St John's Church, Ealing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's, Ealing |
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| St. John with St. James PCC | |
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| Location | Mattock Lane, West Ealing, London, W13 9LA |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.stjohnsealing.org.uk/ |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Edwin Henry Horne |
| Years built | 1876, reconstructed (after the 1920 fire) in 1923 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St John with St James |
| Diocese | London |
St John's Church in West Ealing, London, is a special kind of Christian church called an Anglican church. It's known for being an evangelical church, which means it focuses a lot on the Bible and sharing its message. This church building is also very important because it's a "Grade II listed building," meaning it's protected for its history and special design.
A Look Back in Time
The church was first built in 1876 by an architect named Edwin Henry Horne. Sadly, it burned down in 1920. But don't worry, it was rebuilt and opened again in 1923.
For the first 64 years, St John's had a father and son as its main leaders, called vicars. Julius Summerhayes was the first vicar, and his son, Julius James Summerhayes, took over after him. Church records show that in the late 1800s, the church helped start a local hospital and St John's School. In the early 1900s, more than 1000 people regularly attended services both in the morning and evening.
People Who Made a Difference
Around 1927, a notable person named Eric Nash (also known as "Bash") worked at St John's as a curate (a junior priest). He later started special Christian camps called the Iwerne camps. These camps helped many young men from important schools become Christians and later work in Christian ministry.
More recently, Sally Hitchiner was a curate at St John's from 2009 to 2012. During her time there, she became well-known for talking about religious topics on television.
What Happens Today?
St John's Church is a busy place with many activities. On Sundays, there's a main service called STJOHNS@TEN. This is a modern evangelical Anglican worship service.
The church also has an early evening Cafe Church. This is a newer style of church service that welcomes many people, including those who have been homeless or needed housing help. For younger people, there's a Sunday evening youth group called The Maze.
Once a month, there's a Messy Church event for young families on Sunday afternoons. It's a fun way for families to learn about faith through crafts, stories, and food. Two other groups also meet on Sunday afternoons: the Arabic-speaking Living Waters Arabic Church and the Burmese-speaking Myanmar Christian Fellowship.
Many groups and activities happen during the week too. One popular group is "Snips," which has been a playgroup, cafe, and shop for caregivers and toddlers since 1987.
St John's has a "sister" church called St James in West Ealing. St James was founded in 1900. It was not used for a while but then started up again with a new group of people in the late 1980s. Currently, St James' Church is closed.
St John's also hosts the Ealing Soup Kitchen. This kitchen has been providing meals every Saturday and Sunday since 1973, with support from many local churches.
