The 2014 Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Synod is now under way. It opened yesterday 27 June and continues until tomorrow, 29 June 2014. The Synod comprises Wesley Methodist Church in Hamilton, Ebenezer Methodist Church in St George’s and Emmanuel Methodist Church in Southampton. The theme of the Conference is Renewal.

The Conference commenced with registration and was followed by a contemporary worship service featuring the Leviticus Praise Band from Ebenezer, lively singing for which Methodists are well known and inspirational preaching by incumbent Ministers Gary Clark of Emmanuel and Cyril Simmons of Ebenezer.

Today, panel discussions and workshops are scheduled from 9am to 2pm on a range of interesting topics both religious and secular. Mr Peter Hardy will look at the history of Methodism, while Ms Ann Maule has been scheduled to talk about church music. Additionally, A Talk on Healthy Eating by Ms Jessica Wade; Moving for Life demonstrated by Mrs Shirley Hardy; The Importance of Estate Planning by Barrister Leo Mills; Fostering Healthy Relationships by Rev and Mrs Gary Clark and Achieving Your Life Purpose by Rev Cyril Simmons are also scheduled.

Closing out today’s schedule, a panel will examine how to grow a more vibrant Church. At the same time Young Life will lead activities for children and young people. Today’s schedule will conclude with a social event.

Sunday’s joint service will be held at Emmanuel Methodist Church at 11am, therefore there will be no service at either Ebenezer or Wesley on Sunday. This is an open invitation to all to join the Methodists’ for a weekend of fellowship. Mr Mills’ said that all are welcome to the aforementioned events and for more information calls may be made to any of the Churches: Wesley at 292-0418; Ebenezer at 297-1771; or Emmanuel at 238-1945.

The last Conference of the Synod was held in November 2011. At that time, the highlight was a celebration of the installation of the Rev John Stephenson’s Memorial Plaque at Featherbed Alley in St George’s. Rev Stephenson was the first Methodist Minister to be stationed in Bermuda in 1799. He ran into difficulty with the law for preaching to slaves and was imprisoned for six months. He continued to preach from his jail cell and fortunately, the grill from Stephenson’s prison window was salvaged.

In 1749, John Whitfield, himself an original member of John Wesley’s Holy Club at Oxford University, came to Bermuda for health reasons and preached at what is now Christ Church in Warwick where a Memorial Plaque now stands. It took 51 years before another Methodist Missionary would arrive in Bermuda in the person of John Stephenson.

The first Methodist Church was built in Hamilton on the corner of Queen and Wesley Street.

Eighty seven years later it was moved further down Church Street and became what is now Wesley Methodist Church; Ebenezer Church in St George’s was built in 1814 and Emmanuel Methodist Church was built in 1869. As mentioned above, the theme for this year’s conference is Renewal. Mr Mills who is also a lay reader in the Methodist Church noted that we all need spiritual renewal from time to time.