IN THE BEGINNING...

A 'working party' was set up which included John, the Doctor (who at the time was housed in a porta cabin), members from local churches and the surrounding community, including some from the parish council. The focus was on ‘being church’ for the new community rather than building a church building. Initially, a small local park was funded for all the local youngsters which proved to be very popular. This was followed by a permanent building for Dr Kandola.

Focus groups were run by a local preacher. Members of local churches housed sessions to talk about what the community would like to see to give Gamston a heart. Neighbours were invited along to these to 'canvas' opinion.

A CHURCH IS BORN...

The Church at Gamston was born as a worshipping community using the local village hall. With only a few attending, services only took place once a month to start with. However, this was the acorn and after much hard work from all involved (leaders for the church, door to door questionnaires, leaflet drops etc.), a part-time minister was funded to take charge of this new church at the heart of Gamston. A service was held for Reverend Marian Crawford on the village green so that local people could easily see what was taking place.

The original working party still held meetings, but now with new members, and negotiations for a community centre for Gamston took place with local government representatives.

Since then, the church has grown slowly, moving to the Community Hall near Morrisons when this project was completed. The Church became a fully constituted Local Ecumenical Partnership in November 2004 between the Methodist and URC Churches. Ordained Ministry is currently provided by the Methodist Church and there is a part time lay worker who is jointly funded.

We have continued as the ‘new’ Gamston has begun to mature, seeing many friends and church members join us, journey with us for a while and move on, as Gamston has continued to have a very mobile population.

RIGHT UP TO DATE...

The Church at Gamston continues with weekly Sunday services, back again at the Village Hall, with an emphasis on our worship and exploration of faith being enjoyable and accessible for people of all ages and stages, from babies to great-grandparents, and where single people find they have a place in an ‘extended’ church family.

We support Andy Harris, our lay worker, in the several lunch time Christian Clubs he runs in local schools. There are Fun Days in the school holidays at the Village Hall. And an annual summer holiday club for 5-11 year olds is enjoyed by many.

'Time Out’ ,a group for women, continues each month with a very varied program and plenty of time to swap stories over coffee.

The Church has strong links with Pierrepont Gamston Primary School (Church aided school), with two school governors currently serving the school, and with other local schools. Links are also in place with local uniformed organisation groups, over 50's club, Sure Start and the Parish Council. The Church at Gamston is glad to have been a partner with Sure Start and the Parish Council in a number of family-friendly community activities over the past few years.The Church is a member of the local Churches Together group

Our most recent joint venture is TODDLER Plus, a group at the Village Hall on Friday mornings in term time for parents, carers and their pre-school children.

The church currently has a membership of 15 adults, with several other regular worshippers and friends including teenagers and children. People from the local community tell us that they greatly value the fellowship they experience at the Church and for many it feels like an extension of their family. The Church would love to engage with more  people in our work within the community and in our worship life as we help to grow a heart for Gamston.