Relationships with other Denominations 3: Ecumenism in UK and Ireland

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This is the third of 5 posts introducing the ecumenical section of the Methodist Church website. I suggest you open the site in another tab so that you can see what I'm writing about. Relationships with Other Denominations can be accessed directly, or if you go to the website home page, click on Ecumenism under Open to the World. Click on Ecumenical Information and then on Ecumenism in UK and Ireland, which should bring you here.

This section explores ecumenism as it relates to the four nations that make up the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.  The first link is to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.  This page therefore reflects the structure of the ecumenical instruments. 

The pages for England, Scotland and Wales each include a number of links specific to those countries.  There are also some shared links, notably to resources available to all three countries.  Bill Reid has offered to take on developing the Scotland pages and I'm hoping to find a writer for Wales.

To find technical information about formal ecumenical arrangements, go to the pages for your own country and search for the information you require.  The link marked Resources is common to all three countries.  If you follow the link, you will find a number of useful technical resources for the Methodist Church.

The Guidance Notes for District Chairs and District Officers, inside the Resources page, comprise an overview of the basics of local ecumenism.  It is worth exploring.  The notes are up to date and will be kept up to date.  They are designed so that pages on a single topic can be printed, duplicated and circulated.

The pages on Ireland point to basic information.  Ecumenical arrangements cover both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  They are included so the picture is complete.  The British Methodist Church does not cover Ireland and so there are no resources.  Explore the Irish websites for more information.

Please comment on these pages below.  I will respond to comments on or soon after 24 August 2010, when I return from leave.

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• EMU Statement of Partnership for Scotland (ecumenicalissues.blogspot.com)

Safeguarding and Ecumenical Partnerships

This article, by Roger Paul, is reproduced with permission from the latest CCU Bulletin:

There is now a very useful checklist on the Churches Together in England website of all that an Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) needs to do in establishing a safeguarding policy: Checklist for Safeguarding in Single Congregation Local Ecumenical Partnerships and local ecumenical projects.

It is for use by those who have responsibility for any aspect of safeguarding children and/or vulnerable adults in Local Ecumenical Partnerships and in local projects run ecumenically. The Methodist and Anglican National Safeguarding Officer has worked on this document in collaboration with colleagues in the Christian Safeguarding Forum, the Churches' Group for Local Unity, Action for Churches Together in Scotland and CYTÛN (Churches Together in Wales). The Group for Local Unity has fully endorsed the document. The document will be revised as new legislation and guidelines on safeguarding come into force.

The checklist itself is not meant to take the place of a safeguarding policy, but to serve as an aid to ensure that nothing is passed over in this very important and sensitive area. The basic advice, contained in the check list, is for a single congregation LEP to decide to adopt the policy of one of its participating Churches, and to carry that through consistently without alteration. LEPs should not mix and match from different policies, worst of all write their own, and once they have adopted a particular policy should follow it through in practice with the procedures of the participating church whose policy has been adopted, such as obtaining CRB checks, and acting on any disclosures or suspicions of abuse. What the checklist emphasises is that all parties need to be kept informed about what has been decided; reiterated throughout is the phrase: "Has everyone who needs to know been informed?"

For your information, Pearl Luxon, the Methodist and Church of England Safeguarding Officer will shortly be leaving us. Her successor is Elizabeth Hall. Any comments about the checklist can be made at the end of this post and will be passed on.