200 years ago on the 1st
October the Bible Christian Methodist Denomination was founded in Cornwall - in
the heat of Revival
We started the Connexional
Celebrations with the Lord's Supper at the Bible Christian Methodist church in
St Ives. We used the silver Communion set given to High Street Bible Christian
church in 1890 in thanksgiving for a wonderful Conference in that building.
Then to Billy Bray's 'Three Eyes'
Chapel called that because this converted miner built the chapel with his own
hands but could only afford three windows (it now has six) for a wonderful time
of prayer and praise together.
We sang
To God be the glory, great things
He has done;
We heard lovely prayers then sat
down to Cornish Pasties and Saffron Cake and Tea ..as they say here ‘Proper
Cornish’. This building was almost sold of to be turned into a bungalow the
Revd Ian Haile was the chairman then and attended this service he was given a
round of applause because he was a major force for saving it and changing the
circuits mind.
Then we drove down to Truro
Cathedral where the Dean and Chapter had invited us for prayers at 2.00pm we
sat in the Lady Chapel St Mary’s Aisle and gave thanks for all this movement
had brought to the County of Cornwall, what the early Bible Christians would have
made of us doing this I don’t know!
As we have signed the Ecumenical
Declaration of Intent together it was entirely fitting that we shared in this
way. On the way out we stopped and gazed at the ‘Wesley’ Window with both John
and Charles on it.
At the lovely village of Week St Mary where
William O’Bryan assembled the first Bible Christian Society on 1st
October 1815. The Chair of the Plymouth and Exeter District joined us Revd
Graham Thompson, he is a good friend and helped lead the singing outside as I
unveiled the blue plaque and we all rejoiced together.
Then another Cornish Tea, followed by a Celebration service where we
sang old and new hymns and various people spoke and greeting were read from Australia.
I preached and the response was large. Our message ‘Jesus Christ is the same,
yesterday, today and forever’ was close on this historic day for Methodism
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