Launch of St John's Church Preservation Group

The event was to constitute the St John's Church Preservation Group and turn it from an informal group into a legally recognised body. Over 100 people attended, with candles and lanterns

Cheerleading supplied by Pedmore Panthers

Chaired by Mr Keith Massey who has served the local community in a number of capacities over the years notably at Green Park and Jasmine Road Community Centre

All three ward councillors, namely Councillors Shaukat Ali, John Davies and Steve Waltho attended. Goodwill messages were received from Ian Austin MP who was in London and Group Patron Professor Carl Chinn who was lecturing in Manchester.

Update 4/5/2008

PROFESSOR CARL CHINN’S DELIGHT AT CHURCH PRESERVATION GROUP MEMBERS SURPRISE ELECTION TO CHURCH COUNCIL

St John’s Church Preservation Group was formed in August 2007 in response to public demand that something be done to save St John’s Church, Kates Hill. The church was closed in 2002 following a damning Church of England survey and has since been left to become even more overgrown and neglected.

The Preservation Group has been met with lukewarm support from the remaining St John’ s congregation, who fear that if the church is re-opened they will again be tasked with the job of paying for the upkeep.

The Church of England leaders have shown no interest in re-opening the Church. The Preservation Group has not been allowed to display leaflets or give out notices in the Parish Hall where the congregation now meet. The group were refused a Church of England spiritual leader for their inauguration ceremony held in November.

However members of the St John’s congregation recently voted two members of the Preservation Group onto the St John’s Church Council.

Annette Eardley, secretary of the St John’s Preservation Group is now a member of the St John’s Parochial Church Council and was also appointed Deputy Churchwarden by the Priest in Charge Rev Dave George. Preservation Group Committee member May Whitehouse was also voted onto the PCC.

Both are long standing members of the congregation and have served St John’s in various capacities.

Preservation Group Patron Professor Carl Chinn “I am delighted that the congregation and St John's Preservation Group have shown support for each other. It is vital that they and the church authorities work together thoughtfully, sensitively and realistically towards finding a solution that will allow this historic church to remain open as a place of worship and as a vital community centre.”

Deb Brownlee, chair of the Preservation Group “This was an incredibly heartening result for us. We had challenged the interpretation of the voting rules, which had been geared in a way which would have stopped some of us from voting. Our challenge was upheld but in the end we needn’t have done so because our candidates were voted in by the congregation anyway.

There are still some people trying to stop us from saving the church but we feel they are becoming more of a minority. We have proved that we are serious, we have ideas and we are not expecting the congregation to pay for the restoration or maintenance or even get involved if they don’t want to.”

The St John’s Church Preservation Group is now participating in the St John’s Patronal Festival, a series of events which start on Sunday 4th May at 10am with a Patronal Service.

On Monday 5th May there will be a Table Top Sale in the Parish Hall, Kates Hill and the Preservation Group will have information and membership forms available. The event has been organised to offer plenty of interest for the whole family including activities for the children. This will be the first occasion that the Preservation Group and other members of the congregation have worked together.

Annette Eardley, Secretary of Preservation Group and St John’s Church Deputy Churchwarden “This is a small step towards getting people to work together. We know the church can be saved and we just want to get on with it. I hope that my election to the Church Council will help enable us to achieve our aim of working in harmony.”

Full details of the St John’s Patronal Week Festival activities are on the Preservation Group website www.savestjohnschurch.zoomshare.com.

Everyone is welcome and the Preservation Group is urging people to come forward and support everyone’s efforts to make the church activities attractive to local people again.

Update 24/12/2007

NEW SURVEY TO BE CARRIED OUT ON ST JOHN’S CHURCH

St John’s Church Kates Hill has been thrown a lifeline as church leaders have decided to carry out a third survey of the building. In order to obtain a further opinion on the state of St John's church building the Diocese of Worcester is commissioning an independent survey which will take place in the New Year. This follows an application from the Church Council for the church building to be declared redundant.

The Archdeacon of Dudley said, "When the report is submitted it will contribute to the material that is being provided for the Church Commissioners to consider in making a decision on this application. The state of the building however is not the primary reason for the Church Council seeking redundancy. It believes it is no longer vital to its essential calling to worship, minister and carry out its mission which are being maintained using the adjacent Church Hall. Whatever the outcome we are committed to working with the local community to find a future for St John's Church building which meets the needs of the Church Council and the congregation and enables the building to be a resource for the local community."

Deb Brownlee chair of St John’s Church Preservation Group, “Obviously we were delighted when the Church Commissioners office in London informed us that the Bishop of Dudley had asked for the redundancy process to be halted whilst a third survey is carried out. However we and the local ward councilors Shaukat Ali, John Davies and Steve Waltho have called for a local joint steering group to be set up, but as yet the Archdeacon has not established this and therefore we have not been part of this decision making process and in consequence have no say in the experts who will be used. We are mindful that the previous church survey led to the building being closed as dangerous in 2002 and yet an English Heritage survey three years later in 2005 said that the building was basically sound and capable of repair at reasonable cost. We are also mindful that the Church released repair figures over time of up to £2million whereas the basic repair costs muted by English Heritage were £126,000. We are arranging prayer meetings to pray for a good outcome from this third survey.”

“We have put in writing to the Church Commissioners that we will if necessary fundraise to provide the full cost of repair and modernisation costs and also to help with maintenance costs. 86% of our 900 members have made it clear that they wish to fulfill their spiritual needs and family occasions such as weddings in the beautiful and historic St John’s Church and not in the parish hall and we are keen to help re-build the congregation which is now fragmented into other places of worship or have lost the habit of coming to church at all. We cannot agree that the church is not necessary for worship and ministry, indeed following that argument if a Parish Hall is considered to be a suitable place for worship and ministry in this parish they might as well shut every church in the UK and put every congregation into their parish halls or community centres.”

The launch event comprised of the formalisation of the group, singing and prayers.

For further images of the event please see below:

CHURCH SUPPORTERS URGED TO TURN OUT IN FORCE St John's Church Preservation Group, Kates Hill appealed to their 800 plus supporters to turn out in force at a meeting called by the Archdeacon of Dudley Fred Trethewey. The meeting took place on Tuesday 27th November at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall, which is opposite St John's Church on St John's Road. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of St John's Church and the reasons for the redundancy process. Deb Brownlee, chair of the Preservation Group said: "We urge our supporters to attend and let the Archdeacon know that we do not want to lose our church, and that we want it to remain as a church and a vital piece of Kates Hill and Dudley heritage. We have figures which show there is a real demand for St John's to re-open, as the majority of people do not wish to worship in a Parish Hall when a beautiful, loved and historic church is unused a few yards away. People cannot get married, have funerals, or have children christened in the Parish Hall, and they are being forced to use other Dudley churches which are not where there family connections or loyalties belong. We have strong reasons to believe that the church can be brought back into use at a relatively modest cost, and it just needs the will of the church leaders to allow this to happen." All three local ward councillors, Shaukat Ali, John Davies and Steve Waltho, along with Dudley North MP Ian Austin, local author Michael Taylor, and historian Professor Carl Chinn MBE who is also patron on the group, have all come out in favour of saving the church.

Doctor Carl Chinn MBE, historian and patron of the St John's Church Preservation Group.

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