Today marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of Woodhouse Close Church in Bishop Auckland.
Woodhouse Close Church is situated in the centre of a former Local Authority housing estate built at the same time as the Church which has been identified by government statistics as in the top 2% areas of social deprivation in the country.
The building was built by the Methodist Church and was opened on 24th March 1962 by Revd Hector Stafford as a Methodist Church.
Three Local Methodist Churches closed to fund the new church and weekly donations were also collected around the streets on the estate from people who had come to live in the new houses.
In 1971 a local ecumenical partnership was formed between the two denominations. Tindale Crescent Methodist Church closed, and members and youth groups joined the new church.
From 1978 we have had a full-time licensed priest and two authorised Pastoral Ministers.
In September 2020, Revd David Payne took up the appointment as Methodist Minister with
pastoral responsibility for Woodhouse Close Church.
When he became Superintendent Minister of the Bishop Auckland & Shildon Methodist Circuit. He arrived in the area following almost 14 years’ service as a hospital chaplain in the NHS.
The last 5 years of this time were spent as Chaplaincy Team Leader with Harrogate & District NHS
Foundation Trust. Prior to that he was a Methodist Circuit Minister from September 1995 and this followed an initial career in banking after leaving school.
Community Centre
Adjacent to the church is the vibrant and busy Community Centre which was formally set up in 2006.
they offer a varied pattern of worship, activities and support to our community and wider area.
The Community Centre team is led by Anne Ramshaw and activities include the Tuesday and Thursday Day Club, Meals on Wheels and the new Bereavement Support Group.
One of most used services is the foodbank and crisis intervention programme which over the last few years and in particular from the start of this year has seen a marked increase and indications are that this is to get a lot worse due to world developments and increase in fuel prices. Donations are always most welcome especially food and toiletries.
To this end, this year the team are embarking on a major project to extend our premises to provide firstly a dedicated confidential office area, enlarging our very small existing vestry and creating a purpose-built storage area for the very large amount of donations of food they receive weekly and at the moment all available free space is taken up with donations.
The expected cost to extend the premises is around £150,000 and to date around £95,000 has been pledged from various sources.
Monetary donations to support the work of the Church and Community Centre are most welcome and can be made via Pay Pal on their secure website
“Thank you”
Peter Hall said: “It’s been an incredible 60 years and we give thanks for those who had the vision to build a new Church back in the early 1960s.
“Many of you will remember our disco nights in the 80’s and 90’s – very, very challenging but enjoyed by all.
“The staff, volunteers and church members now oversee most of the weekly activities responding to local needs especially crisis response and food support.
“We are living in more difficult times at present mainly due to Covid and unemployment however we now look ahead to respond to the present new needs of the community and challenging world.
“Please feel free to call in during the week, if you need help in any way, or to join one of our many activities.”
For more information about the Church or Community Centre visit their website
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
