What We Believe 
Mission Statement
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.
Letter from Brenton 27.4.21
Dear Friends
As I write this, it is a glorious Spring day outside. The sky is blue and the birds are singing. My back lawn looks like a meadow with bluebells, primrose, and dandelions. The trees are growing green again. We have hedgehogs that visit us every single night. There are signs of life everywhere. There are signs of life beyond lockdown, too. Many people have had both vaccinations already, and within the next few months we are told most remaining people will have had their second jab. Restrictions are gradually being lifted. In this country at least, things are looking quite positive. And all of this comes in the Easter season, when we celebrate the new life we have in our resurrected Lord Jesus. We often think of Easter as being that one Sunday on which we celebrate the resurrection, but in truth “Easter” on the church calendar is a season that stretches from that Easter Sunday through to Pentecost. It is rightly a seven week long celebration - rightly, because this is no small thing we are celebrating. This is life snatched from the jaws of death. This is light after the darkness. This is hope after despair. This year, more than ever, let us celebrate every sign of life we see. Let us share our joy and our hope with those who need it most. I personally would love to make best use of this spring weather to finally spend some time face-to-face with as many of you as possible. At this point, there are three perfectly legal ways in which I can do that. I can join you for a walk in your favourite park or even in a woodland or on the moors. Or we could meet at a coffee shop that has outdoor seating and chat over a takeaway coffee. (Central Park is one place where you can do both - buy a coffee and either sit and chat at one of their outdoor tables, or take a stroll!). The third option, is for me to join you in your back garden for a cuppa and a natter (both of which I love, by the way). So I invite you to give me a call and let’s arrange a time meet. My mobile is the best way to get me, by the way - 07368 918 980 - the landline works, but I have to confess I often forget to check my messages there, whereas the mobile phone is on me all the time, so even if I can’t take your call immediately, I will see those messages sooner. I really do hope you will take me up on this invitation soon. I feel I have had so little opportunity to get to know any of you in spite of having been among you for three quarters of a year already, would you believe it! May you be blessed. May you look around and see in your own life many, many signs of life and hope. Peace be with you, 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)
Please note that there are printed acts of worship available on the Methodist church UK website.
Minister's Message
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.
What We Believe
The Methodist Church is quite broad in its outlook whilst holding an orthodox view of Christianity.
Here are some of our beliefs.
The Trinity We believe in one God who is a trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God the Father God created the universe.
God loves everyone unconditionally.
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