Pioneering £1.7m Telford Minster will not be ready in time for Easter

Church leaders had hoped that despite delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, construction of Telford Minster, which is being backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, would be complete by next month.

The state-of-the-art worship centre which is being developed inside Southwater's Meeting Point House is now expected to be completed and opened by Pentecost weekend in May instead.

Renovation work at the warehouse space being converted for the £1.7 million development in continuing.

Minister the Rev Matt Beer said: "Building work is moving very quickly, but sadly it won’t be ready for our deadline of Easter.

"Our new forecast date is May 7 with a formal launch on May 23, God willing.

"The total build cost will be just over £1 million invested by the Diocese of Lichfield and the Church Commissioners. We hope that Telford Minster will be a place where young people and children flourish and where people from different backgrounds encounter the love of Christ, fulfilling our mission to ‘make Jesus known’."

It is being created from warehouse space, along with an extension, and will feature a contemporary 350-seater auditorium. A congregation is already meeting with services being held on social media platform Zoom during the current lockdown.

After missing the initial Christmas deadline, the leaders were hoping to open it at Easter when Christians mark the death and resurrection of Jesus, a key date in the church calendar.