Wendling

The Methodist Church in Wendling, on the corner of Station Road and Swaffham Road was opened in 1915. It was built to replace the building on the opposite side of Swaffham Road (now referred to as the Old Chapel). The current chapel was built to seat 100 people, because the old chapel was not big enough for the number of activities and people attending before the First World War changed society so drastically.

The old chapel had been opened in 1877,  to replace an even earlier building (which has now disappeared along with the Railway tavern which it was near). This first Methodist chapel was on a plot of land given by Mr. Thomas Warner in 1846; prior to that, those who wished to worship with the Methodists held services in local cottages. In those early days they were part of the Primitive Methodist Connexion [Connexion being the word used to describe the total group of Methodist churches]. The very first chapel cost £100 to build and was a wooden structure with a tiled roof and was 24’ x 17’ and actually opened  in June 1848.

In 1907, the ‘Old Chapel’ had 69 members and a Band of Hope organisation of 130 members, along with various other associated Christian activities; so the need for a larger building was essential. The current chapel built in 1914 cost £520 on top of the purchase of the land in 1910 for £40.

In 1932, the various strands of Methodism, the Primitives being one strand, came together and formed what we now know as the Methodist Church – a world wide church.

There is a service of public worship at 11.00 every Sunday, and the person leading the service may be a minister, or a qualified local preacher.

During the week, there is a Coffee Morning on alternate Wednesdays from 10.30 to 12 noon, and on the other Wednesday there is a Craft Club from 4.30 to 6.00 pm.

The church is open on the first Saturday afternoon of the month, for a couple of hours, for those who seek a quiet space for reflection and meditation.

During the course of the year there will be other events, usually linked to the seasons of the Church Year – such as a Christingle service during Advent.