We are over two hundred years old at East Peckham Methodist Church and we have a long and cherished history. The Church is the people and the people who call themselves Methodist have love for God and love for their neighbour at the heart of all they do. Our building is our home and we are given the task of making that home a loving place that serves the needs of others and where all can feel they belong. The story of building that home is an interesting and ever changing one. It is a story filled with the grit and determination of ordinary people and the faithfulness of God. The story begins in 1798 when an application was made to the local magistrates by a congregation calling themselves Methodists. This was for the house of a carpenter, William Moore, to be licensed as a place set aside for, 'the worship of Almighty God.' This is the earliest known fact about East Peckham Methodist. From those early beginnings the Church was dependent on the work and witness of its own members, a tradition that continues to this day. Weslyan Cottages were built and were used for the work of the Church up to 1889. The Methodist congregation increasingly felt the need for a building of its own - a Chapel and the first was built in 1821. The congregation flourished with singing in worship accompanied by an orchestra and a school met on a Sunday for children who worked in the week. It's here that they were taught to read and write. In 1877 there was a need for a larger building.