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About Us

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Welcome

Claremont Methodist Church is a welcoming community within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and part of the worldwide Methodist tradition. We are committed to growing in faith, serving with compassion, and sharing God’s grace with all.

As a Methodist congregation, we follow the teachings of John Wesley, with an emphasis on grace, holiness, and service. Whether you are exploring faith, seeking a spiritual home, or looking to grow in your walk with God, we invite you to journey with us

Our Core Values

Our core values guide us as we live out our faith in the world. Rooted in the Methodist tradition,  these values shape who we are as a community and inspire us to follow Christ’s example in everything we do.

We seek to reflect the character of Jesus in all we do, living with love, humility, integrity, and grace, so that others may see Him through us.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we live in daily dependence on God’s presence, listening for His voice and walking boldly in His guidance.

Rooted in Scripture and unwavering in trust, we remain steadfast in our commitment to God, to one another, and to the mission He’s called us to.

We are moved by the heart of Jesus to love others deeply,  caring for the hurting, welcoming the outsider, and standing with those in need.

With open hands and joyful hearts, we give our time, resources, and talents to bless others and advance God’s Kingdom.

Our History

Claremont Methodist Church (1903 – 2021)
By the 1890s, the population of the central area of Cape Town had increased greatly, and those who could, began to move away “seeking rural quiet or pure sea air”! (Whiteside, J. History of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of South Africa, 1906, p. 83). It seems that there had been a Methodist Church in the Claremont area as early as 1859, but that building was sold in 1879, and it was another 25 years before another church building was built and dedicated. In the meantime, Mr JW Wood bought Herschel, a six-acre estate in Claremont, and the first recorded meetings and services for Methodists in Claremont were held there for a while. There is also record of services being held in the Mechanics Hall in Station Road, and in a “tin chapel” quite close to the site of the present church. The foundation stones of the present church were laid in 1903, and the building was opened in 1904. This stone building still stands on that site, with various additions and alterations having taken place over the years. The early years of this congregation were not easy, and it is reported that the initial congregation consisted of about 24 families, “none of them wealthy”. There seems to have been no consistent ministerial leadership until 1911 when the Rev. Joseph Broadhead, who had retired from many years of Missionary Service in India and was living in Claremont, offered his services to the congregation. He spent 14 years there, and the congregation grew under his dedicated ministry. From then on, Claremont has been served by many ministers, and throughout the years it has maintained its ministry within the Claremont/Newlands (and further afield) region. In 2024 Claremont celebrated the 120th anniversary of the opening of the stone church (now extended).
Kenilworth Methodist Church (1896 – 2021)

Kenilworth Methodist Church in 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, traces its history back to 1895 when the Wynberg Circuit Quarterly Meeting decided to purchase land in what was then known as Claremont Flats (later Harfield Village). One of the Wynberg Society members owned a stone quarry in Fish Hoek, and donated the stone that was used in the building of this early Gothic style church. The church opened in 1896 with six members, the first minister was appointed in 1898, and gradually the congregation made its presence felt in the neighbourhood, which in the early days served a mix of “white” and “black” worshippers. Attempts to set up a “black mission” were abandoned as those who were envisaged as becoming part of the Mission were moved away from the area after an outbreak of the Plague. In 1918 the Kenilworth congregation became part of a Mission Circuit; in the 1950s it was included in the Diep River and Kenilworth Circuit; in 1961 it was included in the Ottery Road and Kenilworth Circuit. Over the years numbers of “coloured” families moved into Harfield Village, and gradually the profile of the congregation changed, with many of the early members apparently moving to Claremont. The impact of the Group Areas Act (1966) on the Kenilworth Church, as on so many others, when residents of the area were moved far and wide across the Cape Flats, was devastating. But as many as possibly could do so, returned to services Sunday by Sunday to their church “home”, Kenilworth Methodist Church. One member is quoted in the 1996 Centenary Celebration booklet as saying that she was eventually able to put her anger aside in 1995, and go back to the church for the first time. She found many old friends, now seniors, there who welcomed her back.

The congregation celebrated the 120th Anniversary of the Church in 2016. Sadly, dwindling numbers and financial challenges led to many discussions about the future of the congregation. After various suggestions at a number of meetings through 2020 and 2021, the hard decision had to be made to close the Kenilworth Church and unite the Kenilworth and Claremont congregations. There were attempts to continue irregular services of worship at the Kenilworth Church, but once the decision to unite was made, little, if any, interest was shown in that option. (The church building is still used as a place of worship, but the congregation has no connection with the Methodist Church)

Kenilworth Claremont Methodist Church (2021 – date)

The ministry and witness of the two churches have moved through various stages in the past 129 years. Online services during Covid (2020-2021) allowed members of both congregations to get to “know” each other a bit better. Once “in-person worship” started again, the members of the Kenilworth congregation who chose to move to Claremont and the members of the Claremont congregation have gradually got to know each other, and appreciate each other’s gifts. Kenilworth-Claremont Church is a place of worship and witness in Claremont, now with an increasingly diverse congregation, seeking God’s will for its members as they look ahead. As South African society continues to change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not, this congregation will continue to respond to the challenges God sets before it by being responsive to “God’s whispers” and following God’s way.

The current outreach ministries of the congregation include the following:

  • Online recordings of Sunday morning services (see YouTube, Spotify)
  • An active Social media presence through Facebook & Instagram
  • Weekly morning Bible Study (Wednesdays 10:00 at the church)
  • Weekly evening Wynberg Circuit Bible Study, 19:00 (Zoom)
  • Weekly ministry at Rosedon House, a residential facility in Lansdowne for adults with Cerebral Palsy who are not able to live alone or with their families.
  • A Monthly service at Quadrant Gardens, a retirement complex in Claremont.
  • Home Communion for members no longer able to attend services at the church.
  • Helping to support a mission partner from Claremont, who has been working in Bosnia for more than 20 years.
  • Providing sandwiches (once a week, as part of a Wynberg Circuit mission outreach) as well as holiday food parcels for some of the “food-insecure” families at the Ottery Road Methodist Primary School, and helping out in other ways as needed.
  • Providing transport, if possible, for members to get to church services.
  • Linking with Claremont U-Turn in their ministry to homeless and vulnerable people.
  • Renting out premises to organisations whose values align with those of the Church.

Join us this Sunday

Join us this Sunday to learn more about how you can live a fulfilled life through Jesus Christ.

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