What is the Free Methodist Church? The Free Methodist Church's roots are deeply imbedded in the spiritual awakening of 18th century England which gave rise to world Methodism. Today, the Free Methodist Church ministers in 53 countries around the world. WHAT DO WE BELIEVE? Free Methodists are committed to the authority of the Bible. We seek to let God's Word shape our whole lives - attitudes, thoughts and relationships. Methodists seek to help people find Christ's resources to live lives of loving integrity. We are also committed to the great Biblical principle that all believers are ministers. Our churches are eager to help people discover how to serve God and others and reach high personal fulfilment by doing so. The Free Methodist Church was founded in New York in 1860 by B.T. Roberts. The term "free" in the denomination's name was chosen to represent convictions held by her founders: freedom from slavery, free access to pews in a time when people were renting and paying for them, freedom in the simplicity of worship and freedom from vows of secrecy. These values initiated the movement. Today, in the Canadian Free Methodist church, six core values carry these convictions into the second millenium: persons, church, growth, team, learning and integrity: The value of "persons" remains a clear priority; The "church" as the foundation for growth is the primary context in developing believers; "Growth" as our response to Jesus' call to grow in grace and knowledge as believers, and "growth" from sharing the gift of Christ with others; "Team" presupposes gifts, diversity and personal competencies maximizing the leadership resources of the church; "Learning" as a tool for intentional growth for our spiritual journeys; "Integrity" as our basis for holy living and practical application through learning the character of God. OUR CANADIAN DISTINCTIONS The Free Methodist Church in Canada was formed in 1880 with two districts, 11 societies and 13 preaching points. Following its early growth, a distinctly Canadian body was formed by 1920 and incorporated by an act of Parliament in 1927. In 1959, the Holiness Movement Church merged with the Free Methodist Church.. Full autonomy from the U.S. Conference was realized for the Canadian church in 1990, with the formation of a Canadian General Conference. Three regional (annual) conferences fo rmed the new Canadian General Conference. In 1993, two Canadian districts from the BC (British Columbia) coast and interior which had been part of the Pacific North West Conference in the U.S., merged with the Canadian General Conference. A further action was taken in December, 1994 which merged the four Canadian Annual Conferences. Having become effective January 1, 1995, this action left one centralized location for denominational ministry and the discontinuance of the superintendent's office. The concept of team ministry, which is encouraged at the local church level, is modeled through an executive of three directors and the Bishop. Appointed regional church planting directors demonstrate the denomination's commitment to new church initiatives with a focused vision currently for Toronto and Vancouver areas. Local churches are motivated for empowerment under the theme EKG - empowering kingdom growth. EKG resources churches to fulfill their vis ion for growing the kingdom. The National Ministry Centre resides in Mississauga, Ontario. The Free Methodist Church in Canada has congregations as far east as Montreal and west as Vancouver. Bishop Keith Elford leads the Canadian Church by election of the General Conference. For more information contact: Ministry Centre 4315 Village Centre Crt. Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1S2 Tel. 905-848-2600 Fax (905) 848-2603 e-mail: fmccan@inforamp.net

Periodicals: The Free Methodist Herald Rob Clements, Editor 103-7144 133b St. Surrey, British Columbia V3W 8A4 Tel: (604) 591-5160 E-mail: herald@fmc-canada.org