Stafford Methodist Circuit

Bishops Offley Methodist Church
Offley Marsh, Bishops Offley, Stafford ST21 6HE

Bishops Offley is a small, but thriving village mid-way between Eccleshall and Newport close to the Staffordshire / Shropshire border. The chapel is situated just on the outskirts of the village with glorious views over the surrounding countryside – indeed one ex-minister called Bishops Offley a ‘corner of heaven in Staffordshire’.

The chapel is a good example of many Primitive Methodist roadside churches that were built in the mid to late eighteenth century. Dating from 1875, it used to have a small stable for the preacher’s horse – although we’ve recently undertaken building work so that we now have a kitchen and toilet area, new heating and mains water!

But the strength of the church is in it’s members and congregation – around a dozen –supplemented significantly at Easter, Harvest and Christmas by others from the local community who view the chapel as a vital part of village life.

In some churches the low numbers may be seen as a weakness but we view the small size of our community as being beneficial to the strength of the fellowship. Pastoral care and church work are undertaken naturally with a minimum of fuss, enabling us to work hard at being a beacon of Christian out-working within the local neighbourhood.

We believe that this means getting involved in community affairs and showing what it means to be a Christian in the twenty-first century; including the out-working of the Spirit and how the Love of Jesus is available for all. So we strive to form close relationships with those in the village and to provide a genuine welcome – both to the regular weekly services and to the traditional services but also to ‘specials’ throughout the year – recent examples being Rogation Sunday, Flower Festival, Celebration services for Christenings and Love, Easter Sun-rise, Hymns of Praise. The chapel is also used for local community meetings – we feel it is important to encourage the use of the building for a wide a group of activities and to show why Bishops Offley chapel is so important today, being a symbol of a very real witness to God’s Love in this part of Staffordshire.

Service Times: 2.30 pm All-age Worship – first Sunday of the Month; 6.30 pm other Sundays.
Minister Name: Revd. Tim Lowe
Contact Name: David Hemingway – 01785 280478

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