Stoke Methodist Church has become more inclusive and diverse since it was opened by an English Methodist in 1849 to provide pastoral care and a space for locals to share the love of God.
The Neale Ave place of worship marked its 175th Anniversary last weekend with around 70 former and current members and representatives from the organisations the church supports, such as Whakatū Refuge and Birchwood School.
Presbyter Martin Oh hasn’t quite been associated with the church for 175 years but says an unshakeable commitment to adapt and support was “a real blessing” throughout its history.
The notable achievements include welcoming the LGBTQIA+ community to its traditional congregation of proud Methodists.
“The biggest challenge this congregation and other Methodist Churches faced was homosexuality issues, they were split within the congregation in a Methodist context and some of them left the church,” he says.
“I saw that pain at church, there would be the same family at the same church, and they couldn’t talk to each other because of that issue.
“In early 1990 as a Methodist church, we decided to embrace, doesn’t matter who you are… that was the biggest change and that was a painful process. By being welcoming and inclusive we retain the members we’ve got, and we do attract others to come in too.”
Martin says restoring social issues was also a mainstay, exemplified by its engagement with the Red Cross to aid Nelson Tasman refugees and the homeless.
Supporting organisations like Birchwood and Stoke schools, Women’s Refuge, LifeLinc, the Male Room and Victory Community Centre had also been a game-changer.
The church’s current building is the fourth in its history with the first two erected on Main Rd Stoke in 1849 and 1915, and in the early 1960s a new building was erected on Neale Ave.
In 2013 the church building failed to meet earthquake standards, prompting the land and building to be put up for sale, and it was sold the following year with the land and the church demolished to make way for a development of townhouses.
The western wing of the remaining 1965 hall and youth block was converted in 2015 into a chapel for the congregation’s latest site, and a large stained-glass window from the Church of Christ the Good Shepherd was reinstated.
Various Nelson Tasman churches have amalgamated with the Stoke church since 2015 to become the Nelson Tasman Methodist Parish.
Martin says the church is currently exploring the ideas to introduce younger members regardless of their background or beliefs in light of its ageing membership.
