|
Why Methodist ?
John Wesley
said:" The world is my parish"
The Methodist Church was
born out of Mission.
An ordained Anglican
minister until he died, John Wesley's mission was to take the love of God
to everyone. At that time, in many places the established Church of England was not
reaching out to those in greatest need, especially those in the rapidly growing
urban areas where the Industrial Revolution was hungry for cheap labour.
Wesley did not intend to
found a separate church as he was more concerned that Methodism should be a
missionary movement within the Church of England. But the separation became
inevitable when, in order to maintain and to preserve the Methodist
Societies he had set up during his years of constant travelling throughout the
land, Wesley ordained men who would carry on and expand the work. This was the
step which marked the final separation from the Church of England.
By the time of Wesley's
death in 1791 there were 70,000 Methodists in England, America, the West Indies
and Continental Europe. Methodists since that time have continued to see their
mission as sharing God's love to those in need and in their struggle for
justice.
'Methodism encourages
links between its churches, recognizing the significant benefits in being part
of a national movement. This, in Methodism, is called the Connexion. The Church
is governed by the Methodist Conference - a democratically elected body that
meets annually.'
(from the official
website of the Methodist Church Great Britain
This is what John Wesley
affirmed:
| All
need to be saved |
"all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans ch
3:v.23 |
| All can
be saved |
"God
sent His son into the world.. that the world might be saved through
Him" (John ch.3
v.17) |
| All can
know they are saved |
"The
Spirit testifies with our Spirit that we are God's children".
Roman ch8 v 16 |
| All may
be completely saved |
"Therefore
He is able to save completely...because He always lives to intercede for
them." Hebrews ch 7 v 25. |
The Style of worship is
known for it's mixture of word and music. Preachers not only teach from the
Bible but relate it to everyday life, and Methodists sing the words of their
belief to lively and memorable music.
At the heart of worship
is the service of Holy Communion. We meet at the Lord's table and when we eat bread and drink wine together we
remember the meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his death, and we
receive His spirit into our lives. It is a table open to all who come in
thankfulness for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
A service unique to
Methodism and usually taking place in January, is the annual Covenant Service.
It is a recommitment to God's call. The Covenant asks us to make some difficult
promises where we renew our willingness for God to do with us whatever he wants,
whether that makes us important or insignificant, rich or poor. We offer all we
have to God because of his love for us.
Here is John
Wesley's Rule for Christian Living
| Do
all the Good You Can |
| By
All the Means You Can, |
| In
All the Ways You Can, |
| In
All the Places You Can, |
| At
All the Times You Can, |
| To
All the People You Can, |
| As
Long as Ever You Can |
And here
are his thoughts on "The use of Money".
Gain all
you can, Save all you can, Give all you can.
Ministry in the Methodist Church
taken from the Connexional
website
The
Deed of Union seeks to define the relationship between
those who are ordained and the whole Church. The
relevant parts of Clause 4 state that:
“Christ's ministers in the church are stewards in the
household of God and shepherds of his flock. Some are
called and ordained to this sole occupation and have a
principal and directing part in these great duties but
they hold no priesthood differing in kind from that
which is common to all the Lord's people and they have
no exclusive title to the preaching of the gospel or the
care of souls. These ministries are shared with them by
others to whom also the Spirit divides his gifts
severally as he wills.
the
Methodist Church holds the doctrine of the priesthood of
all believers and consequently believes that no
priesthood exists which belongs to a particular order or
class of people, but in the exercise of its corporate
life and worship special qualifications for the
discharge of special duties are required and thus the
principle of representative selection is recognised .
For
the sake of church order and not because of any priestly
virtue inherent in the office the ministers of the
Methodist Church are set apart by ordination to the
ministry of the word and sacraments.”
In the heading you will
see the heraldic device of the Orb and Cross which has been chosen by the
Methodist Church to express the deepest beliefs of the Church.
The Orb represents the
world and the colour red the conviction of Methodist Christians that
through the power of the Holy Spirit all humanity may be saved. The
Orb bears a white Cross which celebrates the glory of Jesus Christ, risen as the
Saviour of the world, and stretching out to all. The whole logo in symbolic form
summarizes the Mission and Message of Methodism.
To find out more about
the Methodist Church in UK visit our
links page
home
History
of the Aldershot Methodist Church
| 
ALDERSHOT
METHODIST CHURCH