Our History

Methodism officially opened its doors in Martin Way on 15 September 1934, after more then two years of preliminary planning and consultation. Gifts toward the building which is now the church hall ranged from a single anonymous donation of £1,000 to a gift of three shillings (fifteen pence) collected in the shape of 144 farthings. The total cost including the purchase of the site, was £4,675 15s 8d.

The opening was conducted with great ceremony and rejoicing and the first sermon was preached by the young Rev Donald Soper, MA PhD.

This building served its large congregation well for twenty three years and after much fund raising and help from the War Damage Compensation paid to Upper Tooting Church, the stonelaying for the new church was performed on 14 September 1957 and the official opening was on 10 May 1958.

The church was consecrated by Rev George H Simpson, the then Chairman of the South West District, assisted by Rev Erastus Evans, who had done much of the early negotiating and planning during his ministry at Martin Way.

A local newspaper report in March 1934 spoke of a Church “…which will be a centre of spiritual activity and a local landmark worthy of this purpose”. For this we continue to work and we pray that our redevelopment will enable more people in the community to become part of Martin Way Methodist Church.

Ministers at Martin Way

Dates	Minister	Dates	Minister
Before 1934	Rev A C Parker	1950-52	Rev H C Veale
1934-35	Rev B Dewhurst	1952-56	Rev E Evans
1935-36	Rev C C Wilkes	1956-57	Rev L Procter
1936-39	Rev G Maskell	1957-60	Rev D Inman
1939-41	Rev W H Brackenbury	1960-68	Rev G Baugh
1941/44	Rev E S Nodded	1968-70	Rev D Knighton
1944 (Sept)	Rev J Taylor	1970-74	Rev R Walters Dunstan
1944 (Oct)	Rev D Holwell	1974-78	Rev Ewart Wilson
1944 (Nov/Dec)	Rev T L Jones	1978-85	Rev Hedley Lyddon
1945	Rev J Maybe	1985-95	Rev Philip Moore
1946	Rev John Vivian	1995-2000	Rev David Chapman
1946-49	Rev G R Hostelow	2000-2003	Rev Anne Rusbridge
1949-50	Rev R K Walker	2003-2008	Rev John Nyota
		2008-	Rev Paul Timmis