About Redcar United Reformed Church
Background
The Church is situated in the seaside town of Redcar. Although the area is witnessing a house building boom, it is not unlike many seaside towns that have seen better days. However it has a beautiful sandy beach and a lovely, recently refurbished promenade. The closure of the nearby steel works and the decline of the High Street have not helped the persona of the town but a thriving market now takes place on Fridays.
Premises
Our Church is the only town centre Church in Redcar but unfortunately is located in a road which is of concern to the council and a focus of attention to improve the area. The church was newly built when it was opened in February 1970 and like many buildings of that era has problems that we try to stay on top of. It is, however, a spacious building with a very light dedicated worship area and two halls, one upstairs and a large one downstairs. It has wonderful acoustics in the sanctuary, which local choirs enjoy performing in.
People
The average Sunday attendance is approximately fourteen. We have 18 members and several friends who are in regular contact with the church. 8 members live within 1 mile of the church and only 2 over 3 miles. We are helped out by our member’s families at special events. We have 3 serving Elders and 2 non serving Elders.
The Church is situated in the seaside town of Redcar. Although the area is witnessing a house building boom, it is not unlike many seaside towns that have seen better days. However it has a beautiful sandy beach and a lovely, recently refurbished promenade. The closure of the nearby steel works and the decline of the High Street have not helped the persona of the town but a thriving market now takes place on Fridays.
Premises
Our Church is the only town centre Church in Redcar but unfortunately is located in a road which is of concern to the council and a focus of attention to improve the area. The church was newly built when it was opened in February 1970 and like many buildings of that era has problems that we try to stay on top of. It is, however, a spacious building with a very light dedicated worship area and two halls, one upstairs and a large one downstairs. It has wonderful acoustics in the sanctuary, which local choirs enjoy performing in.
People
The average Sunday attendance is approximately fourteen. We have 18 members and several friends who are in regular contact with the church. 8 members live within 1 mile of the church and only 2 over 3 miles. We are helped out by our member’s families at special events. We have 3 serving Elders and 2 non serving Elders.
Worship
During the past two years when we have been without a minister, we have greatly appreciated the support we received from retired Ministers, who regularly take morning worship. The congregation is very positive about these services as well as the services by the many lay preachers within our group and the Methodist lay preachers that occasionally lead worship. When we had a Minister we had joint services with the local Methodist Churches and we still have a yearly joint Covenant Service with one of the Methodist Churches and the local Anglican Church. There is a growing fellowship between these Churches. We also have at least one Group Service per year within our own Group of Churches.
We have a Sunday morning service at 11 am. There is a short service on a Thursday morning from 9.30am to 10.00am, which is regularly attended by some of our members and people from other churches. This service is led by a number of willing volunteers. Communion is held on the 1st Sunday every 2 months as well as Easter Sunday. There is usually one service within the East Cleveland Group on Christmas Day and extra services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday within the Group. On the first Saturday in December we host a Memorial Service for one of the local Funeral Directors with members of the congregation providing refreshments.
We have an annual Christingle Service for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. This normally takes place during a week day evening. We have had a couple of weddings and christenings during the last few years.
We frequently use Rejoice and Sing Hymnbooks as well as Worship Today and occasionally Mission Praise 1. The Thursday morning service uses the Iona Wee Worship Book.
Prayer Meeting
A small weekly Prayer Meeting is held every Thursday afternoon at the home of one of the Elders. It is a very positive group attracting people from outside the Church.
‘Pop-in’
Every Thursday the church offers a ‘Pop-in’ for tea, cakes and fellowship. This started in 1993 initially as an ecumenical venture between the local Catholic, Anglican and URC Churches to give unemployed people an opportunity to look in newspapers for jobs. It has a very loyal following, attracting as many men as women but does occasionally attract “passers-by” as we only charge 20p for coffee and a biscuit and it costs another 20p per item for cake, cheese scones or sausage rolls. A couple of years ago we attracted members of a local learning difficulties charity and they attend regularly.
During the past two years when we have been without a minister, we have greatly appreciated the support we received from retired Ministers, who regularly take morning worship. The congregation is very positive about these services as well as the services by the many lay preachers within our group and the Methodist lay preachers that occasionally lead worship. When we had a Minister we had joint services with the local Methodist Churches and we still have a yearly joint Covenant Service with one of the Methodist Churches and the local Anglican Church. There is a growing fellowship between these Churches. We also have at least one Group Service per year within our own Group of Churches.
We have a Sunday morning service at 11 am. There is a short service on a Thursday morning from 9.30am to 10.00am, which is regularly attended by some of our members and people from other churches. This service is led by a number of willing volunteers. Communion is held on the 1st Sunday every 2 months as well as Easter Sunday. There is usually one service within the East Cleveland Group on Christmas Day and extra services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday within the Group. On the first Saturday in December we host a Memorial Service for one of the local Funeral Directors with members of the congregation providing refreshments.
We have an annual Christingle Service for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts. This normally takes place during a week day evening. We have had a couple of weddings and christenings during the last few years.
We frequently use Rejoice and Sing Hymnbooks as well as Worship Today and occasionally Mission Praise 1. The Thursday morning service uses the Iona Wee Worship Book.
Prayer Meeting
A small weekly Prayer Meeting is held every Thursday afternoon at the home of one of the Elders. It is a very positive group attracting people from outside the Church.
‘Pop-in’
Every Thursday the church offers a ‘Pop-in’ for tea, cakes and fellowship. This started in 1993 initially as an ecumenical venture between the local Catholic, Anglican and URC Churches to give unemployed people an opportunity to look in newspapers for jobs. It has a very loyal following, attracting as many men as women but does occasionally attract “passers-by” as we only charge 20p for coffee and a biscuit and it costs another 20p per item for cake, cheese scones or sausage rolls. A couple of years ago we attracted members of a local learning difficulties charity and they attend regularly.
Singing Group
We have a singing group that meets regularly. We meet for the joy of singing and to learn new hymns. We have visited a local nursing home on several occasions and a few years ago performed “The Mustard Seed” musical with the help of members of other churches in the Group and beyond.
Refugee “Drop In”
In the summer of 2018 one of our Elders was approached by a member of Newcomen Methodist Church regarding hosting a refugee Drop In afternoon at our church. They had previously had one in their church but the refugees and asylum seekers had moved on to other places a few years ago. Now a new wave of refugees was coming into the town and most of them were housed in the area of our church. The Drop In started on the 26th July and on the first day we only had about 3 people come in. However since then it has been very well attended. The children get to play with toys, draw, play games and the older people get to chat to each other and to us to improve their English. One of the best attended “tables” is the knitting and crocheting table. The afternoon is very fulfilling for the refugees themselves and also for the legion of volunteers from our church, Newcomen Methodist Church and the Curate from St. Peter’s Anglican Church.
Community Outreach
Although small in number our members are very enthusiastic and try hard to engage the local community and wider townsfolk. Our motto is “Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends”.
We consider ourselves to be a Fair Trade Church and regularly contribute to Commitment for Life.
During the year an Afternoon Tea is usually organised with a theme, which has included the Queen’s 90th birthday, the start of World War 1 etc. The hall is decorated accordingly and music is performed. These have always been well patronised and attract people from outside the church community, with positive comments being received.
We have coffee mornings and we recently organised a “coffee and scone” morning in less than two weeks and this was very successful.
Our Annual Bazaar, which is held over lunchtime and offers soup and bacon butties, is very well received. Due to lack of members to man stalls we “sell” tables to local crafts people, some of whom have been very supportive during the past five years. We get a lot of complimentary comments and usually raise quite a lot of money to supplement the church income.
A number of musical events have been performed, some in aid of our own church funds and others for different reasons. The Bible Society uses the Church regularly for concerts.
We occasionally organise other social events such as Soup and Pudding after Sunday worship and in the past we have had a Beetle Drive, Sunday Lunch out and a visit to a local theatre production.
In the past we have supported a number of local charities but have had to concentrate on our own funds recently. We used to support a charity for homeless youngsters but they became self sufficient with a cafe and shop on the high street. Usually we do not charge charities for use of the premises within reason. Circles of Life, a learning difficulties charity, had a very successful fashion parade using the clothes donated to their shop. Many members of the congregation helped on the day.
Outreach has included a ‘Sheep Trail’ to find lost sheep in shop windows, knitted Angels and we distribute Easter and Christmas Cards to our local neighbours. We were delighted to receive one hand made Easter Card in response. We are currently discussing how we can engage with the local community more and have had some discussions with the local council.
We have a singing group that meets regularly. We meet for the joy of singing and to learn new hymns. We have visited a local nursing home on several occasions and a few years ago performed “The Mustard Seed” musical with the help of members of other churches in the Group and beyond.
Refugee “Drop In”
In the summer of 2018 one of our Elders was approached by a member of Newcomen Methodist Church regarding hosting a refugee Drop In afternoon at our church. They had previously had one in their church but the refugees and asylum seekers had moved on to other places a few years ago. Now a new wave of refugees was coming into the town and most of them were housed in the area of our church. The Drop In started on the 26th July and on the first day we only had about 3 people come in. However since then it has been very well attended. The children get to play with toys, draw, play games and the older people get to chat to each other and to us to improve their English. One of the best attended “tables” is the knitting and crocheting table. The afternoon is very fulfilling for the refugees themselves and also for the legion of volunteers from our church, Newcomen Methodist Church and the Curate from St. Peter’s Anglican Church.
Community Outreach
Although small in number our members are very enthusiastic and try hard to engage the local community and wider townsfolk. Our motto is “Enter as Strangers, Leave as Friends”.
We consider ourselves to be a Fair Trade Church and regularly contribute to Commitment for Life.
During the year an Afternoon Tea is usually organised with a theme, which has included the Queen’s 90th birthday, the start of World War 1 etc. The hall is decorated accordingly and music is performed. These have always been well patronised and attract people from outside the church community, with positive comments being received.
We have coffee mornings and we recently organised a “coffee and scone” morning in less than two weeks and this was very successful.
Our Annual Bazaar, which is held over lunchtime and offers soup and bacon butties, is very well received. Due to lack of members to man stalls we “sell” tables to local crafts people, some of whom have been very supportive during the past five years. We get a lot of complimentary comments and usually raise quite a lot of money to supplement the church income.
A number of musical events have been performed, some in aid of our own church funds and others for different reasons. The Bible Society uses the Church regularly for concerts.
We occasionally organise other social events such as Soup and Pudding after Sunday worship and in the past we have had a Beetle Drive, Sunday Lunch out and a visit to a local theatre production.
In the past we have supported a number of local charities but have had to concentrate on our own funds recently. We used to support a charity for homeless youngsters but they became self sufficient with a cafe and shop on the high street. Usually we do not charge charities for use of the premises within reason. Circles of Life, a learning difficulties charity, had a very successful fashion parade using the clothes donated to their shop. Many members of the congregation helped on the day.
Outreach has included a ‘Sheep Trail’ to find lost sheep in shop windows, knitted Angels and we distribute Easter and Christmas Cards to our local neighbours. We were delighted to receive one hand made Easter Card in response. We are currently discussing how we can engage with the local community more and have had some discussions with the local council.
84 Station Road
The Church owns a 3 bedroom house next to its premises. This is let out and provides an income stream for the church. Recently a housing group has taken on the rental and we currently have a refugee family living there. They regularly attend the Thursday Drop In.
Scout Group
At present we have a thriving Scout Group, including Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, which now meet on 2 evenings a week. The leaders are very enthusiastic and supportive of events held in the church. Regular Parade Services used to take place and it is hoped to reinstate these soon.
Hall Rentals
Hall rental brings in a steady income. A dance school regularly use the upstairs hall and we have keep fit, martial arts and other regular users. The halls can also be hired for private functions.
Statistics
Number of members 18 / Number of elders 3 / Number of children 0 / Baptisms in last five years 2 / Number of friends 7 / Marriages in last five years 3 / Number housebound 3 / Funerals in last five years 5
The Church owns a 3 bedroom house next to its premises. This is let out and provides an income stream for the church. Recently a housing group has taken on the rental and we currently have a refugee family living there. They regularly attend the Thursday Drop In.
Scout Group
At present we have a thriving Scout Group, including Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, which now meet on 2 evenings a week. The leaders are very enthusiastic and supportive of events held in the church. Regular Parade Services used to take place and it is hoped to reinstate these soon.
Hall Rentals
Hall rental brings in a steady income. A dance school regularly use the upstairs hall and we have keep fit, martial arts and other regular users. The halls can also be hired for private functions.
Statistics
Number of members 18 / Number of elders 3 / Number of children 0 / Baptisms in last five years 2 / Number of friends 7 / Marriages in last five years 3 / Number housebound 3 / Funerals in last five years 5
