Showpiece Telford church set to take a bow

Telford Minster, which has the backing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been created at a cost of around £1.7 million inside Southwater’s Meeting Point House, a former warehouse, as part of an initiative to meet the needs of the growing borough.

After the coronavirus pandemic and contractor issues, the 350-seater modern worship facility was completed in time for the run-up to Holy Week and Easter celebrations.

The official opening service will be held at 7pm, with diocese and civic dignitaries among the guests, and it will be followed by a worship celebration.

The church centre had been due to open two years ago but this was delayed by the pandemic crisis and other issues. There is already a congregation in place taken from worshippers from the former Springfields congregation which previously met in rooms at the premises.

The new church centre will have a pioneering focus and is being set up to cater for the borough’s growing population and to tackle social changes. It was created from warehouse space, along with an extension features a contemporary auditorium.

Vicar Rev Matt Beer said it was part of project to pioneer a new model of church where it will look to set up congregations in homes, coffee shops and at mother and toddler groups.

There were also plans to set up congregations in around ten areas of Telford including Sutton Hill, Oakengates and Lawley.

A minster is traditionally not a parish church, but a large city centre church, tasked to be outward looking in approach.