News & Events 2023
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Sunday, May 21 - Wesley Day Celebration
John Wesley
(1703-1791) preaching at Epworth Market Cross |
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Charles Wesley
(1707-1788) preacher and hymn writer |
Pilgrim People Brisbane celebrated Wesley Day at their regular service of worship on Sunday 21 May 2023 at 2.30pm. The service set out to commemorate the life and work of prominent members of the Wesley family: John Wesley (1703-1791), preacher and co-founder of the Methodist movement; Charles Wesley (1797-1788), John’s brother, hymn writer and co-founder of the Methodist movement; Samuel Wesley (1766-1837), Charles Wesley’s son, composer; and Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876), Samuel Wesley’s son, also a composer.
The service incorporated seven well-loved hymns from the pen of Charles Wesley, which were sung enthusiastically by the congregation. The hymns included ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’, ‘You servants of God’, ‘Let him to whom we now belong’, ‘O thou who camest from above’, ‘All praise to our redeeming Lord’, ‘Forth in your name’, and ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’.
Rev Ray Herrmann was our guest preacher for the service, and delivered the sermon focusing on the history, work and legacy of John and Charles Wesley. Bringing a depth of knowledge about the Wesleys, Ray took this opportunity to survey the immense contribution the Wesleys and Methodism made to 18th Century societal reform in Britain. He then challenged us all to value our own denominational heritage. At the conclusion of his sermon, the Covenant Prayer from the traditional Methodist Covenant Service was shared by all - I am no longer my own, but yours…
The Pilgrim Singers, conducted by Tim Smetham, contributed two anthems to the worship: ‘Behold the servant of the Lord’ (words by Charles Wesley and music by WA Mozart) and ‘We are one in the spirit’ (words by Peter Scholtes and music by Steven Nisbet).
The organ music, played by Dr Steven Nisbet, included Samuel Wesley’s ‘Old English Melody’, Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s ‘Choral Song’, and ‘Wondering Soul’ a movement from Steven’s Wesley Suite for Organ, written in honour of the Wesley family.
After the Service the warmth of fellowship continued around the afternoon tea tables, splendidly laden with gourmet nibbles in the courtyard.
The service incorporated seven well-loved hymns from the pen of Charles Wesley, which were sung enthusiastically by the congregation. The hymns included ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’, ‘You servants of God’, ‘Let him to whom we now belong’, ‘O thou who camest from above’, ‘All praise to our redeeming Lord’, ‘Forth in your name’, and ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’.
Rev Ray Herrmann was our guest preacher for the service, and delivered the sermon focusing on the history, work and legacy of John and Charles Wesley. Bringing a depth of knowledge about the Wesleys, Ray took this opportunity to survey the immense contribution the Wesleys and Methodism made to 18th Century societal reform in Britain. He then challenged us all to value our own denominational heritage. At the conclusion of his sermon, the Covenant Prayer from the traditional Methodist Covenant Service was shared by all - I am no longer my own, but yours…
The Pilgrim Singers, conducted by Tim Smetham, contributed two anthems to the worship: ‘Behold the servant of the Lord’ (words by Charles Wesley and music by WA Mozart) and ‘We are one in the spirit’ (words by Peter Scholtes and music by Steven Nisbet).
The organ music, played by Dr Steven Nisbet, included Samuel Wesley’s ‘Old English Melody’, Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s ‘Choral Song’, and ‘Wondering Soul’ a movement from Steven’s Wesley Suite for Organ, written in honour of the Wesley family.
After the Service the warmth of fellowship continued around the afternoon tea tables, splendidly laden with gourmet nibbles in the courtyard.
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The Wesley Picture History
by Don Keating About the picture The picture of John Wesley (previous page) is a micro-calligraphic drawing and is made up of lines of text handwritten back and forth, this way and that to form the picture. The text it uses is taken from the Journal of John Wesley and starts at the little hand in the left-hand bottom corner. The bit I like is the line under the bible cushion between the tassels. "He would gladly have passed an hour among them and if he had there had been an end to the riot, but the day being spent he was persuaded to go in. The mob then recovered their spirits and fought valiantly with the doors and windows. But about 10 they were weary and went every man to his own home." It comes from a section of Wesley’s diaries in 1746 - How Wesley dealt with a mob. A link to the Journal of John Wesley. Talk about a fiery sermon, … needed the riot squad to put out the flames. |
How I came to have it
In 1858 my great great great grandparents were married in England and soon came to Australia. In 1860 my great great grandfather - Rev William Henry Harrison - was born in Melbourne. His father died 2 days later. WHH and his mother returned to England where he grew up. In 1882 he came to Australia as a Methodist Minister and was sent to a circuit in Maryborough. He brought with him this picture of the life of John Wesley. I was given to believe it was one of just a few handwritten originals.
A reduced photo of this picture was always in our home when I was young and I knew the history. In the 1950s Grandma and Aunty Ruby decided to give the original to Kings College St Lucia because of its significance and WHH's connection to the founding of the college.
Some time later they visited the college at St Lucia and enquired about the picture. An embarrassed ‘Clarry’ Grimmett (Dr Ian Grimmett, Master of King’s College at UQ at the time) had to admit it had been put in a basement store room. It was soon after hung above a doorway near the dining hall.
In the 1980s my parents and sister were in London and visited the Museum of Methodism and saw another copy of the same picture. They were able to point out the little hand in the left-hand bottom corner where the story starts. None of the staff seemed to understand how to read the text.
In the 1990s Rev John Patten became master of Kings and I got to know him quite well. I told him of the history of the picture and asked to borrow it to make a full-size copy. I did that and scanned it into a computer at the same time before returning it. That is how this digital copy came about.
Other micro-calligraphic drawings
In an article about Micro-calligraphic drawing (page 57) an engineer in London describes how he applied mathematical processing to re-establish the text in this and other micro-calligraphic drawings. Some years ago, I tried cutting a copy into a zillion pieces and rotating it this way and that to decipher the text and gave up.
For more about the micro-calligraphic portrait of John Wesley see the
Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society; Volume 59 Part 4; February 2014
Page 136.
[Don Keating, a long-term friend of Adele and Steven Nisbet, read about PPB’s Wesley Day service on Sunday 21st May in the UCA Synod E-News and travelled from Caloundra to attend it.]
In 1858 my great great great grandparents were married in England and soon came to Australia. In 1860 my great great grandfather - Rev William Henry Harrison - was born in Melbourne. His father died 2 days later. WHH and his mother returned to England where he grew up. In 1882 he came to Australia as a Methodist Minister and was sent to a circuit in Maryborough. He brought with him this picture of the life of John Wesley. I was given to believe it was one of just a few handwritten originals.
A reduced photo of this picture was always in our home when I was young and I knew the history. In the 1950s Grandma and Aunty Ruby decided to give the original to Kings College St Lucia because of its significance and WHH's connection to the founding of the college.
Some time later they visited the college at St Lucia and enquired about the picture. An embarrassed ‘Clarry’ Grimmett (Dr Ian Grimmett, Master of King’s College at UQ at the time) had to admit it had been put in a basement store room. It was soon after hung above a doorway near the dining hall.
In the 1980s my parents and sister were in London and visited the Museum of Methodism and saw another copy of the same picture. They were able to point out the little hand in the left-hand bottom corner where the story starts. None of the staff seemed to understand how to read the text.
In the 1990s Rev John Patten became master of Kings and I got to know him quite well. I told him of the history of the picture and asked to borrow it to make a full-size copy. I did that and scanned it into a computer at the same time before returning it. That is how this digital copy came about.
Other micro-calligraphic drawings
In an article about Micro-calligraphic drawing (page 57) an engineer in London describes how he applied mathematical processing to re-establish the text in this and other micro-calligraphic drawings. Some years ago, I tried cutting a copy into a zillion pieces and rotating it this way and that to decipher the text and gave up.
For more about the micro-calligraphic portrait of John Wesley see the
Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society; Volume 59 Part 4; February 2014
Page 136.
[Don Keating, a long-term friend of Adele and Steven Nisbet, read about PPB’s Wesley Day service on Sunday 21st May in the UCA Synod E-News and travelled from Caloundra to attend it.]
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Monday, April 24, 10.30am, Wonderley Street
NOEL STEPS OUT FOR HIS 87TH BIRTHDAY To celebrate his 87th birthday, Noel Adsett will walk from his childhood home in Wonderley Street past the schools he attended from kindergarten till he passed the Senior Public Examination 70 years ago, and home again. The map shows –
The walk is 5.5 km long. It will begin in Wonderley Street at 10.30 am on Monday 24 April 2023. Noel hopes to finish his walk in Wonderley Street at 12.30 pm.
Relatives and friends are invited to sponsor Noel by donating towards medical support and research carried out by Diabetes Australia. |
Donations can be transferred securely by following simple prompts on the Diabetes Australia website: https://birthday.gofundraise.com.au/page/NOEL-83543523 Birthday | NOEL ADSETT (gofundraise.com.au) If you can attend on the day, please join the group of supporters for a BYO picnic lunch in The Gardens in Lindsay Street. | ||
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Saturday 29th April 2023 at 3pm
Pilgrim People Brisbane and the Organ Society of Queensland present A Right Royal Organ Recital A concert of British music to mark the upcoming Coronation of King Charles III Featuring OSQ Past President and Pilgrim People Brisbane’s organist Dr Steven Nisbet OAM Book through 4MBS (3847-1717) during business hours or online at 4MBS |
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Past Events This Year
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Friday 7th April at 10.30am, Merthyr Road Uniting Church, New Farm.
‘The Passion of Christ’ by Percy Fletcher For Brisbane music lovers, Good Friday 2023 will be the first opportunity in many decades to hear “The Passion of Christ” by Percy Fletcher. This meaningful but delightful work will be incorporated in Pilgrim People Brisbane’s Good Friday service on Friday 7th April at 10.30am. Adele Nisbet will conduct The Pilgrim Singers, and the soloists will be Zoe Catchpole (soprano), Aylish Ryan (mezzo- soprano), Graham Godfrey (tenor) and Dallas Tippet (baritone). Dr Steven Nisbet will accompany the work on Pilgrim’s magnificent three-manual Allen G330 digital organ at Merthyr Road Uniting Church, New Farm. Composer Percy Fletcher lived from 1879 to 1932 and was writing music during the early 20th century around the same time as Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and Eric Coates (1866-1957) were composing. During his lifetime, Percy Fletcher played violin, piano and organ and made his living as a musical director in the London theatre world. He composed not only music for the world of theatre in London but also classical works – music for choirs, orchestras and organ. He even completed some unfinished music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who died in 1912. With Fletcher’s background, it is no wonder that his “Passion of Christ” has a very lyrical quality to it. It is a work that many choirs in England turn to at Easter when they want a change from the much performed works such as “The Crucifixion” by John Stainer (1840-1901) and “Olivet to Calvary” by John Maunder (1858-1920). See the attached flyer for more details of this historic event. |
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Sunday 26th March 2.30pm
‘Big Ideas’ Series Youth Justice Getting the balance right! Presenters: Ms Janet McKeon – lawyer and former CEO of Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC) which supports 10–17-year-olds in the youth justice system. Rev Dr Wayne Sanderson – retired UCA minister, clinical pastoral psychologist, co-designer of the Lifeline National Youth Suicide Prevention Program, consultant in social policy & community mental health; researcher& advocate for Youth Justice reform. |
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