Walworth Methodist Church is located on the busy Camberwell Road, half way between the Elephant and Castle and Camberwell Green. In 2013 we celebrated 200 years of continuous Methodist worship and witness on our site. During this time the congregation, like the local neighbourhood, has changed and both would be unrecognisable to those who founded the church. In the 1930s Revd Jimmy Butterworth, on
e of the pioneers of youth work, rebuilt the church premises as ‘Clubland’ – not once, but twice, after the new chapel was gutted by wartime bombing. In order to fund the work he built up a remarkable international network of supporters, including many of the celebrities of the time. By the 1970s the congregation had gone into decline but found a new lease of life in the ministry of Revd Vic Watson, who energised the congregation to engage in improving community relations in what was now an increasingly multiracial neighbourhood. The congregation has continued to grow, so that now we have some 550 members on the roll. Today it is a mostly black congregation, with particularly strong representation from West Africa. This is reflected in our worship, particularly the 11am service, and has undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the church. We support a number of fellowships, some like the Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe fellowships organised on ethnic/geographical grounds, and others such as the men’s, women’s and young adults’ fellowships catering to particular sectors within the church community. We are proud of our 40-strong choir which contributes to making our worship so vibrant and sings every week at the 11am service. We are part of the Southwark and Deptford Circuit of the Methodist Church. If you are in the area, why not join us for Sunday worship. Alternatively contact us for details of our various midweek activities.
