A Decade of Church Unity, 1983

An interesting look back at 1983 and a move towards greater unity between churches.. John Taylor, Bishop of Winchester, 1975-1985, and was very enthusiastic, so much so that, as mentioned below, there was a joint confirmation - Anglican / Methodist - in 1984. I have also been able to trace a joint Anglican / Methodist / United Reformed confirmation service held at Communicare in 1976.

Sadly his successor as Bishop of Winchester, Colin James, did not share his enthusiasm, and there were no more joint confirmations. Over time, the congregation diminished in size - services were originally held in the hall at Communicare, and the chapel became rather neglected. Now it serves as a venue for the members of the New Life Christian congregation.

The reduction in scale of the Roman Catholic priesthood in Jersey, so that the priest for Sacred Heart is now based at the Presbytery in St Helier, has also mean less ecumenical contact on that front.

There was one more warden at Communicare after John Le Page, but after he left, it was decided that a manager for the facilities was needed rather than a Warden. 

The ecumenical dream faded, although Methodist ministers still took part in the Easter Day communion at the Fisherman's Chapel until David Coote left, whereupon that ceased too. Fortunately that has been revived by the new Methodist Minister, Rev. Jenny Pathmarajah. Maybe ecumenism is waking up again!

A Decade of Church Unity 

How St Brelade’s Ecumenical Experiment has stood the test
Cathy Le Feuvre, 1983 

AS the ecumenical experiment in St Brelade enters its "tenth year, the enthusiasm which initiated it has not waned with the years.

What began as ‘a vision in the mind and heart of a foresighted Methodist minister, the Rev. Gerald Stoddern, has developed into a successful ecumenical ministry.

Mr Stoddern arrived in Jersey in 1968 with a brief to build a’ Methodist chapel at Les Quennevais to replace the demolished Tabor Chapel. But he advocated much more than the construction of just another church, for he envisaged a Community centre to serve the people, and in that way to evangelise to them.

It was to this end that joint sponsoring body representing the Jersey Anglican and Methodist churches was set up in the late 1960s a union which was officially inaugurated at a joint service of Holy Communion on January 12. 1973.

Three congregations, one Methodist and two Anglican, were in this way joined for the purpose of ecumenical co-operation.

They also covenanted to build new premises at Les Quennevais, based on a sharing agreement under the terms of the Sharing of Church Buildings Act (Jersey) 1973, from which grew the present day Communicare centre.




The St Brelade experiment is one among hundreds of similar ventures presently in operation in the United Kingdom.

But St Brelade is fortunate in having the Communicare centre as a unifying element. Its presence means that unity goes beyond joint services around Christmas, Easter and occasionally through the year.

Vigils, communion services, joint Sunday school and social events allow for the encouragement of unity, but without the loss of independence.

The Rector of St Brelade, the Rev. Michael Halliwell, believes that the growth of unity has allowed a breakdown of the bitterness that the past has witnessed. As people become more acquainted with the worship of others, he says, so fellow feeling within the Christian community will grow.

Regular weekly meetings of the team ministry, which includes the ministers of St Brelade, St Aubin-on-the-Hill, and the Methodist partner, the church at St Aubin, has resulted in a close liaison between the churches and Communicare, whose Warden, Capt. John Le Page, of the Church Army, is also a committee staff member.

But this unity does not mean a loss of the individual church identity. Indeed, the Rev. Terry Hampton, from St Aubin-on-the-Hill, thinks that the churches must remain separate.

Honesty; and ‘a "sharing of gifts around" is, he believes, vital to the ecumenical experiment. Multiplication of services was a danger in any such venture, and that was why the co-operation maintained in St Brelade was so important. '

When the Rev. Colin Hough moved from his ministry in Guernsey in 1979 to succeed Mr Stoddern, he found the experiment well established.

He holds the view that unity must come from the grass roots and that the St Brelade experience has something to offer the movement towards unity, despite the fact that top-level covenanting proposals between the Anglican and Methodist churches broke down last year.

And the strengthening of the work and witness of Methodism in St Brelade since the experiment began belies the argument that unity leads to a relaxing of the effect of the individual churches.

In the recent past, the move towards unity has been supplemented by the involvement of the Roman Catholic congregations of the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Aubin and St Bernadette's, Les Quennevais.

The initiative and enthusiasm of the parish priest, the Rev. Fr. Antoin Hanley, has resulted in an involvement of the Roman Catholic community on an ecumenical sub-committee, and the sharing of some services and social events.

Fr. Hanley feels that his congregations both have something to offer the experiment and may learn from it as well.

Recent talks between the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury have given the stamp of approval to an incorporation of Catholic congregations into the St Brelade experiment, and a change in attitudes and a greater awareness of unity is growing, albeit slowly.

A recent Epiphany service at St Aubin-on-the-Hill, when a collection was taken for the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor, is a practical indication of the unifying element within the parish.

Fr. Hanley believes that prayer is the only way to unity, and that tenets and doctrines are secondary. Unity of the churches may be reality, he thinks, if prayer is emphasised.

Facilities at Communicare are used frequently by the Roman Catholic congregations, and this is just one of the many roles which the centre fulfils.

Mr Stoddern envisaged a place where, like a village green, people could meet, exchange ideas and be integrated into the community. In use seven days a week, activities at Communicate include clinics, play groups, senior citizen and youth clubs and educational classes.

A voluntary team of about 150 people from all walks of life provide the integration and produce a discourse that is undoubtedly unique.

Communicare also represents a unique marriage of the States, church and parish. With a full time youth worker operating from Communicare and community nurses, working at the clinic, the Education and Public Health departments are providing invaluable services in co-operation with the Church.

For the past six years. Capt. Le Page has acted as administrator, mediator and holder of the balance at Communicare, acting often to liaison between the Church, States and parish. The latter of which helped with the initial capital outlay and still involves itself in the work at Communicate.

The chapel at Communicare, although under the pastoral care of Mr Hough, is to all intents and purposes ecumenical.

Its unique Anglican-Methodist character has not made the other congregations suffer. “We are not out to create a new denomination," Mr Halliwell stresses, and plans for a joint confirmation service in 1984 will see come to fruition many of the hopes of the team ministry.

The St Brelade experiment has to some extent proved that unity can work, and all the partners in that parish would like to see more unity among the churches in other parishes.

As St Brelade has benefitted so much from the existence of Communicare, Capt. Le Page believes that all parishes would benefit from a recreational centre of some kind.

Mr Halliwell believes that this sort of unity is the only kind that will take the Christian church into the next century.

"I would like to see the same principles applied in other local situations, because I believe that‘ the Church only has a future where Christians work together," he says.

And if the last ten years are anything to go by, the next few decade will see in St Brelade. He hopes a greater feeling of unity, and a further extension of the principles of Christian brotherly love.