The Methodist story in the centre of Brighouse dates back to 1791 when a group of workers fuelling the industrial revolution responded to God’s gospel of grace for them even in their struggles.The years that follow are filled with stories of new church communities springing up across the town!The time has come again to be bold; to be proud and confident in our rich heritage and to rise to meet the needs and challenges of modern society.
By redeveloping our space as well as our reinvigorated purpose as a community centre, we hope to secure a sustainable vision for the long-term future of our work within the community. As a Christian community we exist to show how ‘In the present, we hope for the future because we know what God has done in the past’. In the past, God has consistently energised people to listen up, to stand up and to act for the sake of a more loving, just and human world. Now is our time.Celebrating and preserving our heritage
We seek to use a series of heritage activities and events to encourage the formation of partnerships with local schools, art and craft groups, history and antiquarian groups, nursery growers and artisan craft businesses. We will create “Heritage Volunteer Champion” roles and opportunities for people to learn new skills as part of these partnerships.
For support: our Social Justice ministries show how active service is a powerful component of Brighouse central’s life as a congregation. We cook lunch for people who are homeless or lonely, we operate a foodbank and offer opportunities for people to speak and listen to each other. Sadly, increasingly within our society we have systems that often distort and devalue the identities of our neighbours. Our Friday walk-in ministries offer a chance for us to fully respect and look after one another.
For community: by creating spaces for refuge and discussion of the issues facing societies most vulnerable, Brighouse central and the partners we work with are focused on social justice, addition, family support, integration and housing: issues that face us all. Along with the exciting music and families developments, we seek to play our part in transforming society.
For families: the Brighouse area is home to a large number of families, many with quite young children. In collaboration with various partners as well as our own children’s programme and children’s and family worker, we aim to extend our existing work with families and also develop new projects such as the creation of the town’s newest and most exciting paly gym.
For music: our worship centre was built for beautiful, resonant, participative music and we will make this a more accessible space and experience. We are establishing a Music Academy to encourage as many as possible to enjoy music as a key part of life; and building on our significant relationship with the famous Brighouse and Rastrick Band. A start has been made, but we need to redevelop parts of our site in order to provide the best facilities possible moving forward.
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