Channel Islands Anniversary

Methodist churches on the Channel Islands celebrated a combined nearly 300 years with anniversaries as the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference paid a special visit.

The President, the Reverend Richard Andrew and the Vice-President Matthew Forsyth, travelled to the islands, learning of their long and fascinating Methodist history as they journeyed to Alderney, Guernsey and Sark over the weekend of 24 to 28 April.

Methodism has a long history on the Channel Islands, with John Wesley himself visiting Guernsey in August 1787, stopping to preach at Alderney en route due to bad weather.

Alderney church members welcomed the President as the guest of honour as they marked 175 years with a special service on Sunday, while the Vice-President preached at Sark Methodist church to celebrate the centenary of the chapel in its current location.

The Methodist community on Alderney set off on a dedicated prayer walk along a new pilgrims’ trail, part of a New Places for New People project before the arrival of the President on Saturday, who was given a guided car tour around the three-mile-long island before dusk with Jurat Ian Carter and his wife Suzie.

The Vice-President had a busy journey to Sark on Sunday, travelling by boat, tractor and then finally horse and cart to reach the island, which famously has no cars.

Sark’s church was moved brick by brick a century ago having been built originally in 1796, after John Wesley had noted there was no chapel on the islands. But complaints about the loud singing meant that the church had to be moved to another part of the island in the 1920s.

The visit from the President and Vice-President also caught the attention of local media, with BBC Channel Islands presenter Matthew Price interviewing the pair on the Faith Breakfast Show on Sunday morning.

The President told listeners: “It is my first time on the islands, and one of the real privileges of being President for a year is that you get the chance to go to these wonderful places that you’ve not been to before.

“John Wesley, as I understand it, preached in Alderney for the first time in 1787 as his boat was headed for Guernsey when it was blown off by the wind and he preached by the quayside.

“In one sense you might say that the history of Methodism in Alderney begins from that moment.

“I think Methodism is part of the fabric of the island, and not just in terms of its religious life but also its civic life.”

The Vice-President Matthew said: “I got to see some of Guernsey particularly which was joyous and reminded me a little bit of home. I grew up in an area called the Fens, which is quite flat as well. It was a bit like a home away from home.

“The first thing I was told was the wonderful element of Sark was, of course, that there are no cars in Sark. It feels a little bit like going back to John Wesley’s time… and this is probably the closest I will get in my year in office to being a bit like Wesley.

“What’s been wonderful has been to hear the stories of the faithful people called Methodists who have shared their story of grace and love – and the Methodist Church on Sark is an example of that.

“What a wonderful story it is to hear of how they literally moved the building brick by brick because the singing was too loud. It shows the power of song and the impact it can have on people’s journey of faith, but also the journey of community. The singing can clearly cause so much impact that it causes them to move the very building.”

The new Alderney pilgrimage trail itself is designed to be taken alone or with a group and allows people an opportunity to reflect on important aspects of their life.

The Revd David Stretton, of Alderney Methodist Church, chose various aspects of island life at different locations where the group stopped and offered a small prayer of thanks for the simple gifts and pleasure.

Stops on the short inaugural route included the peace garden, the path overlooking Crabby Bay, the inner harbour, the boatyard and Braye beach. A special leaflet and map is available at the tourist office, the airport and the Methodist Church.

The President met with members of the Guernsey Circuit on the Friday of the visit to hear stories related to the occupation of Guernsey during the Second World War. The President and Vice-President spoke on the theme ‘Salt and Light’ at a circuit service on Sunday before leading workshops on ‘What we have in our hands’ on the final day of the visit.