At our leaders meeting this week, we listened to extracts from a history of WMC compiled some years back by Pat Long, Ken Knight, Reg Leverton and others. We imagined what it must have been like to be a part of those early conversations when our WMC ancestors bravely listened for God's call and then chased hard after this God-given dream - establishing and growing a worshipping Methodist family in Westville, with a vision to serve and love the wider community. Although they started with a blank page, these pioneers had a clear sense of what could be and stubbornly stuck to their task until it became reality.
Next year we celebrate 50 years on this property and we want to do two things:
1. During 2027 we will plan a series of celebratory events to mark this special year, culminating in a big gathering on Saturday 27 November and a special service on Sunday the 28th, marking the first day of the next 50 years.
2. If you're a cricket fan you may know that cricketers always take guard at the start of their innings. Some cricketers do the same thing when they reach a milestone (50 or 100 runs). It communicates to everyone that they are committed to batting for a very long time - they are starting their next 50 or 100. As we take guard again on our 50th anniversary, we want to listen very carefully for what God is calling us to in this next period. So, during 2027 we will organise regular prayer events to listen for God's dream for WMC and we will also be listening very carefully to our WMC members and the wider community as we seek to discern the way forward.
You will hear more details about these plans at our combined service at 9am on 29 November. In the meantime, join us as we pray and prepare for a very significant 2027.