Methodists celebrate 200 years of Mission

Methodists will celebrate 200 years since the founding of onethe Church's first district missionary societies at a special eventnext week.

The Revd Ruth Gee, President of the Methodist Conference, willunveil a blue plaque marking the site of the Old Boggart House,which was the first purpose built Methodist chapel in Leeds. Theblue plaque will also commemorate the public meeting held on 6October 1813, which led to the formation of the Leeds WesleyanMethodist District Missionary Society - the forerunner of theMethodist Missionary Society formed in 1818.

Church leaders, including Dr Daleep Mukarji, Vice-President of theMethodist Conference, will gather on the steps leading up to theWest Yorkshire Playhouse for an inauguration service on Quarry Hillat 2pm on 6 October.

"We now talk of World Mission, no longer separating work overseasfrom work in Britain," said the Revd Ruth Gee. "We will becelebrating the fact that we are in partnership with Methodistchurches around the world and share in mission together. Methodismin Britain today is enriched by many in our congregations who havecome to Britain from other parts of the world and we want to givethanks to God for that. As we move on together we give thanks forthe foundations that were laid 200 years ago and we commitourselves to one mission in partnership with Methodists and otherChristians around the world."

The unveiling of the plaque will be followed by a celebrationservice at Leeds Minister with an address by Dr Mukarji at 3pm.Festivities will include a steel band and drama performed by thetheatre group, Apple Cart. The Lord Mayor of Leeds, councillor TomMurray, the Revd Dr Albert Jebanesan from Sri Lanka, the RevdArnold Temple from Sierra Leone and the Revd Dr Cuthbert Edwardsfrom Barbados will also be among those attending the service.

An exhibition of Methodist Mission Society artefacts will be ondisplay at Oxford Place Chapel - next to the Leeds' town hall - inthe run-up to the celebration on 6 October. For three weeks from 30September, visitors will be able to view the artefacts between 10amto 2pm.

"Until 1813, Wesleyan Methodist missionary work was almost aprivate initiative driven essentially by the Revd Dr. Thomas Coke," said Colin Dews, Methodist Archivist in Leeds. "The beginningof a missionary society in Leeds quickly encouraged similarinitiatives elsewhere, such as in Halifax and York. These led tothe formation of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in 1818and as a result mission work was placed on more solid financialfootings. The other branches of Methodism - the PrimitiveMethodists, Bible Christian, Methodist New Connexion, and UnitedMethodist Free Churches - all developed missionary work overseas.Ultimately all this led to Methodism becoming a worldChurch."

The Old Boggart House was demolished following the opening of theadjacent St Peter's chapel in 1834. An inaugural sermon waspreached in Armley, prior to the public meeting at the Old Boggart,to mark the founding of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society.Armley, which was predominantly a domestic clothing settlement 200years ago, remains the birthplace of the oldest Methodist societybetween Birstall and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Ends.

A report accepted by the Methodist Conference in July this yearre-envisaged the idea of Methodist mission as "one mission", withless division between mission and evangelism and home and overseasmission work. See here for the report.