Wesley Mission: A ‘shining beacon of hope’

The Rev. Dr Brian Brown, Moderator of the Uniting Church’s Synod of New South Wales and the ACT, sent warm Christian greetings to Wesley Mission Superintendent Keith Garner, officers Mark Scott and Keith Suter, congregations, staff and volunteers during celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Methodists first meeting in New South Wales.

Dr Brown, attending the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Adelaide, was not present at the celebration service at the State Theatre on July 15.

He said, however, “Each one of you is in my thoughts and prayers.

“Wesley Mission can trace its history to the early Methodists who met and prayed about the future of their faith in the new colony of Sydney some 200 years ago. Their abiding hope in a sovereign God and commitment to Jesus Christ has lived on in the hearts and minds of Methodists and those faithful people who have served Wesley Mission through the years.

“Little did they realise that the seeds of hope they first planted would flower in successive generations and provide the undergirding faith and impetus which has sustained Wesley Mission in a changing and often challenging world.

“From this hope has sprung forth a faith which seeks to touch the hearts and minds of all Australians no matter what their background: a faith which embraces both word and deed and gives practical application to ‘the hope that is within’.

“Wesley Mission has been a shining beacon of hope, its ministry burning brightly and its care of the marginalised and disadvantaged consistent, innovative and unswerving.

“For many Australians, Wesley Mission is a solid rock in the tempest of life and a light in the darkness. Its practical faith speaks of hope: it is truly a whole gospel for the whole world. I am most appreciative of the way in which Wesley Mission reflects and augments the ethos of the Uniting Church as inclusive, generous and justice-seeking.”

Dr Brown said, “The Uniting Church is proud of this long and exciting story which is Wesley Mission. We value the unity in which we are together as the people of God on the way to the promised goal. We celebrate with you and look with you into an uncertain world with the hope of Christ.

“May God continue to bless the work of Wesley Mission firm in the knowledge that its future is built on Jesus Christ- who gives hope to all people.”

See the Rev. Dr Brian Brown’s video message to Wesley Mission.