A new reverend at a Hamilton church promises to lead his congregation through love and compassion as it gets a makeover.

Augustine “Gus” Tanner-Ihm took up the reins as minister of Wesley Community Church three months ago as part of its rebrand from Wesley Methodist Church.

The institution will celebrate this new turn with its Revival Weekend, which will include an open house, a panel discussion and an emancipation celebration.

Dr Tanner-Ihm said: “Part of the Wesleyan Methodist tradition is that there’s no holiness outside of social holiness.”

He added: “That’s what I’m still kind of keeping — that justice is still such a huge part of how we view the gospel and how we view our Christian faith.”

Aged 36, gay and confessedly informal, Dr Tanner-Ihm recognised that he was not the common idea of a church leader.

However, he challenged those who were curious to visit the Revival Weekend to get to know him and judge for themselves.

He said: “People who go ‘he’s a new minister, I don’t know about him’, I say, try.

“Come here, see how it is first and then hopefully you’ll keep coming back.”

Dr Tanner-Ihm added: “Lots of people in the New Testament were young, but one thing that Scripture says is not to look down on people because they’re young.

“The positive could also be that because I am in my thirties and most people in their thirties on the island aren’t going to church, I can understand how you bridge that gap between the unchurched and the churched.”

Dr Tanner-Ihm, originally from Chicago, has studied and ministered in several countries, including Britain, Sweden and Mozambique.

He holds master’s degrees in education and in theological studies, as well as a PhD in transformational leadership and organisational psychology.

Dr Tanner-Ihm has also authored several books and articles, with his latest appearing in the Saturday edition of The Royal Gazette.

He said that before moving to Bermuda, he was “content” working in Britain as a minister and BBC presenter.

However, the reverend said he felt a “call” for Bermuda and specifically to Wesley, which he said had “such a history with progress”.

He pointed out that Wesley Community Church was the first church in Bermuda to have integrated worship, to ordain women and to bless same-sex marriages.

He added that he hoped to continue Wesley Community Church’s reputation as a “Christ-centred, spirit-led, inclusive church community” under his leadership.

Dr Tanner-Ihm said: “I often talk about Martin Luther King Jr and his dream of the beloved community — that idea of everyone coming together — and that’s something that I’d really like to see here at Wesley.”

He emphasised that the church would continue to partner with other organisations to combat problems such as gang violence, gun crime, senior loneliness and advocating for marginalised groups.

Dr Tanner-Ihm said he had also been amazed by the “daily occurrence of Black excellence” in Bermuda, especially as a Black professional himself.

He said: “That’s something that is really beautiful, and I hope lots of Black Bermudians, especially younger Black Bermudians, don’t take that for granted, that you see people with degrees and people in high positions that look like you.”

Dr Tanner-Ihm added: “Lots of people in the UK, different parts of Europe, the US would have never, ever see anyone in a high position they had proximity to.

“Sure, we had [Barack] Obama in the US, but proximity to the President of the United States for a Black kid who lives in Mississippi is quite far.

“So to be able to go, ‘oh, there’s David Burt, here’s the Cabinet’ or you see financial people who have fancy titles and great jobs — that’s amazing.”

Revival Weekend starts today with an open house for church members at the Wesley Parsonage at 6.30pm.

Tomorrow will feature the Faith and Justice Gathering at Wesley Community Centre between 4pm and 6pm.

Under the theme “Faith that Changes the World”, the gathering will include a screening of the short film The Spiritual Adviser and a panel discussion.

Sunday will feature a celebration of the Emancipation holiday at the church and emphasise the work that was done to free Black Bermudians.

• Members of Wesley Community Church who would like to attend the open house can find more information by calling the church on 292-0418