Our Story So Far

Writing to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

History1 One of the attractive aspects of the Methodist Centenary congregation is its lack of attachment to buildings. We have learned that buildings are functional, and not an end in themselves.
This is a lesson learned from a history that dates back to the very first visit of John Wesley to Dublin in 1747. A congregation gathered in a disused Lutheran Meeting House near where the Abbey Theatre now stands. It was wrecked by a mob. A number of other temporary chapels followed before the first purpose built church in Irish Methodism was constructed on Whitefriar Street near the Liberties on land that was leased for 99 years. This was much more than a preaching place. There was also a school for orphans, a manse (Minister’s residence), a widow’s home and a bookroom. Education and the care of the marginalised were always very important to Methodists.

History2 When the lease ran out, the congregation had to take up its tent again, and they erected a prestigious building on St. Stephen’s Green in 1843 with the help of a fund set up to mark the centenary of the conversion of John Wesley. Hence the name 'Methodist Centenary'. The congregation worshipped in this building for over 100 years until one fateful Christmas Eve a disgruntled former caretaker set fire to it. The four pillars with ionic capitals still stand close to Newman University Church. Again an interest in education prompted the foundation of a boarding school on land to the rear adjoining Iveagh Gardens. Wesley College was founded in 1879.

Following the fire the congregation again took up its tent, and worshipped in the Wesley College Chapel until the college moved to the suburbs four years later. Methodist Centenary received several offers of hospitality before gratefully accepting an invitation from Christ Church, Leeson Park. This Anglican Church was built to raise funds for the Molyneux home for the female blind and property at the other side of the Molyneux home was purchased by Methodist Centenary for the use of both congregations. A church hall, accommodation for students and various meeting rooms were completed in 1977 and these are linked to the historic Wicklow granite Litton Hall, built one hundred years earlier as a workshop for the blind. The site, now known more commonly as Wesley House has an attractive grass area and is nicely dressed with lime trees. This gives space for outdoor activities and herb garden for the use of the local community has been added recently.

When Christ Church was leased to the Romanian Orthodox community in 2005 the Litton Hall became an ideal space for the Methodist Centenary congregation. The seating is comfortable and flexible, and the atmosphere is intimate and conducive to worship.

The congregation remains open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but for now, we are immensely grateful to those who had the foresight to purchase such an attractive site and erect this useful suite of buildings convenient to public transport in the Dublin inner city suburbs.

History3
Standing at the door of the Church of Ireland at Leeson Park
for our final Sunday morning service in 2005 before moving to the Litton Hall in Wesley House.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

Hello! Welcome to our website, we're so happy that you have found us here. Below is information you might need if you are thinking about attending our Sunday service. We hope it provides you with everything you need to know, but if there is anything else you would like to know, please do get in contact with the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The Methodist Centenary congregation that meets in Leeson Park is gathered from a wide area and from diverse backgrounds. Some have been here since childhood, and others have found it a welcoming community, and decided to make this their spiritual home in recent years. A particularly attractive element of our public worship is the fellowship over tea/coffee immediately after morning worship. It is wonderful that you are interested in attending our church, below are details of what we have available to varying age groups.

Where and When

We meet in the Liitton Hall at Wesley House (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be ready and waiting with a smile to say hi.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after our service has ended. We hope you will stay for refreshments afterwards as it is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer. We also have a lift to the foyer area. If you need assistance please let one of the Welcome Team know and they will be happy to help you.

Our Service

We meet for public worship at 10.30am on Sunday mornings in the Litton Hall, part of the Wesley House complex. The service lasts for approximately one hour and includes prayers of adoration, confession and thanksgiving, a talk for children, scripture readings, an adult address of 15-20 minutes, prayers for others and worship is led by an organ, piano and praise group.

Sunday service

What about my kids?

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, notices, songs and children's address. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. After the praise group finish their songs, whoever is leading the service will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go continue their worship in another room. If it is your first time attending with your children, please come out with them to register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children's group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team here.

Praise Group
Tea/Coffee
Set up
PowerPoint
Welcoming
Sunday School
Connect through English

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Revd. Andrew Kingston Minister		Brian Hickey Student Chaplain
andrew.kingston@irishmethodist.org		brian.hickey@irishmethodist.org

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Methodist Centenary Church