Who's Who at Eltham Park Methodist Church

Robert Riddell
The Minister at Eltham Park

Robert Riddell, known as Robbie, is the minister of this church and Lewisham Methodist Church and spends time supporting the Blackheath & Lewisham Methodist Circuit.

His early years were spent in the North East of Scotland where he was educated and was a member of the Boys’ Brigade (BB). After studying Chemistry at Aberdeen University he moved south for work, living in South Wales and then in Lancashire, working on development in the coated paper industry.

It was in Lancashire that he felt a call to ministry in the Methodist Church (he and his wife had settled in a little local church there and become members leaving behind Scottish Presbyterian roots). Robbie trained in Bristol and became one of John Wesley’s travelling preachers, a Methodist Minister. He has ministered in mainly urban areas, Leyton London, Cardiff, Bristol and now in London.

God’s calling was a bit of a surprise, since then he has discovered that God has a sense of humour asking the most unlikely of people to become involved in the most unlikely of things and strangely enabling them to respond.

Responding to the call
20 years ago Robbie attended a Boys’ Brigade course. He thought he had gone to learn about preparing a Boys’ Brigade display evening but discovered that there were great chunks of time given over to worship! By the time he left the course something of the awesomeness of someone beyond had struck him. There was, after all, something about the infinite mystery of God.

Working in industry, he discovered the struggle that truth telling has in the face of sharp practice and beating your neighbour. The story of the Good Samaritan was deeply engrained in him and so there was pressure for integrity and honesty in dealing with one another, so there was a question of which was right.

Then there was the sense of call – not voices but just a preacher who seemed to be addressing his sermon directly at Robbie. As a result, Robbie responded to this call.

Today Robbie still believes that God offers the way for us to live together and that God himself is part of that way.

Garry Young
Local Preacher

Garry Young regularly leads services in this and other Methodist churches in the area. He has been a local preacher since 1998, but this is not his job.

“I do it because I believe I have a very important role to play in proclaiming the Christian message of God’s love for all. In a practical sense, the Methodist church relies heavily on its local preachers as they lead about four out of every five church services. But their importance is much larger than this.

I believe that it is essential that ordinary men and women can stand up and talk about their faith and relate it to the world around them. A crucial aspect of this we come from all walks of life and often have very different perspectives.

My own background is that I am a Londoner and I work as a professional economist giving advice on setting interest rates. Other local preachers have different backgrounds and so are able to talk about their faith from different angles and apply it to different situations.

 We are not saints, although we try to live good lives, and we are not experts on the Bible, although we are fairly well versed in it, but together we are able to present a faith that connects with the experiences of the people who come into the church.

Faith is mysterious. I believe, many don’t. Why is this?
I think it’s deliberate. God reveals just enough of himself that there is room for both faith and doubt. This gives us a choice of whether to follow him or not and it is in the following that we find him.

For all his words, John Wesley’s testimony to God is that he found his ‘heart strangely warmed’. I think I know what he means”.

Marion Thompson
Brownies Leader and Church member

Eltham Park Methodist has been my family’s Church since the 1920s. Now I lead the Brownies pack and am involved in a several groups within the church which aim to encourage the involvement of the local community, particularly young families, in worship and activities at Eltham Park.

My Christian faith is important to me and I try to demonstrate the meaning of my Christian faith in the way I live my life.  I have recently retired but my working life centred on working with young families and providing  health and social care services to support them in the difficult job if raising  children in the inner city.

Ethel Wymer
Local Preacher

I first came to this church in 1934 when my family moved to Eltham. Although I was away for the whole of the war 1939-45, I was kept in touch through the excellent newsletter, sent regularly to all who were away from home. On my return I was welcomed back and very quickly became part of the Church.

Over the years I have held various offices and am currently a Local Preacher and Secretary of the Church Council.

Within the Church I have made long lasting friendships, had wonderful care and support in times of difficulty and, above all, community, which has led me to discover, know and trust the great love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.

Megan Roberts

I have been going to Eltham Park Methodist Church for about 45 years and was once a Sunday School teacher here.

I am currently a church steward and Missions Secretary. I am involved in a number of voluntary projects in the local community, especially those which work with people with learning difficulties.

 

Anita McKenzie - Church Development Worker

Anita is employed by the Blackheath and Lewisham circuit to manage premises bookings at Eltham Park and Sunfields Methodist Churches. You can email her to make booking inquiries.