Friday, December 18, 2009

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Rededication of Wesley Methodist Church By STAFF WRITER ~ For the Nassau Guardian: Imagine a group of recently freed slaves who were generally landless, farming for a living yet striving to do God's work and you will see the early congregants of Grants Town Wesley Methodist Church. In these early times there was no meeting place except at someone's home or maybe on the church grounds. For many long years the devoted congregation longed for a place to fellowship that they could call their own. It was at this time in 1840 that Robert Bell Esq. donated a plot of land on the western side of the road just opposite the church that would in modern times become a staple in the Grants Town community. Wesley Methodist church has come a long way from then and is celebrating its 169th anniversary this coming Sunday, November 22 by rededicating the church. Gwendolyn Hammerton, the assistant secretary to the congregational board, said that in the course of time, both the Sanctuary and the Hall have sustained considerable damages not only from the hands of time but also from the elements. Even so the Lord has seen them through. "God in his mercy has always sustained us and given us the courage and resilience to rebuild," she said. "In the past year, workmen at the Hall have been going at a feverish pace to complete the necessary renovations and beautify the grounds. And, as it was in the past, so it is now, no funds were borrowed and the work was completed, strictly due to the generosity and faithfulness of the congregants and well wishers." This church and its community center has been kept alive not only by the efforts of the construction workers, but also by the spirit of hope within the community. It is because this church has played a fundamental role in the lives of its members as well as in the neighborhood and the wider community. Hammerton said that the church has contributed to fashioning the lives of the many boys who were trained in the Boys Brigade; the children who attended Wesley School; those who acted on the stage and those who were entertained. It has also had a hand in assisting local civic groups including the 'Over the Hill Group.' The group has used the Hall as an entertainment center or just a meeting place. More recently the Hall has been used as a childcare center, a pay station for the National Insurance Board, a voter registration and voting center for parliamentary elections, a hurricane shelter and a home for Wesley's soup kitchen. Older church members like Sis. Lois Richardson and her sister Manete Fullwood would fondly tell stories of their childhood growing up around Wesley, and the strong will of the community to get back up on its feet and help the church again whenever it sustained damage in the many gales and hurricanes that damaged and even demolished it throughout the years. They strongly feel that it is the church that has kept so many people together and kept so many young people out of trouble even now in these times of crime. They and other congregants greatly anticipate the rededication of the church and hall especially since it has once again undergone repairs. Once rededicated it is expected that the Wesley Hall will resume its awesome responsibility to the community at large and do even greater works in the service of the Lord. Thursday, November 19, 2009