Shannons Message
Dear Friends,

In the Spring of 2023, our church made a difficult decision. For various reasons we have decided to sell our church building on Chapel Street. There has been a Methodist presence in Addingham for nearly 300 years! As early as 1744 there is evidence of Methodist preaching in Addingham and the local area. John Wesley, himself, preached here in 1766. The first Methodist Meeting House was dedicated in 1788 and over time, the Chapel was built along with the Methodist School which is our current building for worship and ministry. Many of you have fond memories of attending school in our building. Our facilities have offered community space for various groups throughout the centuries. We did not make the decision to sell lightly. Much prayer, deliberation and realistic planning for the future were involved.    

Even though we have decided to sell our present building, our congregation plans to continue to meet for worship, learning and outreach to the community and beyond. In a nutshell, we are not closing! There will still be a Methodist presence in this village, but in a different way that goes beyond an identified building with our name on it.  

We believe God is inviting us to be church in a new way and that Methodism itself has something valuable to offer to the people. Becoming more visible by being out in the community is perhaps a perk of not having our own building anymore. You might find we’re meeting in the pub, coffee shop, or other local spaces including outdoors, as we seek to connect with God and each other. We want to foster spiritual curiosity, welcoming those who have not joined us before. As the church, we believe that Christ and the way he lived his life bear the most life-giving answers to the questions that keep people awake at night. Much hope can be found in our world that is both good and broken. We invite people to join us on this journey of life and faith. 

We do not yet have an exact time frame for the sale of our building. We will continue to be in it until it is sold. The local community groups that meet in our building are welcome to do the same. We covet everyone’s prayers and positive thoughts as we take this next faithful step into an unknown future.

In the meantime, we invite you to join us on any given Sunday for worship at 10:30am in our church hall. Twice a quarter, we offer café-style worship which is informal and interactive with refreshments provided before the service.  

We’re also involved in Addingham Churches Together (ACT), and jointly with St. Peter’s to provide regular Messy Church sessions for children and families. 

May the season of Spring bring hope and newness of life to you and those you love.

Blessings,
~ Rev. Shannon
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