Lillington Free Church facts for kids
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The Lillington Free Church is a special kind of church located in Lillington, a part of Leamington Spa, England. It's called a "free church" because it manages its own affairs.
As of early 2019, the main leader is Reverend James Church. He works with other leaders called elders, who are chosen by the church members.
Besides Sunday services, the church offers lots of activities every week. These include:
- Sunday school for kids
- Groups like Rainbows, Brownies, and Girl Guides
- Table tennis
- Coffee mornings
- A special cafe for toddlers and their parents
The church also has its own magazine, called The Link, which comes out every three months.
Contents
Church History
Starting the Church in the 1950s
The story of Lillington Free Church began in 1948. Other churches in nearby Leamington Spa, like the Baptists, Methodists, and Congregationalists, saw that more places were needed for people to worship outside the town center.
The Congregationalists took on the job of setting up a church in Lillington. They quickly bought a piece of land on Cubbington Road for £150. While they were raising money to build a proper church, the Free Church met at a local Women's Institute building. Their very first meeting there was on January 6, 1952.
In 1953, they got permission to build a church that could hold 180 people. It was planned to cost £3,000. The first stones for the building were laid on June 27, 1953. The church officially opened on January 30, 1954, with a service led by its first minister, Reverend D. Gibbons. The building had a main worship area, a front entrance (foyer), a cloakroom, toilets, a room for the minister (vestry), and a kitchen.
Growing Bigger in the 1960s
By 1959, the church building was already getting too small, especially for the Sunday school. So, a new committee was formed to plan a bigger building. They bought more land next to the church for £200.
By 1963, plans for a much larger new church were ready. Work started on April 10, 1965, and was expected to cost £28,000. There was a small delay because of an old gravel pit, but the first service in the new church happened on September 3, 1966. This new church was much taller and had a foyer, cloakroom, toilets, a main hall, and a vestry.
The old church building from 1954 then became the church hall. Its vestry was removed, and the kitchen was made bigger.
Changes and Sports in the 1970s
On June 21, 1972, two large church groups, the Congregational Church and the Presbyterian Church, joined together to form the United Reformed Church. Even though Lillington Free Church was now part of this new group, it kept its original name.
That same year, the Lillington Free Church Table Tennis Club was started. This club has helped train some very successful players. Two famous players who came from this club are Kelly Sibley, who won medals at the Commonwealth Games, and Alex O'Driscoll, who won a silver medal at the World Dwarf Games.
By the early 1970s, the 1954 hall was again too small. It was used by the Sunday school, Boy Scouts, and Girl Guides. On March 23, 1974, a large new part was added to the back of the hall. This extension included a games room, a coffee bar, a stage, a small meeting room, and new toilets.
A New Church for the 21st Century
In September 2017, the church got permission to take down both the old churches and build a brand new one. A company called Orbit Homes did the building work. In return, the church gave some land to Orbit, where they could build 25 new homes, including some that would be more affordable.
The very last service in the 1966 church building was held on November 26, 2017. The current minister gave the introduction, and Reverend John Carrier, who was the minister in 1966, led the main service. The 1966 church was taken down in March 2018. The older 1954 church building was kept and used while the new one was being built.
The first Sunday service in the brand new church was on January 20, 2019. The official opening happened on March 9, 2019. The new church can comfortably hold 80 people. It has a foyer, toilets, a main hall with a stage, a vestry, an office for the minister, and a room for babies and young children (creche) or for meetings. You can get to the church by taking the Stagecoach bus route 67.
