Wesley Guild
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| Motto | "One Heart, One Way" (Jeremiah 32:38) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 30 July 1896 |
| Founders |
Rev W.B. FitzGerald, Rev Charles H. Kelly |
| Location |
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| Origins | Liverpool |
Area served | International |
Key people |
Presiding Bishop, Connexional President |
| Website | www.wesleyguild.org.za |
The Wesley Guild (also known as WG or Methodist Guild) is a worldwide Christian organisation aimed to retain young people within the Wesleyan Church. It was founded on 30 July 1896 in Liverpool, England and its aim is to help young people to band together using the model known as four Cs (4Cs of Christ) that stands for the: Comradeship of young Methodists, Consecration of body, soul and spirit to the Lord Jesus Christ, Culture of mind to ensure thoughtful and intelligent life, and Christian Service for the building up of the Church and the Kingdom of God. These 4Cs are also reflected on Royal Blue and Gold Wesley Guild logo (cross-like logo) with the motto being “One Heart, One Way”
Its head office used to be in England until 1942 when the Methodist conference incorporated the Wesley Guild to the Youth department that included other entities for young people.
Beginnings
The Wesley Guild was founded by Rev Charles Henry Kelly and Rev W. Blackburn FitzGerald. Charles advised the Church the importance of retaining young people who lost each year by the Methodism after leaving Sunday school while Blackburh formed a group to work with young people for devotional purposes, evangelism, prayer and overseas missions. On the 30th of July 1896 the Wesleyan Conference gave a go ahead for the Wesley Guild to operate in the United Kingdom, in 1899 it expanded to West Africa (Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone), it later was introduced in Canada, British Guyana and Southern Africa( Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa and Botswana) in 1918 (later formally introduced on 6 April 1966) with the exception of Mozambique that had another model of youth organisation established in 1957.
Membership
Open only to the members of the Methodist Church. In Southern Africa and Sri Lanka the Wesley Guild remains an entity of the Methodist Youth Department and the large number of membership consist of young people while in the rest of the world the organization’s membership consist of young adults and those that are not particularly youthful . Since inception there has been no age limits for the Wesley Guilds leaving the organisation with three grades of members that include young people who are already attached to the Church, with others not yet ripe for such identification, and “older people but young at heart"
Aims and objectives of the Wesley Guild
- To foster and promote discipline in Christ amongst young people in and outside the Church in general and those within the department in particular through implementation of the 4C’s for Christ (Consecration, Comradeship, Creativity, and Community Development).
- To encourage young people to devote themselves and to take active participation in the affairs of the Church, growth and development of the Church [Priesthood of all Believers].
- To deepen the spirituality of young people by promoting earnest study of the Bible as individuals, through bible studies and evangelistic programs.
- To promote loyalty to the work of God in general and the Church, in particular.
- To present God through the Church.
Motto
ONE HEART, ONE WAY - The motto of the Wesley Guild was suggested by the heraldic motto of Earl of Exeter - Cor unum, via una. A cross-like emblem that was placed at the entrance of the Castle of the Earl of Exeter in Britain had this inscription as taken from the Bible Book of Jeremiah 32:38 and was used as a guiding principle for the knights of the Earl. The emblem was adopted for the use of the Wesley Guild in 1898 and formally used in 1903 when the Wesley Guild charter first introduced.
Wesley Guild pin
Long before the Guilds introduced the royal blue uniform, the Wesley Guild pin became the symbol. The Royal Blue Cross: Pointing four directions and representing the basic Christian Principles:Faith, Love, Hope, and Peace with the Motto: One Heart, One Way and the WG acronym at the center. The Wesley Guild pin is not just part of the uniform. It’s worn on the left, right on top of the heart on purpose. It means confidentiality about people’s issues. You should keep people’s matter in confidentiality as they tell us things with trust and hope that we will not spread them around.
International Presence
The Wesley Guild spread from Britain to the other parts of the world as early as 1898 in Sri Lanka, by 1908 there were about 120 Guilds that were operating outside Britain with the biggest number in Trinidad and Barbados and a few in Gibraltar. In 1909 there were Guilds in India, Ceylon, China, South Central Africa, West Indies. South Africa saw the introduction of the organisation in 1918 mostly in the White side of the Methodist Church, the black congregations saw the introduction of the Guilds in the 1940s and Italy in 1923.
The Wesley Guild is active in twelve countries
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The Wesley Guild has ceased to exist in these countries
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Magazine
| Editor |
Thobelani Ncapai (Founding Editor) Siphelele Zosiwe |
|---|---|
| Categories | Christianity |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation | 70 000 |
| Publisher | Wesley Guild (SA) |
| First issue | September 25, 2012 |
| Country | South Africa |
| Language | English |
| Website |
www |
| ISSN | 2304-7631 |
Wesley Guild magazine is a Christian, lifestyle and fashion magazine for young people published in South Africa by WGSA and distributed in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho.
Other Publications
There has been many publications that tell the Wesley Guild story including; Fifty years for the youth, Guide to the Guild, A Methodist Youth Department, A Guide as a family Fellowship, WESLEY GUILD-The first Hundred Years, Effective and Discipleship-driven Wesley Guild
History
Wesley Guild magazine founded by Thobelani Ncapai and Qhawe Teyise, it was first published in September 2012.
Target audience
Wesley Guild magazine is a monthly magazine that encourages, equips, and engages Christians of all ages with special emphasis on young people. The magazine features stories about how the Lord has touched the lives of both ordinary and well-known Christians in a remarkable way with regular columns that combine Christian news, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, inspirational content and legal matters.
See also
- Thobelani Ncapai
- Qhawe Teyise
- Silumko Nzube
- Siphelele Zosiwe
- Xolani Mkalali