, and there are five fully-funded places at the Methodist Heritage Conference available. Please contact the Methodist Heritage Officer for details.

Contact Us

You can reach the Methodist Heritage Officer via email:

hollingdales@methodistchurch.org.uk