Classes
What is a class meeting?
The story of Bands
In the early days of Methodism, John Wesley organised small groups, called Bands, which met regularly to support each other. This support could be quite challenging! In his rules for Bands, drawn up on Christmas Day 1738 (!) this is what he proposed:
The design of our meeting is, to obey that command of God, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…’
To this end, we intend:
1. To meet once a week, at the least.
2. To come punctually at the hour appointed, without some extraordinary reason.
3. To begin (those of us who are present) exactly at the hour, with singing or prayer.
4. To speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting.
5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the state of each person present.
6. To desire some person among us to speak his own state first, and then to ask the rest, in order, as many and as searching questions as may be, concerning their state, sins, and temptations.
Classes and congregational giving
Bands, however, were rather elite groups. Not all members of a Methodist Society belonged. Classes had a very different – and rather unspiritual – origin! The Methodist Society in Bristol was heavily in debt. on 15th February 1742, Wesley summoned the leaders to consider how to raise money to pay off what was owed. Captain Foy proposed that every member should be asked to give a penny a week. But some were too poor to afford even one penny, he was told. So he offered to take responsibility for eleven of the poorest members, to call on them weekly for their one penny contribution, and if they couldn’t afford it, to make good the deficit himself. Other leaders offered to do the same, and the whole society was divided into classes of about twelve people.
John Wesley soon realised that these groups of twelve, each with their own leader, could be used for another purpose. Each leader knew ‘his’ twelve intimately, and met them each week. So these groups could be used to keep in touch, and to ‘watch over one another in love’. They could be the foundation of pastoral care and oversight in the Society.
In another inspired leap, the weekly visit to collect money changed into a weekly ‘Class Meeting’ – where the twelve met for mutual fellowship and support, under the care of ‘their’ lay leader. Before long, this system had been welcomed and adopted throughout the country. And although the collection of money dropped out of the Class Meeting system comparatively early, Class Meetings formed a central part of Methodist Practice for around 150 years.
Classes in modern Methodism
So traditionally in Methodism, every church member is a member of a class meeting. In many Methodist churches, the pastoral and fellowship elements of the Class have separated in recent years. But this tradition is still alive at Hinde Street, where the practice of combining pastoral care and meetings in the same groups is one of the great strengths of our church life. The class leader and assistant leaders are responsible for keeping in touch with each member of their class, visiting them when they are unwell, and supporting them through the ups and downs of life. Classes also meet regularly for food, fellowship, Bible Study, discussion and prayer.
Most classes now meet monthly (though one class does still meet weekly) and we are not quite as strict as Wesley on the issue of punctuality! But we do try to speak freely and plainly, the true state of our souls.
If you would be interested in meeting regularly in a class, weekly or monthly, read on and find one that suits you. The aim is to offer support, friendship and depth in your Christian journey. While all members of the church must be in a class, classes are not confined to church members; classes welcome anyone in the congregation who wishes to share in their activities.
If you'd like to read more about the place of small groups in Methodism, Click here
The story of Bands
In the early days of Methodism, John Wesley organised small groups, called Bands, which met regularly to support each other. This support could be quite challenging! In his rules for Bands, drawn up on Christmas Day 1738 (!) this is what he proposed:
The design of our meeting is, to obey that command of God, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed…’
To this end, we intend:
1. To meet once a week, at the least.
2. To come punctually at the hour appointed, without some extraordinary reason.
3. To begin (those of us who are present) exactly at the hour, with singing or prayer.
4. To speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting.
5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the state of each person present.
6. To desire some person among us to speak his own state first, and then to ask the rest, in order, as many and as searching questions as may be, concerning their state, sins, and temptations.
Classes and congregational giving
Bands, however, were rather elite groups. Not all members of a Methodist Society belonged. Classes had a very different – and rather unspiritual – origin! The Methodist Society in Bristol was heavily in debt. on 15th February 1742, Wesley summoned the leaders to consider how to raise money to pay off what was owed. Captain Foy proposed that every member should be asked to give a penny a week. But some were too poor to afford even one penny, he was told. So he offered to take responsibility for eleven of the poorest members, to call on them weekly for their one penny contribution, and if they couldn’t afford it, to make good the deficit himself. Other leaders offered to do the same, and the whole society was divided into classes of about twelve people.
John Wesley soon realised that these groups of twelve, each with their own leader, could be used for another purpose. Each leader knew ‘his’ twelve intimately, and met them each week. So these groups could be used to keep in touch, and to ‘watch over one another in love’. They could be the foundation of pastoral care and oversight in the Society.
In another inspired leap, the weekly visit to collect money changed into a weekly ‘Class Meeting’ – where the twelve met for mutual fellowship and support, under the care of ‘their’ lay leader. Before long, this system had been welcomed and adopted throughout the country. And although the collection of money dropped out of the Class Meeting system comparatively early, Class Meetings formed a central part of Methodist Practice for around 150 years.
Classes in modern Methodism
So traditionally in Methodism, every church member is a member of a class meeting. In many Methodist churches, the pastoral and fellowship elements of the Class have separated in recent years. But this tradition is still alive at Hinde Street, where the practice of combining pastoral care and meetings in the same groups is one of the great strengths of our church life. The class leader and assistant leaders are responsible for keeping in touch with each member of their class, visiting them when they are unwell, and supporting them through the ups and downs of life. Classes also meet regularly for food, fellowship, Bible Study, discussion and prayer.
Most classes now meet monthly (though one class does still meet weekly) and we are not quite as strict as Wesley on the issue of punctuality! But we do try to speak freely and plainly, the true state of our souls.
If you would be interested in meeting regularly in a class, weekly or monthly, read on and find one that suits you. The aim is to offer support, friendship and depth in your Christian journey. While all members of the church must be in a class, classes are not confined to church members; classes welcome anyone in the congregation who wishes to share in their activities.
If you'd like to read more about the place of small groups in Methodism, Click here
Meeting weekly
Monday Morning Group (Margaret Swarbrick’s class) meets at Hinde Street on Mondays from 11am to 12.30pm in the Quiet Room, except for a break of about two months in the summer. “We read and discuss a book. There are usually three of four of us there. Afterwards we go for fish and chips at a local café." Deputy Leader Marion Ford. Assistant Leader Gordon Slater.
Meeting monthly
John Hicks' class meets at Hinde Street after the 11 am service, usually on the third Sunday of the month. “We begin with light refreshments, followed by opening prayers and then about an hour’s conversation. Sometimes we engage over a period of months in a course based on a Bible study, a Lent book, a conference statement or some other material (for example Methodist history or doctrine, or Wesley’s sermons). At other times we have ‘one off’ meetings discussing a particular topic or the morning’s sermon, or sharing our recent experience of the Christian life in the manner of the original Methodist classes. Attendance is usually between 6 and 12. Two meetings each year are social, including families and friends. Many members are from Africa, but there is a widening mix and we welcome new members of every kind.” Deputy Leader Sallie Choate, Assistant Leaders De Graft Nunoo, Grace Osibogun and Ratangee Gopal.
Emerson Rizzi’s class meets on the first Thursday of every month, usually centrally in a class member’s home. The host provides something simple to eat from 7.30pm. “We share each others’ news and insights since the last meeting, then move onto some study based on a book or course, closing with prayer. Meetings finish by 9.30pm because some people have a distance to travel home. The class is mixed in age and gender, and we usually have six to ten people at each meeting. We also have occasional social events, including a summer BBQ”. Deputy Leader Miriam Cantor
Wendy Cruise’s class has members from many parts of London, but meets in a member’s home usually in West Central London on a different night each month. “Average attendance is about 10 people. We are a friendly, chatty and caring group of people, women and men, old and young. We gather at 7.30pm, have coffee, conversation and catch up with news, and then study, discuss and pray until about 9.30pm. Sometimes we have a long-term project and study a book. At other times we vary the topic each month. We include in our programme Bible study and social occasions.” Deputy Leader Mary Hicks.
North London class is "a group of friendly committed people who share an enthusiasm to explore what Christian living entails for us individually and corporately. We represent a range of theological positions from fairly mainstream to liberal, even unorthodox, at times. We work collaboratively and enjoy our diversity in terms of gender, age and culture. We usually meet on the second Thursday of the month in each others’ homes at 7.30pm. We aim to review our class each year and often decide on a theme for the year. We base our discussions on a range of materials, sometimes external (articles, sermons) and sometimes internal (experiences, objects, insights and reflections). We have a time for devotions at each meeting. We have a good party in the summer, and sometimes, a cosy meal together in the winter. Numbers attending vary from eight to 10”. Deputy Leader Paul Horrell.
Edna Wijeratna’s class is predominantly from West London and meets sometimes in each other’s homes but mainly at Hinde Street in the Quiet Room. “We meet on a different night each month. We have a good mix of both morning and evening congregations and a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Meetings may be led by a class member or by an invited speaker and may include discussions of topical issues, theology and social concerns as well as Bible study. We also share our news and concerns and have two lunches a year, one in the summer, the other after Christmas.” Numbers attending vary from six to 12. Deputy Leader Margaret Rudland.
Young people’s class - Caroline Rippin's class is composed of young people, now in their teens and early twenties, who were together in Junior Church and the Young People’s Group at Hinde Street. Now that some are at University, and some have left to start work and to travel, meetings are arranged during the holidays and take the form of Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. Deputy Leader Annette Coomer
Meeting monthly
John Hicks' class meets at Hinde Street after the 11 am service, usually on the third Sunday of the month. “We begin with light refreshments, followed by opening prayers and then about an hour’s conversation. Sometimes we engage over a period of months in a course based on a Bible study, a Lent book, a conference statement or some other material (for example Methodist history or doctrine, or Wesley’s sermons). At other times we have ‘one off’ meetings discussing a particular topic or the morning’s sermon, or sharing our recent experience of the Christian life in the manner of the original Methodist classes. Attendance is usually between 6 and 12. Two meetings each year are social, including families and friends. Many members are from Africa, but there is a widening mix and we welcome new members of every kind.” Deputy Leader Sallie Choate, Assistant Leaders De Graft Nunoo, Grace Osibogun and Ratangee Gopal.
Emerson Rizzi’s class meets on the first Thursday of every month, usually centrally in a class member’s home. The host provides something simple to eat from 7.30pm. “We share each others’ news and insights since the last meeting, then move onto some study based on a book or course, closing with prayer. Meetings finish by 9.30pm because some people have a distance to travel home. The class is mixed in age and gender, and we usually have six to ten people at each meeting. We also have occasional social events, including a summer BBQ”. Deputy Leader Miriam Cantor
Wendy Cruise’s class has members from many parts of London, but meets in a member’s home usually in West Central London on a different night each month. “Average attendance is about 10 people. We are a friendly, chatty and caring group of people, women and men, old and young. We gather at 7.30pm, have coffee, conversation and catch up with news, and then study, discuss and pray until about 9.30pm. Sometimes we have a long-term project and study a book. At other times we vary the topic each month. We include in our programme Bible study and social occasions.” Deputy Leader Mary Hicks.
North London class is "a group of friendly committed people who share an enthusiasm to explore what Christian living entails for us individually and corporately. We represent a range of theological positions from fairly mainstream to liberal, even unorthodox, at times. We work collaboratively and enjoy our diversity in terms of gender, age and culture. We usually meet on the second Thursday of the month in each others’ homes at 7.30pm. We aim to review our class each year and often decide on a theme for the year. We base our discussions on a range of materials, sometimes external (articles, sermons) and sometimes internal (experiences, objects, insights and reflections). We have a time for devotions at each meeting. We have a good party in the summer, and sometimes, a cosy meal together in the winter. Numbers attending vary from eight to 10”. Deputy Leader Paul Horrell.
Edna Wijeratna’s class is predominantly from West London and meets sometimes in each other’s homes but mainly at Hinde Street in the Quiet Room. “We meet on a different night each month. We have a good mix of both morning and evening congregations and a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Meetings may be led by a class member or by an invited speaker and may include discussions of topical issues, theology and social concerns as well as Bible study. We also share our news and concerns and have two lunches a year, one in the summer, the other after Christmas.” Numbers attending vary from six to 12. Deputy Leader Margaret Rudland.
Young people’s class - Caroline Rippin's class is composed of young people, now in their teens and early twenties, who were together in Junior Church and the Young People’s Group at Hinde Street. Now that some are at University, and some have left to start work and to travel, meetings are arranged during the holidays and take the form of Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. Deputy Leader Annette Coomer
