On Friday, the Church of England and the Methodist Church celebrated the 21st anniversary of the Anglican-Methodist Covenant, which was signed in 2003 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and aimed to strengthen ties and promote unity between the two churches. The Covenant recognises how much the two churches - which separated in the 1790s, after the death of John Wesley - have in common and commits them to removing further obstacles towards unity.
To mark the anniversary, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, along with the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, reaffirmed the Covenant on Monday in a service at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, followed by Evensong at Westminster Abbey.
The Revd Mike Read, Diocesan Ecumenical officer attended the service and said,
"Monday was a big day for Christian Unity as 50 Anglicans and 50 Methodists came together to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the Covenant. It was particularly good to welcome people from local churches who had shared their stories as part of service.
"Archbishop Justin talked movingly about the need to move forward in the search for greater unity. There will be ongoing conversations over the next couple of months and years about ministry,and its shape, so this celebration marks a beginning rather than an end.
"I hope that we will have even more to celebrate with our Methodist brothers and sisters as God continues to guide and strengthen us to share our “unity in diversity.” Please continue to pray that it maybe so."
