St John's Church in Coleford set to close
St John's Church in Coleford is set to close.
The decision was made after it was found that £1.8million of investment was needed to keep the church open.
A new site will now be sought for a new church to be built in the town.
The Reverend Sarah Bick, vicar of the Coleford, Staunton, Newland, Redbrook and Clearwell Benefice said: "St Johns PCC, with regret, has decided to close St John's church Coleford as a place of worship.
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"As many of the St John's community will know, St John's church is in a poor state of repair, so the PCC went through a detailed process of seeking estimates of the required repairs to the church, it held a public consultation over shared use options and researched the availability of grants and funds.
"What was discovered during this process was that prospective capital costs to the building came to at least £1.8 million and ongoing running costs were £25,000 per year. No grant awarding bodies were able to meet that scale of need, so retaining St John's building as the congregation's place of worship was not viable and the decision to close the building was the only option left.
"The PCC instead wishes to pursue the possibility of building a new church building somewhere in the town, which would meet the needs of the community. Many people from the town have already expressed an interest to engage in further conversations about how a new church building could serve the town and the local people."
St Johns Church building will become the responsibility of the Diocese of Gloucester and the national Church Buildings Council.
Reverend Bick added: "We want to assure the community that the presence of the Church, and the loving God that it represents, will not leave Coleford as there is still a worshipping congregation in the town, and our churches at Broadwell, Staunton, Clearwell, Newland and Redbrook are still open and all are welcome to attend these churches."
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