St George's Church, Leeds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St George's Church |
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| 53°48′05″N 1°33′12″W / 53.8015°N 1.5532°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 29517 34008 |
| Location | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Charismatic Evangelical |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leeds St George Team Ministry |
| Deanery | Benefice of Headingley |
| Diocese | Diocese of Leeds |
| Province | Province of York |
St George's Church, Leeds is a Church of England church located in the heart of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It's a busy church that welcomes people from all over the city, including many students. The church building is close to the Leeds General Infirmary hospital.
The church is led by a team including Rector Lizzy Woolf, and Associate Rectors Eve Ridgeway and Adrian Smith.
Contents
What Happens at St George's?
St George's Church holds regular services every Sunday. There's a morning service at 10:30 am, which is great for families and includes special activities for children. In the evening, at 6:30 pm, there's a service designed for students and young adults. This service focuses on learning from the Bible and enjoying musical worship.
St George's is known for being a lively and energetic church within the Church of England. It also helps other churches grow by sending teams to start new ministries. For example, teams from St George's have helped churches like St Paul’s Ireland Wood, St Paul’s Shadwell, and St Peter’s Morley.
Helping Other Churches Grow
St George's Church is a "resource church." This means it helps other churches become stronger and welcome more people. They do this by sending groups of people to help start new church projects.
- In 2018, a team of 48 people from St George's went to help St Paul’s Ireland Wood.
- Smaller teams also helped St Paul’s Shadwell and St Peter’s Morley.
- A new project started at Bramhope St Giles in 2022.
St George's also works closely with Holy Trinity Boar Lane and St Augustine's Church, Wrangthorn. They share clergy and work together to reach different parts of the community, including the large student population in Leeds.
St George's Crypt: Helping People in Need
St George's Church is famous for starting the St George's Crypt charity. This charity helps people who are experiencing homelessness or are in difficult situations.
The Crypt offers:
- Overnight places to stay.
- Two hostels for longer-term support.
- Charity shops and special events.
- Programs to help people overcome challenges and get back on their feet.
Even though St George's Crypt is now a separate charity, it still works very closely with St George's Church to help those who need it most.
The Church Building: A Look Inside
The church building itself is a special historic place. It's a Grade II listed building, which means it's protected because of its importance. It was built a long time ago, between 1836 and 1838.
A big storm in 1962 blew down the church's original spire. But don't worry, a new spire was put in its place in January 2006!
Important Moments in St George's History
St George's Church has a long and interesting history. Here are some key dates:
- 1836: Plans were made to build a new church in Leeds. Money was raised, and an architect named John Clark designed a simple but strong church. It was named St George's.
- 1837: The first leader, Revd William Sinclair, was appointed. St George's quickly became a leading church in the city.
- 1838: The church building was finished and officially opened in November. It cost £11,000 to build.
- 1839: A hurricane damaged the church, and money was raised to fix it. William Sinclair also started St George's Day School.
- 1841: A famous painter, Charles West Cope, gave the church a beautiful painting for the altar, which is still there today.
- 1868: St George's officially became its own parish, meaning it was no longer just a chapel.
- 1886: The church building was updated. The organ was moved, and a new area called a chancel was created.
- 1900: More additions were made, including an apse, chancel arch, and vestry. A pulpit and choir stalls were also added.
- 1930: Don Robins became the vicar. He was a very inspiring leader. He started the famous St George's Crypt under the church. At first, it helped soldiers who had returned from war and were struggling.
- 1931: Don Robins also opened a women's center, providing food and clothing. He helped set up a place for servicemen and supported families of prisoners of war.
- 1938: The Church School was doing very well, and an extension was built. The church was thriving with many groups for all ages.
- 1948: Tony Waite became vicar and continued the important work of the Crypt.
- 1954: Faith Lodge, an annex of St George's Crypt, opened to provide long-term care.
- 1962: A huge storm caused serious damage to the church roof, costing £20,000 to fix. The community rallied together to raise money for repairs.
- 1972: Michael Botting became vicar and helped St George's become known as a family-friendly church. Many families and young people joined the church.
- 1976: Regent Terrace, another hostel for St George's Crypt, opened.
- 1986: David Hawkins became vicar. He was very creative and helped make the church building more flexible for different events like concerts and plays.
- 1990: A new church, St George's Community Church, was started in the parish.
- 1999: St George's Crypt was fully renovated to meet new safety rules and update its facilities. St George's also became a "team ministry."
- 2006: The church's steeple, which had been removed in 1962, was finally replaced!
- 2010: St George's Crypt reopened after a huge £15 million renovation.
- 2021: St George's took on responsibility for the City Centre Mission at Holy Trinity Church, Leeds. St George's now works as a team with Holy Trinity and St Augustine's Church, Wrangthorn.
See also
- Listed buildings in Leeds (City and Hunslet Ward - northern area)
