Where the Lost Things Go : Waiting in the Place

We pick up the story of Jacob now as he and his family prepare to meet Esau, his estranged brother. Jacob is right to be wary of his brother, since he robbed him of his birthright when they were younger. He sends his herds of sheep and goats, as well as his slaves ahead of him as a gift in an attempt to quell any anger Esau may have towards him.

Before Jacob meets his brother, though, he has an interesting encounter. He sends his wives and family across a stream with the rest of his possessions until he is the only one left. As he stands alone on the bank of the stream he is approached by a man and they begin to wrestle.

This tussle wasn’t a short lived scrap but lasted all night and in the end the man dislocates Jacob’s hip in order to bring an end to the fight. Even with this injury, Jacob refuses to let go until this man has blessed him.

Jacob, who is fond of naming places, calls this one Peniel which means face of God. It was at this place that he wrestled God and lived.

This week we look at a number of churches that suffered struggles on their journey. We start with Trinity Methodist,

Whitley Bay, a Wesleyan chapel that was built in 1885 and was situated on Whitley Road where the health centre is located now. We don’t know a lot about the church other than on the 29th August 1940 a 500lb bomb hit the church.

A little further down Whitley Road stood the United Free Methodist Church that would later become known as St Margaret’s. This church had begun in a cottage on Simpson Street in Cullercoats in 1868 and moved into the building in 1878 when the then President of Conference, Revd A Halliday, spoke at its first service. It grew over the years, adding a school hall in 1891. In 1899 the church left its circuit to become a one church circuit.

On the 16th October 1903 the church caught fire during some building work, completely destroying it. From its ashes a new chapel was built, opening in 1904. Its ministry continued until major repairs meant the church had to close in 1989.*

Up the road from St Margaret’s was John Street Primitive Methodist Church. There had been a chapel on the site since 1833. This was developed in 1868 when revival hit North Shields and the surrounding area. An even bigger chapel was built in 1900 alongside the existing one. But in 1942 on 8th August a German plane dropped a bomb on the church, completely destroying it and killing 13 year old Dennis Armstrong who was in the church alone, practicing on the organ.

With John Street destroyed, a new home was found within weeks in the Monks Haven guest house on Beverly Terrace. Eventually the stable at the back was converted into a chapel and the church met here until its current building was finished in Cullercoats in 1957.

*Some note the chapel was closed and demolished quickly as there were those who wanted to list the building.

Jacob receives his blessing after a wrestling match that left him in pain and struggling. The stories of three of these chapels are also ones of struggle. Yet despite the destruction and setbacks that they suffered, God’s people persevered.

The people of Trinity joined St John’s and other churches and continued to worship with them. St Margaret’s rebuilt after the fire and continued to grow. John Street became Monks Haven which in turn became Cullercoats Methodist.

To quote Harry Taylor, a member of John Street, “We’ve lost the ship, but the crew are sound and we can build her again”.

Questions to reflect on:

1.If something with sentimental value breaks are you more likely to…?
a.Keep it even though it is broken
b.Throw it away and buy a new one
c.Find someone who can fix it
d.Try and fix it yourself
2.Why have you chosen that answer?
3.When was the last time you struggled to do something?
Did you manage to complete the task? Or did you give up? 4.Would you ever say that you have wrestled with God? Are you still wrestling? How would you describe this experience?
5.If the chapel that you worship in on a Sunday no longer existed what do you think you would do? a.Build a new one on the same site
b.Build a new one somewhere else
c.Go to another church elsewhere
d.Meet in another building in the area e.Something else
6.What are your reasons for choosing that answer?