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| Northants Telegraph, 6th June 2013 |
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Church to go up for auction this month
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A church in Rushden will go under the hammer later this month after it was put up for auction.
Hope Methodist Church and Hall, Park Road, Rushden, will go up for sale at an auction on Wednesday, June 26, at 6pm at the church itself.
The hall and church have been part of the community for more than 100 years, with the original hall dating back to 1890 and the church back to 1904.
Both buildings are Grade II listed by English Heritage and are joined by an additional extension built in the 1980s.
It is up for sale without reserve and is being auctioned by Woodford and Co auctioneers. |
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Despite the restrictions imposed on the future use of the buildings as occasioned by the Grade II listing and Rushden Council there were several potential buyers at the auction on June 26.
As the sale was without reserve the guide price in the auctioneer's literature was £50,000. The additional stipulation was that the buyer would also settle the legal fees which amounted to £9,500.
The opening bid was £10,000 and this very slowly rose through £20k and £30k before the bids came in earnest and the sale was concluded by a bid of £60,000 put in by a member of the existing church on behalf of a small group of fellow worshippers.
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Danny Mitchell, Northants Telegraph, 25th July 2013
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Rushden Methodists to move in with Catholics
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Churches to share facilities
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Two Rushden churches have taken the unusual step of sharing facilities - after Hope Methodist Church moved from its Park Road premises.
Hope Methodist Church sold its premises earlier this month and the Methodist community is moving to temporary accommodation at the site of the Roman Catholic church, St Peter Apostle Church.
The Methodist community will use St Peter's Church hall, in Hayway, from September. There will be two churches meeting separately on the one site.
The Catholics will continue to hold their services in the church while the Methodists will hold their usual services in the hall.
John Hardy, acting chairman of the redevelopment working party for Hope Methodist Church, said the temporary move is part of a larger vision to one day build a new church and community centre on the site of the derelict Methodist church in High Street, Higham Ferrers.
He added: "We would like to thank everybody at the Catholic church, who have given us a very warm welcome and have been generous to help us out.
"We would also like to thank the Anglicans at Bede House, who have allowed us to hold our Friday lunches in their premises.
"It is important to remember that the Methodist church will still exist in Rushden and Higham because the building is not the church, it is the people who form the congregation who make the church."
Mr Hardy added that the group is working with Higham Ferrers Town Council to help realise the vision of a new church and community centre in the town.
He said the hope is to work with the council to create a building that is used every day, by everybody in the community, not just the church congregation.
The auctioning of the church in Park Road was part of the plan to eventually have the new building in Higham Ferrers.
He hopes the plans can move forward as quickly as possible, but added that the many steps needed to get to the stage could take a long time.
In the meantime, Methodist Sunday services, including Sunday school, will begin in their new temporary home on Sunday, September 8, at 10.30am.
The final Methodist service in the building at Park Road, Rushden, will take place on Sunday, August 25, at 10.30am followed by coffee.
Mr Hardy has urged everybody to come along for the final service at Park Road. |
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Danny Mitchell, Northants Telegraph, 8th August 2013
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Pray silence - church prepares
to auction items before it moves
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A Methodist church in Rushden will sell off a number of its items in a silent auction as it prepares to move out of its current premises.
A number of items will be going up for auction, including two pianos, children's Sunday School chairs, an ornate mirror and numerous vases.
Hope Methodist Church, in Park Road, sold its premises earlier this month and the Methodist congregation is moving to temporary accommodation at the site of the Roman Catholic church, St Peter Apostle Church, from September.
Christine Marshman, chairman of events at the Methodist church, said the auction, which will be held on Saturday, August 17, will be silent to make sure people will not be embarassed on the day.
She said people can also wear masks, or use pseudonyms, to inject some fun into the proceedings.
Mrs Marshman said: "We want to keep the day light and have some fun as it is an emotional time.
"We would like to take the positives out of the situation.
"We have some lovely items up for auction, so we would encourage people to come along and just have a look."
Mrs Marshman said the money raised from the auction will go towards the church fund.
The Methodist community will use St Peter's Church hall, in Hayway, from September.
There will be two churches meeting separately on the one site. The Catholics will continue to hold their services in the church while the Methodists will hold their usual services in the hall.
The auction will take place at the Park Road church betgween 9.30am and midday.
All items must be sold on the day and only cash will be accepted. |
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Higham Ferrers hope for church
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Congregation's Vision
John Hardy, acting chairman of the re-development working party for Hope Methodist Church, said the temporary move is part of a larger vision to one day build a new church and community centre on the site of the derelict Methodist church in High Street, Higham Ferrers.
Speaking to the Telegraph last week, Mr Hardy said the group is working with Higham Ferrers Town Council to help realise the vision of a new church and community centre in the town.
He said the hope is to work with the council to create a building which is used by everybody in the community.
The auctioning of the church in Park Road was part of the plan to eventually have the new building in Higham Ferrers.
The final Methodist service at the building in Park Road, Rushden, will take place at 10.30am on Sunday, August 25. |
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The Final Service
The final service held by the Methodists at the Park Road church was on the morning of Sunday, 25th August, at 10.30am. The service was led by Rev Shirley Baker and was very well attended by the congregation with many visitors and well-wishers.
The transfer of ownership of the buildings was concluded on Friday, August 30th. However the Methodist congregation did not plan to hold their first service at the Catholic hall until Sunday, September 8th owing to a Circuit service being held at the chapel in Irthlingborough.
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| Danny Mitchell, Northants Telegraph, 5th September, 2013 |
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Group moves into former Methodist building
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New church leaders open doors to all
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A new independent church has moved into Rushden and its leaders say they hope to place themselves at the heart of the community.
The Heritage Chapel and Halls have moved into the old Hope Methodist Church buildings, in Park Road, Rushden. |
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