A WATERSHED moment was marked in Liskeard with the final service at the town’s Methodist Church.

The church was full as people came together to share memories and thanks for the role the building and the people within it has played in their lives and in the life of the town.

Although the property is being sold, the Methodist church will very much continue in Liskeard, says Minister the Reverend Janet Park.

“When a church building closes and is sold, it’s a bereavement, a loss of something significant, familiar and deeply loved,” she said.

“There's a moment to look back and grieve, but also a moment to be thankful for all that is past that brings hope for the future: God was present in the past, is present in the closing service and will already be walking ahead of us as we move into a future as yet unknown.”

Built in 1846, the Wesley Church building was designed by Henry Rice to serve a large congregation. At the time Methodism was the most popular form of worship in Cornwall and eventually around 1000 Methodist churches and chapels had been built throughout the county.

After the end of the Second World War, church congregations of all denominations fell, although Methodism continued to thrive. Some of Cornwall’s chapels began to be sold for residential or commercial use, a process which continued over the following decades.

The Grade II Listed Methodist Church building in Liskeard, while a wonderful resource and asset, is difficult and expensive to maintain. It had become a heavy burden in recent years to its congregation of around 70 people.

The decision in 2021 to put the property up for sale brought relief, but the ensuing time, with potential sales anticipated and then falling through, and bills needing to be paid, has been stressful, said senior steward Chris Husk.

Chris, who moved across from Common Moor after the closure and sale of the village chapel in 2015, has been part of a small team who have dedicated themselves to the running of the church.

She explains how changes have been happening not just locally but also across the UK. In September, Cornwall merged with Plymouth and Exeter to form the South West Peninsula District, spanning from the Isles of Scilly to parts of Somerset and Dorset. The new District incorporates hundreds of churches and many thousands of members.

The Methodist Church says that the purpose of creating these new districts is to share responsibilities more effectively, freeing up more people to concentrate on working with their local communities.

“Collaborating closely as an organisation across a wider region allows those with expertise in specific mission initiatives to learn from and support each other.”

In South East Cornwall, the coming together of the Liskeard and Looe, Callington and Tamar Valley, and Saltash circuits has enabled the timetable for preachers to be eased.

Congregations in the Liskeard area have already been sharing worship for about two years, and it has been a great success, says Chris.

“It’s strongly felt that there should still be some form of Methodist presence in Liskeard. Until we find the most suitable place for our new home base, we’ll continue sharing worship every third Sunday in Liskeard, but at the Salvation Army building.”

Up to the arrival of Rev Janet in September, Methodists in the Liskeard area had not had a Minister for some time.

“Rev Janet has been such a great support in just the first few weeks that she has been here, in what has been quite an anxious time – she really is brilliant.

“There will be a lot of sadness around the closure of the church building but it is tinged with relief. People that come into the building tell us how many memories it has for them.

“It is sad, but there’s joy in the fact that we are continuing as a worshipping fellowship.”

Coming to terms with uncertainty and continuing to do the things that matter without having a home building is now very much “the practice of our Christian faith in action” says Rev Janet, and offers the opportunity to grow.

The things that will continue consistently within the fellowship are prayer, regular worship, and pastoral care of one another and folks in the local community; sharing Cluster services with Methodist fellowships in Trevelmond, Connon, Mount, St Neot and the United Church at Dobwalls; working with Churches Together in Liskeard; and continuing to develop relationships of faith and trust.

“Christians throughout the Methodist church are encountering challenging situations regarding property, finance and people, yet God remains central to all the decisions reached and continues to walk with believers into new, different areas of mission and ministry,” says the Minister.

“Over 10 years ago I served in the North Yorkshire Dales Methodist Circuit, where two Circuits had recently merged and chapel congregations regularly shared services and supported one another in seasonal activities. A summer holiday club was truly ecumenical in a sparsely populated Dale, and open air services endeavoured to show how the church is the people and not the building.”

It’s easy in theory to say, though, she continues, that a church is its people and not the building, but rather different in practice.

“We worship God and not the property, yet as believers, we still need somewhere to gather in order to do this in a fitting manner.

“Think of the People of God in Old Testament times, who travelled in the wilderness for 40 years before settling in the Promised Land. Wherever they travelled they made space, a tent of meeting, to become the sacred space where they were able to recognise the presence of God and gather for worship. Translate this to the 21st century and we have the church building - a place of gathering, for worship, prayer and conversation - yet as we move as communities to meet needs of people today, the church begins to look very different to our traditional understanding.”

The new Rev7 salon in Plymouth is one example of the Methodist Church “New Places for New People” project, which aims to go out and meet people where they are, as opposed to inviting them in to an established church, and to address need in the community. The salon offers free hair and beauty appointments to people sleeping rough or in financial hardship, funded by paying customers on a pay-it-forward basis.

This sort of ‘pioneer ministry’ can see new Christian communities develop in pubs, cafes and outdoor spaces such as beaches or woodlands, or online.

The Methodist Church organisation in the UK says that “the way we approach mission and ministry needs to fit the context of the community we are in” – and that in rural areas, this can work best with churches of all denominations coming together.

Rev Janet continues: “We need to create a space where we can acknowledge God's presence and worship together: a place that can serve folks in need in the local community- sharing the love of God with others.”

To hear more about what is going on locally and see the timetable for worship, look for the Liskeard and Looe Methodist Churches South East Cornwall Circuit on Facebook.