Crownhill Methodist Church

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Mission Statement

Our mission 150px Crownhill Methodist Church welcomes everyone into our Fellowship. We aim, through our worship, Bible study, and prayer to grow closer to God and to bring others into a true relationship with Him. We seek to offer God's love made known in Jesus Christ. We are determined to show this love in action in our daily lives and fellowship, by reaching out into the community and recognising and responding to the needs of the wider world.

Message from Brenton

Rev. Brenton Prigge

Contact details 01752 656740 or 07368918980 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear Friends
September has arrived and with it a Methodist Church “new year”. Around the country
children are beginning a new year of school, and soon many will begin a new year at
university or college. Others will be starting out and new jobs.
This is also a time of new beginnings for churches (as well as for many other sectors of
public life) as restrictions have eased and many types of gatherings are once again possible
(with some levels of care and within guidelines) after more than eighteen months of
abeyance.
I think these are exciting times. The potential for new things is palpable at a time like this.
Jesus spoke of the need for “new wine” to be put in “new wineskins”. I wonder what the
“new wine” really is for us as Methodists, post-lockdown? And I wonder in what ways we
can provide “new wineskins”?
As we begin the new Methodist year, I will be exploring a particular theme in my preaching
over the next few months: Discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus for this
time? How may we each as individuals and together as congregations best live out our
faithfulness to Jesus’ call to “follow me”? If, as Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 12, we are all
members of the Body of Christ, and each “member” or body part has a distinct role to play,
what is my role, and what is your role, and how do we “connect” to one another and work
together to make the body as a whole function well? Teeth cannot chew food without jaw
muscles, and both actions are wasted without the throat muscles that swallow (not to
mention the follow-up work of every part of the digestive system – all “behind the scenes”
as so many roles in the church are too). And how much poorer the feeding process is if the
sense of smell and taste do not function!
The church (not building or place or denomination or Sunday service – the people of God,
the Body of Christ) is like that. We all have a part to play, and each part is both specific and
crucial to the rest.
I believe it is also very important for us as we explore what “new wineskins” God has in
store for us in this new era, that just as much as we each have a particular role to discover
and live out, we cannot possible try to do what is in reality somebody else’s role. The teeth
cannot smell or taste. They can try, but the more they gnash and grind, the more they will
wear themselves out - to no avail. Just because “somebody ought to…” does not mean it
has to be you. The only things you “ought to…” is that to which God calls you – that is what
God’s Spirit will equip and empower your for.
The same is true for us as congregations. Not every local expression of the wider church
needs to do everything that the whole Body of Christ is called to do. What is God’s call on
us as local congregations of the faithful? Let’s do that well, and the wider world-wide
church – indeed the Kingdom of God - will be enriched by it. But we cannot do it all. God
does not expect it of us, let us not expect it of ourselves.
Let me say again – I see huge potential in these times. I believe we have much to offer and
God can and will do great things through us, the servants of God, the disciples of Christ.
What gifts has God given you/us to use for the Kingdom? How may you/we use those gifts
in new ways at a time like this? What will you/we need to give up doing? What will you/we
need to start doing afresh? What will you/we need to change?
May the Lord bless us all in our next steps as Christ-followers!
Brenton

We are open on Thursday mornings between 10am and 11am for private, personal prayer for anyone who wishes to attend.

We can accommodate up to 30 people at a time, socially distanced, but must stress that you should not attend if you feel personally at risk, and certainly not if you are showing signs of having the virus, however mild.

We ask you to wear a face mask, and you will be asked to use sanitiser on entry and exit.

Please bring your own pen to sign in - we need to keep a record of all attendees.

If you need to use the toilet, please use a disinfectant wipe (provided) to clean surfaces after use.

There will be no refreshments offered, but you are welcome to bring your own water, etc.

Please do not hang coats in the vestibule, but keep them with you.

Church Council has agreed to re-open the church for Sunday Worship from 7th March.

Most Sunday morning services are now streamed and can be viewed live or later on Youtube (just search for Crownhill Methodist Church)

We have restarted "Open Church" for visitors from 10.30am-12noon on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All are welcome to pop in for whatever reason.

The UK Blessing

Minister's Message

Brenton 500px Hello, I am Brenton. Some people call me Brent. Some people have been known to call me Ben – there’s a story behind that, but I’ll save it for another time.

The surname is a bit trickier: Prigge. It’s originally German, so the final ‘e’ is pronounced. I suppose if you imagined the final letter as an ‘a’ you would probably say it correctly – or pretty close. I’m quite used to it being said wrongly anway! Right, that’s the name out of the way.

A bit of background: I was born in South Africa, the eldest of four boys, and had a very happy early childhood growing up in a very small village in the hills of Kwazulu Natal. We then moved to Port Shepstone on the East coast of Kwazulu Natal for my high school years, and that too was a very happy time – and the beginning of my love for the sea.

I left school wanting to be an Archaeologist, and actually completed a Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. However, by the time I graduated, God’s call on my life had become so persistent and relentless that I could no longer hide or run - and believe me I had been digging in my heels for some time. That’s a long story in itself, and again I hope to get the opportunity to tell it some time.

Alongside Archaeology, I had done three years of Biblical and Religious Studies as my other major, and so I decided to do an honours degree in Biblical Studies instead of continuing with Archaeology. After university I had to complete a year of compulsory military training. Most South African males at the time were conscripted straight out of school, but I had deferred this for my studies. I was sent to Oudtshoorn to complete six months of officers training with the infantry, and after graduating as a Second Lieutenant, was posted to a command post in Durban. It was here that I met Ann (another great story waiting to be told), who had just qualified as an Enrolled Nurse. Ann and I went on to get married, and we have two daughters, Carla and Kristin, who are now in their twenties and continue to live in Perth, Australia. They each have their own wonderful stories, and my own story is of course full of stories of them! But back to the short version of my story…

Morning Coffee

Coffee Bar & Book Sale (Thursdays) - SUSPENDED

Every Thursday, 10.00am-11.30am, in the church hall, why not join us for a nice cup of coffee and browse some of the books that we have for sale? We also have an optional devotional half hour at 10 o'clock in the church.

All are welcome to join us for coffee and a chat, so please pop in if you are in the vicinity. FREE car parking (up to 3 hours) in the car park behind the church, but you will need to display a ticket from the machine.