Other service times as notified or indicated in the Church Diary, on posters and in church notices.
Now we are one...
West Street Church in Somerton on Pentecost Sunday (May 15th) celebrated the joining of the congregations from adjacent Methodist and United Reformed Churches in a single Local Ecumenical Partnership.
The church retains it affiliation with both traditions and is served by Revd Tim Richards (URC) and Revd Craig Manley (Methodist). A Leadership Team, some of whom are shown left with Rev Craig, has been elected, and will act as Church Trustees for legal purposes.
During the service, with a congregation of over 60, messages of congratulation and encouragement were read out from individuals and other Churches that have been looking forward to and supporting this long-running process. A Working Group representing the two participating churches has been reviewing and guiding the process of growing closer together, for more than 18 months. Joint services have been taking place in the refurbished Methodist premises from September last, when the United Reformed Church closed its building.
The service included a celebration of Holy Communion conducted by both ministers, and was followed by a well-attended lunch.
Good News for Pentecost 2016
At
Pentecost, May 15th, at 10.30 we celebrate becoming one church,
following votes by the Methodist Church Council and the United Reformed
Church Meeting to adopt a new Constitution, and approval by the relevant
authorities to meet legal requirements. A Leadership Team has been
appointed and will meet under the Chairmanship of Revd Tim Richards.
We
will mark the occasion with a service of thanksgiving for the past of
our two churches, and a renewed dedication of ourselves to God and his
Kingdom. This will be led by Revd Tim and Revd Craig, includes Holy
Communion and will be followed by lunch.
We are, of course, on a
journey, but we have been much encouraged by good congregations, and
there is a sense of anticipation for the future blessing of God.
West Street Church opens it doors
On September 27th 2015, in Somerton, West Street Church officially opened its doors for the first time, following the adoption of the new name for the joint venture between the Methodist and United Reformed churches in the town.
A working group with three members from each participant church has been looking at various aspects of the merger for over 12 months and on May 7th the church meetings adopted a resolution to 'proceed towards full union between Somerton Methodist Church and Somerton United Reformed Church in the Methodist Church building but under a new name.'
On Saturday, 26th September a well-attended joint congregational meeting decided unanimously that the Church should be called 'West Street Church' with an added tag line 'Methodist/United Reformed' to appear on official documents to indicate its tradition and heritage. The name was chosen from a list of over 30 submitted by members of the church community. West Street Church meets weekly on Sundays at 10.30am in the recently refurbished Methodist premises in West Street.
Working group chair, David Huggett, said. 'Now we have agreed a name and are worshipping together as one church, we can move rapidly forward with the legal process of a more formal union as a Local Ecumenical Partnership, and our intention is that the process will be completed by Pentecost next year.'
More information on West Street Church activities and organisations, plus a little of the history of the constituent churches can be found here.