125th Anniversary Celebrations: Reverend Rosemary Fletcher’s speech
I am delighted to be able to share with you on this special occasion. I bring you the greetings of the Circuit and of Marlborough Road Methodist Church.
It was very moving hearing the story of Methodism in St Albans, as we walked the Pilgrimage last Sunday – the humble beginning in a Baker’s Shop in 1793. And then learning how this church began in 1894 (125 years ago) when the people saw the need here in Fleetville.
As we reflect on our history, we are aware how our forebears were prepared to change and to do things differently.
I have been here in the Circuit for 5 and a half years and have much enjoyed my association with this Church. Indeed for a short time in 2014, after Sarah had left in April and Andrew arrived in September, I was your minister and I feel privileged to have had that opportunity to get to know some of you more closely than I otherwise would have done, and I feel very fond of this community.
This Church has a future here in Fleetville, working with your ecumenical partners, but we all know that the future will be very different from our pasts.
I hope this Church will continue to have good working relationships locally and across the Circuit.
Andrew and I have been working together for 4 and half years, and the Circuit has asked us to look at ways the two Methodist Churches in St Albans can work more closely together. We are committed to that task. The 2 Methodist Churches in St Albans have a distinguished history but we are now called to serve the present age. May God bless us all in this endeavour.
Let us pray
Loving God, who guided our forebears, we offer unto you a prayer of thanks and ask your blessing on all those who have served and worked in this part of Christ’s Church since its beginning. We thank you for every good memory that these celebrations revives, and for the great number of witnesses who join with us in the company of heaven.
Eternal God, to whose glory we celebrate the anniversary of this church, we thank you for the fellowship of all those who have worshipped and served here, and we pray that all who seek you here may find you, and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, may become a living temple, a dwelling place for your life-giving presence in the world. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
