When I started to work out my association with Wesley Hall, my\u00a0timeline continued to go backwards. Right up to the opening. My family\u00a0has long ties with Plumstead, and it was mainly with my Nan’s cousin\u00a0Stan Hopgood that I look back at the most. Grandad Stan, as my sister\u00a0and I called him, as both our natural grandfathers passed away before our\u00a0parents even met, was a member of the church from the start, as he\u00a0only lived a few doors away at No.4 Timbercroft Lane.<\/p>\n
I remember talking to Stan about Wesley Hall when I was young (about\u00a06\/7 – I think), as I had been to a pre-school at the church, and was\u00a0going to the summer playschemes. He told me stories about the scout\u00a0troop he started there when he was only about 16, with a couple of\u00a0friends, and this got my interest heightened. But, it was thanks to my\u00a0uncle Keith who told me stories of the fun he had as one of Stan’s\u00a0scouts, that made me want more. It was in October 1985 that my mum\u00a0(who had also been a Brownie at Wesley Hall) brought me to my first\u00a0cub meeting. It was then that I met Riki, Baloo, and Raksha (or Paul,\u00a0Jan, and Karen as you’ll know them) for the first time as my cub\u00a0leaders. My personal connection with the church had now begun. Twenty\u00a0nine years later I’m still here, now following in my Grandad Stan’s\u00a0shoes as the Scout Troop leader!<\/p>\n
It’s been an amazing roller coaster in that time. From the many scout\u00a0evenings, and gang show rehearsal weekends I have spent at Wesley\u00a0Hall, even to the short time I was in a rock band holding weekly\u00a0rehearsals in the main hall, the church has been a major part of my\u00a0life. Both of my daughters, Laurie & Holly, have had Wesley Hall play\u00a0major parts of life too. They have both had early birthday parties in\u00a0the hall, and to being part of the scout group as soon as they were old\u00a0enough to join. Holly was also christened at Wesley Hall, in June\u00a02006.<\/p>\n
Holly too, now has a key part in the modern history of Wesley Hall. It\u00a0was on Friday 17th June 2011, when my wife Claire came down to open up\u00a0the church for our group night. It was meant to be Claire’s first\u00a0evening running a Beaver night on her, but it didn’t turn out that\u00a0way. As Claire was unlocking the scout hut Holly noticed smoke coming\u00a0from the side of the shed, and from the kitchen window. She quickly\u00a0alerted her mum, quickly raised the alarm, after she had unwittingly\u00a0disturbed the arsonist still setting the fire. I arrived on the\u00a0scene just before the fire brigade, and the scene I found still brings\u00a0back such vivid memories. Even as I write this now, it brings a tear\u00a0to my eye. Because the arsonist was disturbed, and the alarm raised,\u00a0the fire was extinguished before any lasting damage was done. A few\u00a0days later when we got our first look at the damage it was seeing the\u00a0christening’s role board all melted, with Holly’s name still just\u00a0visible, it made me think that it was someone blessed at the church,\u00a0that helped save the church. I still feel that it wasWesley Hall herself\u00a0sending us a clear message, she wasn’t going anywhere.<\/p>\n
But, like the legendary Phoenix, Wesley Hall rose out of the ashes and\u00a0is now more healthier than ever. I think that people that came here\u00a0years ago would be shocked at the changes. After all, radiators and\u00a0comfy chairs! I certainly remember my early church parade days of drafty hall and wooden benches.<\/p>\n
My family is now on its sixth generation of links to the church, and\u00a0there is no sign that it won’t move on to following generations. It’s\u00a0amazing to see that the church is still here, after all it has seen,\u00a0and still going after 100 years!<\/p>\n
Happy birthday Wesley Hall!<\/p>\n
\u00a0Simon Emmett,\u00a0Scout Leader<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I started to work out my association with Wesley Hall, my\u00a0timeline continued to go backwards. Right up to the opening. My family\u00a0has long ties with Plumstead, and it was mainly with my Nan’s cousin\u00a0Stan Hopgood that I look back at the most. Grandad Stan, as my sister\u00a0and I called him, as both our natural … Continue reading My generations game at Wesley Hall<\/span>