The Autumn Synod 2024 will be held on Saturday, 14 September 2024 at Emmanuel Church, Eastbourne, 48A Upperton Road, Eastbourne, BN21 1LQ.
Attendance If you are a lay representative and are unable to come to Synod, please send your apologies through your Superintendent Minister, who may be able to ask a substitute to come in your place. Presbyters and deacons in the active work who are unable to attend should request permission to be absent (a 'dispensation') from me in writing. All Supernumeraries, Authorised and Associate Ministers are very welcome, but not required to attend Synod, so do not need a dispensation. If you are unable to attend Representative Synod please email the District Chair requesting a dispensation.
Further Representative Synod dates:
Previous Synods
The Spring Synod 2024 will be held on Saturday, 20 April 2024 at Redhill Methodist Church, Gloucester Road, Redhill, RH1 1BP.
The Autumn Synod 2023 will be held on Saturday, 23 September 2023 at Haywards Heath Methodist Church, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 3DN.
The Spring Synod 2023 will be held on Saturday, 22 April 2023 at The Church on the Heath, The Key, Elvetham Heath, Fleet, GU51 1HA.
The Autumn Synod 2022 will be held on Saturday, 24 September 2022 at Trinity Methodist Church, Brewery Road, Woking, GU21 4LH.
The Spring Synod 2022 will be held on Saturday, 30 April 2022 at High Cross United Church, Knoll Road, Camberley, GU15 3SY.
Autumn Synod 2021 will be held on Saturday, 18 September 2021 from 10.00am until 4.00pm. If you are intending on attending via Zoom and have not already received the pre-registration link please contact Wendy Cory (wendy.cory@methodistsoutheast.org) at the District Office.
Spring Synod 2021 will be held on Saturday, 24 April 2021 from 10.00am until 3.00pm via Zoom. To pre-register to attend this Session please contact Wendy Cory at the District Office (wendy.cory@methodistsoutheast.org).
Spring Synod 2021 will be held on Saturday, 27th March 2021 from 10.15am until 1.00pm via Zoom. To pre-register to attend this Session please contact Wendy Cory at the District Office (wendy.cory@methodistsoutheast.org).
As we find ourselves in the midst of the third national lockdown in England and due to the ongoing pandemic the District Council has therefore taken the following decisions in relation to the forthcoming meetings of our Synod. Please find below a letter from the District Chair, Rev Dr David Hinchliffe explaining what happens next:
The Autumn Synod 2020 is due to be held via Zoom on Saturday, 19 September 2020.
All those attending the virtual Representative Synod will need to pre-register online to receive the link by Zoom. This registration link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpf-morT8tH9fP3imVHpE43wo-C69EjqDD
NOTE: To participate in Synod you will need to use Zoom via desktop or the mobile app. You will not be able to join using the web version. If necessary please download the necessary desktop or mobile version before Synod.
NOTE: When registering please use the email address that you will use to log into Zoom.
Registration is required in advance as we will be pre-allocating Synod members to breakout groups which as you can imagine would be a huge task to do whilst also undertaking Synod.
The Spring Synod 2020 that was due to be held on Saturday, 25th April 2020 at Church on the Heath, Fleet has been cancelled to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Please find below a letter from the District Chair, Rev Dr David Hinchliffe explaining what happens next:
Autumn Synod 2019 will be held on Saturday, 28th September 2019 at Redhill Methodist Church, Redhill
Spring Synod 2019 will be held on Saturday, 13th April 2019 at Offington Park Methodist Church, Worthing
Membership of the Synod
This Constitution should be read in conjunction with Standing Order 410 of the Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church
The Representative Session of the District Synod shall consist of the following persons:
a) The Vice-President, if relevant, and all ex-Vice-Presidents of the Methodist Conference in membership in the District
b) All presbyters, deacons and probationers stationed in the District, all presbyters and deacons residing for the purposes of the stations in the District, and any other presbyter, deacon or probationer entered in the stations as a member of Synod.
c) One circuit steward of each Circuit in the District or a substitute elected by the Circuit Meeting
d) Lay representatives or their substitutes, elected by the Circuit Meeting of each Circuit in the District, the total number for each Circuit being determined by the Synod. At present the total number of lay representatives elected under this clause is equal to the district ministry deployment figure.
e) All members of the District Council
f) The Secretary of the Synod
g) The District Treasurer
h) The District Property Secretary
i) The Training Officer
j) The District Development Enabler
k) The Lay Representative, if appointed, to the Methodist Council
l) The District Lay Stationing Representative
m) Representatives to Connexional Committees, as relevant
n) Representatives to Regional Committees, as relevant
o) All persons elected by the Synod to attend the last preceding meeting of the Methodist Youth Assembly
p) Conference-elected lay representatives to the Methodist Conference
q) All lay representatives elected by the Synod to both the last preceding and the next following Methodist Conference
r) Such lay District Officers as the Synod may determine
s) Synod-elected lay members in numbers determined by the Synod
t) Lay employees within the District as determined by the Synod; the Synod of September 2011 agreed that lay employees will no longer be members of Synod by virtue of their appointments.
