The Church
Part of the Methodist Church in the UK, at the heart of Great Ayton since 1914 — one church on two sites, Great Ayton and Easby.
Who we are
Great Ayton Methodist Church is part of the Methodist Church within the UK. The church is a part of the Stokesley ‘circuit’ of churches, which is in turn a part of the Darlington district. This circuit of six churches is led by two ministers, one based in Stokesley and the other in Great Ayton. The church is also an active member of Churches Together in Great Ayton, an association of the village's Christian churches.
The Methodist Church in Great Britain separated from the Anglican Church in 1784. Our church on the High Street opened in 1914, but Methodists were meeting and worshipping in the village for many years before that. The calling of the Methodist Church in the United Kingdom is to respond to the gospel of God's love in Christ and to live out its discipleship in worship and mission. It does this through:
Worship
The Church exists to increase awareness of God's presence and to celebrate God's love.
Learning and Caring
The Church exists to help people grow and learn as Christians, through mutual support and care.
Service
The Church exists to be a good neighbour to people in need and to challenge injustice.
Evangelism
The Church exists to make more followers of Jesus Christ.
Great Ayton Methodist Church is an inclusive church that aims to share God's love with all people.
Our beliefs
About God
God is the loving Creator of all that exists, both seen and unseen. God is eternal and completely good. He knows all things and has all power and majesty. God exists as Trinity — in three persons, yet one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God passionately desires an individual relationship with us and toward this end he continually invites us into a relationship of faith, friendship, learning and service.
Genesis 1:1 | Matthew 28:19 | John 14:6-9, 15-17 | 2 Corinthians 13:14 | John 16:7-15 | 1 John 4:9-10
About Jesus Christ
God expressed himself in human form through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, preaching and performing miracles, but was crucified for the sins of us all. He was buried but rose again from the dead and ascended to heaven.
Colossians 1:13-23 | John 14:1-3 | Colossians 2:8-14 | Hebrews 1:1-3 | 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 | Acts 10:42-43 | Matthew 22:36-40 | 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is sent from God to live inside all who believe in Jesus Christ. The Spirit teaches, comforts and empowers us, giving each of us different gifts to use for God's glory, fostering unity, Christ-like character and love among Christians and for other people.
Romans 5:5 | Ephesians 4:3-4 | Romans 8 | Ephesians 5:18 | 1 Corinthians 12:14 | John 14:26 | Galatians 5:16-25 | John 16:7-14 | Ephesians 3:16
About the Bible
God speaks to us in the Bible. It is our privilege to seek to understand God's message and apply it responsibly and faithfully to our lives. The Bible is our standard and guide in all we say and do. We believe the Bible addresses real life today and that God's unchangeable message can and should be presented in fresh, relevant and timely ways. We seek to read and respond to its message with a disciplined imagination, openness and humility.
Psalm 19:7-11 | 2 Timothy 2:15 | Psalm 119:9-16 | 2 Timothy 3:14-17 | Joshua 1:7-8 | Hebrews 4:12 | Matthew 5:17-19 | 2 Peter 1:16-21 | Acts 17:11 | 2 Peter 3:14-18
About Salvation
All people are created with dignity and value in the image of God, to live in a close and personal relationship with God. However, through our sin we break our intended relationship with God. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from those consequences and to restore our broken relationship with God and others. He did this through Christ's death on the cross, which is a perfect act of redemption for each of us. Salvation comes to people on the basis of God's grace through faith in Jesus alone.
1 Peter 2:24 | John 3:16 | 1 Peter 3:18 | John 5:24 | Romans 3:9-28 | Ephesians 2:1-10 | Romans 6:23 | Titus 3:3-8 | Romans 10:9-10 | James 2:14-26
Our vision
Our mission and vision plan was born from a survey of members, with meetings of members and Council guiding its development. This work identified key areas on which the church should focus — being:
- vibrant in worship and being
- ecumenical
- prayerful
- attractive to the community
- community integrated
- growing in Spirit and in member numbers
- a place for all
From this, the leadership team put forward a detailed action plan agreed by church council and church members. The implementation plan is a clearly thought-out strategy to ensure that the church is sustainable in the long term, keeps Methodist values at its heart with a focus on worship and prayer, is community based, and is a place for all.
The church building
Situated centrally in Great Ayton on the High Street, the church is close to the centre of the village and has stunning views over the River Leven, the village's sports fields and the Cleveland Hills.
As well as the worship area, the church has a number of rooms of differing sizes that are used for church events and activities and are also available to hire. There is a large hall split over two levels, smaller spaces for meetings, and a fully equipped kitchen that allows the preparation of meals for the community as well as for church events.
The church is accessible to all. It has a wheelchair and pushchair friendly ramp to the front door, a lift giving access to the main floor, and an accessible toilet and baby change area. Find out more on our Facilities and Room Hire page.
In September 2024, following a period of discussion and consultation, Easby Methodist Chapel joined with Great Ayton to become one church on two sites. The small chapel at Easby holds a family service every month on a Sunday morning, a monthly midweek service and ‘guild’ meetings throughout the year.
A potted history
Opened over one hundred years ago, the church has seen many developments. In the 1960s the ‘youth hall’ was built, providing facilities for events, activities, meetings and catering, and the original church benches were replaced by individual chairs. More recently the kitchen was improved to allow the preparation of full meals, and a great deal of work was done to modernise and improve access to the building, including lifts and a ramp for people with mobility difficulties.
Did you know?
The illuminated window in the church is a celebration of the local area, comprising over 20 ‘icons’ particular or typical of the area — some from Great Ayton itself, others from further afield. As the picture took shape, the path became a dominant feature — perhaps a ‘path of life’ involving many twists and turns, with obstacles in the way but with the means to overcome them through God's grace. It was installed in March 2010.
Eco Church
Great Ayton Methodist Church holds the silver ‘Eco Church’ award and is working towards gold. With solar panels, battery storage, air source heat pumps and a 100% renewable electricity contract, we're as close to carbon neutral as we can be at this time. Read more on our Net Zero page.
Church leadership
The minister is assisted in the leadership of the church by a team of people appointed as stewards in line with the Methodist Church's procedural rules. They represent the key aspects of the church's work: the four key mission areas (worship, church in the community, children and young people, and pastoral), the senior steward, and the leaders of property, IT, communications and administration, and finance.
The church council meets three times per year and is the formal decision-making body of the church. As the church is a registered charity, the general church meeting serves as the Annual General Meeting. You can find out who the church leaders and key contacts are on our Meet the Team page.
Come and see us
Everyone is warmly welcome at any of our services — we'd love to have you join us.