Welcome to Bishops Offley, we are most probably the most difficult church to find in the circuit, but we are worth the journey! We may have the smallest building and be small in number but we have a big heart for the community and there are lots of exciting changes happening so that we can be an effective hub for the community.
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.