Churches to close but ministry continues
Reporter: Karen Doherty
Date published: 01 September 2008
TWO old Chadderton churches are set to close. But officials have stressed that the parishes will continue to exist as part of a shake-up of pastoral care in the Church of England.
St Luke’s, which survived a major fire in 1954, will be shut by next spring.
The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, will attend its final service on Advent Sunday (November 30) — a fortnight before its 120th anniversary.
Proposals have also been made to close Emmanuel Church in Chestnut/Granby Street and to replace it with a new building in Broadway.
St Luke’s is Chadderton’s largest church, built to accommodate 500.
But its vicar, the Rev David Penny said that only around 25 to 30 worshippers attended Sunday service at the Queen Street building which is expensive to maintain.
Most of the congregation is expected to attend St Matthew’s, Chadderton Hall Road, and a new parish of St Matthew’s and St Luke’s, Chadderton, will be created.
Mr Penny said it was too early to say what would happen to the building.
He added: “We have got some very hard-working people but we are struggling to keep on top of day-to-day maintenance let alone the bigger repairs.
“We feel the best course of action for us to fulfil a proper ministry and make an impact on the area would be to let go of the building so that we can concentrate on other things.
“It was a very difficult and a very sad decision to take. It is also one full of hope and expectations of things for the future.
“It is sad because it’s such a lovely building but we recognise it is the most sensible thing, and it is what God is wanting us to do so that we can continue to proclaim God’s love.”
The Manchester diocese is encouraging deaneries to draw up plans, looking at how churches can work together and where there might be too many.
Emmanuel is part of the parish of Emmanuel and St George. Its sale would help to fund a new church next to St George’s, Broadway, with the current church there becoming a community centre.
The Rev David Leaf said that the parish had a congregation of 80 and Emmanuel suffered because it was hard to find.
He stressed that the building was going rather than the church itself, adding: “We had to take a very difficult decision about how we are going to really be the church in our community.
“We have got two buildings. We are trying to care for people yet are spending all our money trying to maintain a building that doesn’t get used.”
