The Beckly Lecture 2026: Together towards life in a world of division

The 100th Beckly Social Services Lecture, delivered by Roland Fernandes, General Secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR, United Methodist Church. In a world where political leaders invoke the language of civilisation to justify exclusion, where creation care is dismissed as a cult and the stranger is feared, what does faithful Christian mission look like? And what does it demand of us? Drawing on the World Council of Churches' landmark document 'Together Towards Life' and the theology of mission that shapes Global Ministries' work across the world, Roland will engage honestly with the political currents of our moment - and refuse to let the Gospel be captured by any of them. From the ecological crisis to colonial memory, from Pentecost to the politics of fear, these reflections will be about 'what it means to serve a God of Life in a world that is choosing division'. The Beckly Lecture takes place on Monday 29 June, 6.45-8.15pm, at Methodist Conference, Telford. Jointly hosted by the Methodist Church and the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT).