Covenant Renewal Service
The only Methodist contribution to the liturgy of the larger church is the Covenant Renewal Service, first held in 1755. Drawn from the work of a Puritan pastor, Richard Alleine, it is a powerful service of conviction, repentance, and commitment.
For a number of years I had been dismayed by the way modern Methodists gutted it down to a few statements and prayers. Predictably, it was shorn of any real statements of sin, and its commitments were down to sentimentality.
So I dug for what the early Methodists did. And got close. But John Baker, a new member of our congregation hunted down a published version of the service from, I believe, 1781. Then he tidied up the scanned document and gave me a copy. Great work! I appreciate it so much.
This year’s Covenant Renewal Service was small, as weather kept many away. But we were greatly blessed to hear of the holy and strict laws of God, the grace of God in Jesus Christ, and the call and commitment to the service of the Lord.
With the help of John Baker’s edition and the worship team, I hope to keep revising and refining a service that in only its second iteration is proclaimed by a number of people to be their favorite service of the year.
The Covenant Renewal Service at Trinity Hill on January 5th was wonderful! Life changing, I'm sure, for some. As for the documents I gave you, all praise for that belongs to God. I just transcribed a poor quality scan of Wesley's 2nd edition and gave it to you so that you could turn it into something that reaches, touches, and blesses the lives of many people in years to come.
God is good!
Will you make a copy of that document available to us? Vaughnito