The ''Methodist Recorder'' is an independent weekly newspaper that examines events and current affairs within the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

community in Britain and worldwide. It has been published continuously since 1861, absorbing its major rivals the ''Watchman'' in 1883, the ''United Methodist'' in 1932 and the ''Methodist Times'' in 1937. On 13 February 1992 the ''Recorder'' published its 7,000th edition and the following year published its first

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...

joke, claiming that there would be a "complete standardisation of Methodist worship" which would require

local preacher A Methodist local preacher, also known as a licensed preacher, is a layperson who has been accredited by the Methodist Church to lead worship and preach on a frequent basis. With separation from the Church of England by the end of the 18th century ...

s to wear a "uniform" and be trained in clowning and juggling. In 2010 the ''Recorder'' revamped its design and began to be published in full-colour. Its circulation was estimated at 20,000. Although not available online, the ''Recorder'' maintains a basic website offering subscription details and a brief outline of the newspaper's contents. A full archive in both bound copies and

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either photographic film, films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the origin ...

is available from the Methodist Studies Unit of the former

Westminster College, Oxford Westminster College was a teacher training college and college of higher education in England. The college was founded in London in 1851 as a training institute for teachers for Wesleyan Methodist schools, but moved to Oxford in 1959. Before t ...

, now part of

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

. Public access is free of charge (by prior appointment) and a small charge is made for reproduction.

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* {{Italic title Religious magazines published in the United Kingdom Methodism in the United Kingdom Newspapers established in 1861 Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom 1861 establishments in the United Kingdom

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