By Rev. David Coote

Two years ago St Aubin Methodist Church set out on a major maintenance and refurbishment programme of its premises on the Bulwarks. The 1847 Church building needed a new roof, the granite walls repointed and dry rot eliminated from the gallery structure. The Hall needed extensive structural repair and an internal make over. The cost was well over £400,000. Thanks to the generosity of Church Members and friends, Methodists across the Island, fund raising of all sorts including a contribution from St Brelade Parish, the work has been very successfully completed and all but about £20,000 still needs to be raised. To set out on this adventure of faith was a sign of the commitment of the Church to its continuing role in the life of St Aubin and the Parish.
The adventure continues as we now seek to take good advantage of the refurbished Hall by developing our youth work. We are to employ a Youth Leader from February 2008. We have appointed Liz Lambotte who has been involved for some years with innovative youth work in the church and local schools and is undergoing training. Her role is already being extended in partnership with the Youth Service at Communicare.
The Methodist Church is largely funding this venture with some help from Lloyds TSB Foundation. This new adventure of faith has emerged from the conviction that the church cannot contract out of a key and formative area of community life.
The future will bring with it more opportunities of service but the Methodist people of St Aubin whose logo is a ship within a scallop shell – a traditional symbol of pilgrimage - with the other churches of the Parish and with all people of goodwill, will not sidestep more adventures of faith.
A joyful Christmas and a happy New Year from St Aubin Methodist Church