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It was the vision of the members of several Methodist Churches near to the city centre in 1904 which led to the establishment of the Methodist Church in Harrison Road in 1905. We worship in a building that reflects that period, with a fairly large hall, several ancillary rooms and a large lawned garden making up the remainder of the 2000 square yard site. The buildings have been well maintained over the years and we have a large well equipped kitchen and ample toilet facilities, which includes provision for the disabled. A continuous programme of maintenance and renovation to keep the premises in good shape is in place.
The finances of the church are healthy and our Treasurer keeps us in order over expenditure. We have been left legacies by late members and the church council look to use these kind gifts wisely to develop the worship and witness of the church in the area and the general upkeep of the premises.
The membership of the church has been between 40 and 50 over a number of years and we have a small number of adherents on the community roll. Although our membership is fairly small, most of them attend at least one service each Sunday.
Our Tuesday Group for women meets on alternative weeks and has a membership of 16-18; the group enjoys a varied programme of events during the year.
Our church choir, though small in number (10 regular members), still sing an introit and anthem at every service, with a fair variation of music. They meet each Wednesday evening for practice and play an important role in supporting the preachers each week. They also organise most of our “Own Arrangement” services and a very enjoyable “Choir at Home” concert during December.
Saturday evening suppers/concerts are held during the year at Harvest and Church Anniversary, with the men of the church organising one in the Spring and the Tuesday Group arranging one in the Summer. We usually seat around 60 at these events.
For a number of years our Sunday School was in serious decline and for some time consisted of a few children visiting grandparents at the weekend. Even now the numbers are only about 10 when all present but now most of the children have parents in the church. The ages range from 3 to 18 years, but some very encouraging progress is being made by a very dedicated Sunday School staff.
From Easter Sunday 2007 a group of Asian Christians known as the United Christian Fellowship – Leicester started to use our premises for worship and fellowship each Sunday afternoon. The Fellowship is made up of men, women and children who originate mainly from the Punjab, Gugarat and Pakistan and have had over 40 people attending. Members have come from as far away as Corby, Kettering and the West Midlands. Recently numbers attending have fallen to around 20 but UCF members are working hard to recover the lost ground and are very hopeful of increased membership. Our own minister conducts a service of Holy Communion for the Fellowship once per month. We are hoping that in time closer links will be established.
Ecumenical links exist between the churches in Belgrave and Rushey Mead area, but this is a slowly developing situation.
Our Church at Harrison Road is suitable for staging major events with seating for 500 people and whilst car parking is a problem, we are able to use the nearby school car park for special events.
The Church has a fine Taylor pipe organ which is kept in good condition despite not being used at most services, but we are usually able to engage an organist for special occasions, funerals and weddings.
The Church hall is used by a local amateur operatic society twice per week and by other community groups on an occasional basis. For three weeks during August our hall and garden are used for a local playscheme for up to 100 children each day. Premises with such facilities are very rare in this area. Our premises are also included in the City Council’s list of emergency centres should the need ever arise.
Our forebears had a vision at the beginning of the 20th Century for this area of Leicester. Now, at the beginning of the 21st Century our vision is to bring Jesus Christ to a much changed situation. Our
forebears moved into a new housing development in 1905 to bring Christ to the families moving into the area. Now, in 2009, most of the local population are of Asian origin and there are numerous
temples and mosques in the area which reflects the religious orientation, so our situation has changed to a ‘holding stance’, maintaining a Christian presence in a largely non-Christian area.
Service times.
Sunday. 10.15am & 6.00pm
Contact:
Harrison Road Methodist Church
Harrison Road
Belgrave
Leicester
LE4 6QN
Minister with responsibility.
Revd. Rachel Parkinson Tel: 0116 267 1804
Email:
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Rachel
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 July 2010 08:20 |
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