250 years of Methodism in the West End

250logomedium Hinde Street Anniversaries

This year is a very exciting one for Hinde Street. We are celebrating two big anniversaries – 200 years of a chapel on the present site, and 250 years since the small group of Methodists who eventually became Hinde Street Methodist Church started meeting in Mayfair. The first celebration relates to 2010, and the second to early 2011, so we are combining both into a programme of events.

The following is a summary of our programme.

The Hugh Price Hughes Lectures 2010: What Mission? Urban Discipleship

23^rd Feb Professor Morna Hooker ‘Be Holy as I am Holy’

2^nd March Professor Morna Hooker ‘The Challenge of the City’

9^th March Professor Frances Young ‘Being Holy in the Cities of the Roman Empire. Are there suggestive parallels with our present pluralist society?’

16^th March Professor Frances Young ‘The Challenge of Establishment –

Did a Christian Empire Help or Hinder?’

23^rd March Debate with Professors Morna Hooker and Frances Young –

‘The Church for Today’

Note: all lectures are at 7.30 pm and are free.

A book will be produced based on these lectures and will be available in early November. More details forthcoming.

Radio 4 Morning Service (Pentecost, Sunday 23^rd May)

7.30 am at Hinde Street. Preacher: Rev Ken Howcroft. The service will include the British Methodist Youth Choir.

A Book – ‘West End Methodism – the Story of Hinde Street’

The text of this book is now with the publishers, Epworth Press. It covers the complete history of Hinde Street, from the beginnings in 1761, through its predecessor chapel in Chandler Street (just south of Oxford Street) up to the present day. It covers all the triumphs and crises of the Methodist Society in this place – for example, the impact of some of the charismatic preachers of the nineteenth century who drew people from all over London, the details of the revolutionary dissent that hit Hinde Street in 1850, the occasions when Hinde Street was threatened with closure, but also the faithful maintenance of the distinctive and beautiful worship tradition and the Class Meeting , and the inspiring story of how Hinde Street has ministered to young people as a particular constituency. Detailed accounts are provided of the Sunday School (which attracted an incredible 750 members soon after it began), the University Methodist Society (Methsoc) of which older church members have fond memories, and the renowned Sunday Night Group.

The book will be illustrated. It will be available in early November and details of price will be publicised as soon as available.

Did you know -

· that Hinde Street once had seven deaconesses?

· that Mr WH Smith once paid the salary of a Hinde Street minister?

· that one of the early leaders of the choir was deaf?

· that the first Hinde Street chapel was described as one of the ugliest in Methodism, and the present one as the most handsome in London?

· that the daughter of one of the Hinde Street ministers married the famous Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones?

· that a benefactor once offered £83,000 in today’s money as a personal donation to Hinde Street?

· That the first time a radio link-up was used as part of a service of worship was at Hinde Street?

A Historical Exhibition

In the course of putting the book together, much material has come to light which would be suitable for an exhibition on Hinde Street’s history. This will be put together in time for the November celebrations, or perhaps beforehand. Could anyone who has anything else that could be included please have a word with Alan Brooks.

Party (Saturday 20^th Nov) 3.30– 9pm

This will be primarily an informal occasion when past and present members of the congregation, including former members of Methsoc and Sunday Night Group, can meet, renew old friendships and share news, but there may be some brief entertainments provided by groups of contemporaries, and the historical exhibition will be on display, probably organised by decades and supplemented by photographs and memorabilia brought by guests.

Service of Thanksgiving for 200 Years at Hinde Street (Sunday 21^st November)

11 am. Preacher: The Rev the Lord Leslie Griffiths (Supt of WLM 1986-91)

The Marylebone Service (Tuesday 30^th November)

An Interfaith celebration of Marylebone, at Hinde Street

Services Led by Former Hinde Street Ministers (5^th and 12^th December 2010)

5^th Dec, 10 am and 11am.

Preacher: Rev Phil Hoar (Hinde Street Minister 1988-95)

12^th Dec, 11am and 6.30pm.

Preacher: Rev David Cruise (Supt. of WLM 1991-2001)

An Open Afternoon with Tea (11^th December)

Have you ever had tea at the Ritz or Claridges? If so, imagine the same thing in the beautiful surroundings of Hinde Street. Visitors taking a break from Christmas shopping would be shown to their tables by polite stewards, and served by waitresses and waiters. Tables would be laid out with cloths and small vases of flowers. On offer would be, say, a Marylebone Cream Tea (variety of teas and posh home-made cakes), and a pianist would be playing continuous afternoon background music. Afterwards, visitors could stroll around the exhibition showing the history of Hinde Street and its current activities, as well as those of the West London Mission.

Services Led by Former Hinde Street Ministers (2^nd, 9^th and 16^th Jan 2011)

2^nd Jan, 11am.

Preacher: Rev Ken Howcroft (Hinde Street Minister 1983-88)

9^th Jan, 10 am and 11am.

Preacher: Rev Kenneth Wilson (Hinde Street Assistant Minister 1964-66)

16^th Jan, 10am, 11am and 6.30pm. Preacher: Rev Peter Howson (Hinde

Street Assistant Minister 1975-77)

Visit from Leipzig Kreuzkirche (28^th-30^th January 2011)

Leipzig Kreuzkirche is our twinned Methodist Church in Germany.

The Annual Soper Sermon (Sunday 30^th January)

Preacher: the Rev Dr Stuart Jordan, Co-Chair of the London District (and Student Chaplain at Hinde Street 1982-7).

Party (Saturday 5^th March 2011) 3.30 – 9pm

This will be generally similar to the party on 20^th November, but there will be the possibility also that a short play centred on a dramatic phase in the history of the church will be performed.

Service of Thanksgiving for 250 Years of Methodism in this part of the West End

(Sunday 6^th March 2011)

11am. Preacher: John Hicks.

Improving the Front Entrance to the Church – an Anniversaries Project

Church Council in December approved in principal a scheme for the improvement of the church entrance area as a project to mark the Anniversaries. The objectives of the proposal are to enlarge the space in the vestibule, to make the area more open and welcoming in appearance, to create an area that can be used as a crèche during services, to improve the storage of hymn and service books, and to create a coffee and tea serving point. A feasibility study has been carried out by bch architects. The preferred option involves replacing the existing curved glass and timber screen at the church entrance with a new glazed straight screen with a glass subdivision of a central section of the new vestibule (for the crèche) and glass doors fitted behind the existing wooden external doors so that the church can present an open but secure appearance when required. New storage cupboards and an enclosed coffee and tea serving point would be built along the back wall. As an addition, improvements could be made to the PA system. A preliminary cost estimate was around £62,000, but clearly much more investigation remains to be carried out, as well as approval sought from the Methodist Property Committee. The project would be the subject of the main financial appeal associated with the anniversary celebrations.