The Fetter Lane Congregation of the Moravian
Church was founded in 1742 by members of
the Church who had come to London in search of passage to the British colonies
in the Caribbean
in order to take the Gospel to the slave
communities. They realised that there was work to do here in this country
and that there were people
here, like James Hutton and the Wesley Brothers
with whom to do it. After holding worship meetings in peoples' homes, a
permanent place
was created at Fetter Lane in the heart of
the City of London. The congregation, which was served by ministers from
Germany and Great Britain, also had
links with the Moravian Chapel and burial
ground (God’s Acre)
in Chelsea based around Lindsey House.
Unfortunately the Fetter Lane Chapel was
destroyed by enemy bombing in 1941 and the congregation became disparate,
worshipping in chapels of various denominations, mostly south of the
Thames.
Eventually, in the 1960s it was decided to
re-establish the Fetter Lane Congregation
at the Chelsea site. This is where the congregation has worshipped ever
since, with the responsibility
of looking after the God's Acre, which contains
the graves of such as Peter Böhler, John Cennick and James Hutton.
We must remember that the Moravian Church
is a missionary church, and the members of
the Congregation have identified how they, in this place, may be “fit
for purpose”:
PRAISE - We are here to praise God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, through our worship
and witness.
PROCLAMATION - Our calling as Christians
is to proclaim to the world the Gospel
of Jesus Christ; to show people God’s love shown to us in Jesus
Christ, and how acceptance of that can
change lives.
PRESENCE - We must be seen as part of the
community in which we are situated, sharing
concerns and meeting needs.
PRAYER - As part of the community, we must
pray for the community, and pray with the community.
Fairtrade
The congregation is registered
with the Fairtrade Foundation as a Fairtrade
church, and is firmly committed to the three goals of using
Fairtrade tea and coffee after services and
in all our meetings; moving forward on using other
Fairtrade products such as sugar, biscuits
and fruit; and promotes Fairtrade during Fairtrade
Fortnight and whenever possible.
Travel to Moravian Close, Chelsea, by
public transport
By tube to SOUTH KENSINGTON
After passing through ticket barrier,
take right hand stairway, turn right at the
top. Bus stop immediately outside the
entrance.
Bus 49 or 345.
Alight at King’s Road/Beaufort Street (both 49 and 345 have
electronic destination boards on board).
Walk back a few metres to the King’s Road, turn left by the shoe
shop, resisting the temptation to go in; walk past Leyland DIY, and
the Post Office; bear left at the book shop and past Carphone Warehouse.
You will see the Flower Hut - entrance to Moravian Close through the
gates just beyond the hut.
