Things you might know about Methodism could be:

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Singing: John and Charles Wesley recognised the value of communal singing both for fellowship and for learning. Charles wrote something like 6,000 hymns, and many are still sung today by Christians of all denominations. Methodists still sing. A lot. A typical Sunday morning service at our church will have at least 5 hymns.

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Social activism: Many well known charities have had a Methodist beginning, including Action for Children and All We Can, both charities for whom we have a long tradition of fundraising in our church.

 

Covenant Prayer: Methodists annually renew their commitment to God with a prayer which some other denominations now sometimes use as well. A common version of the prayer goes like this:

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I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen

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Alcohol: The Methodist Church was involved in the Temperance movement and traditionally Methodists were opposed to drinking alcohol because of the damage it caused to the working class communities where Methodism first grew. Nowadays, although alcohol is still not permitted within Methodist churches (you will receive alcohol-free wine at Holy Communion) church members regard it as a personal matter whether or not they drink. 

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Gambling: This was traditionally opposed by the church for much the same reasons. More recently you may recall that Methodist churches did not apply for funding grants from the National Lottery when it began. That restriction was later lifted but the church still expresses concerns about the addictive nature of the National Lottery, especially the scratch cards, and save for small raffles gambling remains prohibited on church premises.

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