St Matthias' Church, Canning Town facts for kids
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St Matthias' Church is a special place in Canning Town, east London. It's a Church of England church, which means it's part of the main Christian church in England. Today, the building is more than just a church. It has a chapel for worship, rooms for community activities, and even a home for people with disabilities.
The Story of St Matthias' Church
The story of St Matthias' Church began a long time ago in 1887. It started as a gospel mission from St Mary's Church, Plaistow. A mission is like a special project to share Christian teachings. The church was named after St Matthias' Church in Torquay. That church helped pay for the mission to start in Canning Town.
In 1906, this mission joined with another one called St Cyprian. In 1907, a permanent church building was built. At this time, a new church area, called a parish, was also created. This new parish included parts of other church areas nearby. Over the years, more parts of other parishes were added to St Matthias'.
By 1989, the first church building was taken down. A new, modern building was built in its place in 1991. This new building was designed to be useful in many ways. It included a chapel, rooms for community groups, and a home for people with disabilities.
St Matthias' Church Today
In 2016, something exciting happened at St Matthias' Church. A new group of people, called a "planted congregation," joined them. This group came from a nearby church called All Hallows, Bow. The Bishop of Barking invited them to help St Matthias' grow.
This idea of "church planting" is like helping a new plant grow. It means a group from one church helps another church become stronger and reach more people. All Hallows Bow had also been helped by another church, St Paul's Church, Shadwell, in 2010. St Paul's Shadwell had also been helped by Holy Trinity Brompton in 2005. This shows how churches can work together to help each other grow and serve their communities.
