BEECH HILL METHODIST CHURCH
385a Dunstable Road
Luton
LU4 8BY
Our Mission Statement
We aim to be involved in the local community and
offer ourselves and our premises as a local facility.
We aim to continue working ecumenically and
where appropriate with other faiths.
We aim to offer worship to include participation
across all ages and cultures.
We promise to challenge, include and walk
alongside all those worshipping with us
We hope to make people feel needed and valued.
We aim to engender trust in God’s Kingdom values
and God’s people.
We will affirm the place of Jesus Christ in our
multi-faith world.
Home
Minister
Rev. Margaret Newman
07472 185460
Calendar
Services
April
7th
10.30 am
Tina Salmon
14th
10.30 am
Rev. Terry Wright
21st
10.30 am
Roger Owers
28th - Communion Service
10.30 am
Rev. Margaret Newman
Services
Future Events
The Church is OPEN as a
WELCOME SPACE
most Tuesdays between 1pm and 4pm.
See calendar above for any excepteptions.
Hot drinks, squash, cakes and biscuits are available.
Games to play and jigsaws to make.
Church and Circuit Calendar
for April
Also see posters below for more events
6.45 - Beetle Drive at Newland Church, Wigmore - see poster below
Membership 32
Sunday Service Time 10.30 am
Please contact our Worship Coordinator, Anne Croft with the hymns and any other requirements (readers etc.) on 07476 752829 or
annebcroft@hotmail.co.uk by Wednesday if possible.
Hymn Books:
We usually project the words of the hymns. If you require a hymn or song that is not in Singing the Faith, Hymns & Psalms or the Complete Mission
Praise, please send the words to Anne Croft, our Worship Coordinator, along with your other service details. Projected song words should all be
covered by CCLI licencing.
There is a limited supply of printed Singing the Faith books for those who require them as well as Hymns & Psalms and Mission Praise to 798.
(We can project higher number Mission Praise songs or other songs as required).
The Methodist Worship Book is also available.
If you would like a responsive reading or prayer shown on the screen please inform Anne Croft when you give her the hymns.
PowerPoint slides & video can also be shown but must be loaded on the church computer prior to the service. Other computers cannot be connected to
the screens. If PowerPoint slides, video or special liturgies are required, please let Anne know and she may ask you to contact Richard Ball to arrange.
The availablity of screen projection is dependant on certain people being present. It is available most weeks, but If you wish to use something that is not
in one of the available hymnbooks please check with Anne that projection will be available.
Notices
Given by a Steward at the start of the service.
Offering
Taken up by members of the congregation and brought to the front of the church. There is a salver on the communion table for the preacher to receive
the offertory plates.
Prayers of Intercession
Led by the Preacher or occasionally by a member of the congregation.
Average Attendance
Adults – 20:
Parking
Large car park at the rear of the church accessed from Dunstable Road
Minister
Rev. Margaret Newman
07472 185460
Senior Church Steward
Mrs. Anne Croft
07476 752829
Property Bookings
Mr. Richard Ball
church@beechhillmethodist.co.uk
Treasurer / Newsletter
Mr. Richard Ball
church@beechhillmethodist.co.uk
Worship Coordinator
Mrs. Anne Croft
07476 752829
Church email
church@beechhillmethodist.co.uk
Church website
www.beechhillmethodist.co.uk
Church Officers
Church Officers
Church Stewards
Mrs. A Croft
Door Stewards
Mrs. C Townsend
Ms. A Davis
Ms. M Davis
Mr. T Abbott
Communion Stewards
Mrs. S Ball
Mrs. L Groves
Mr. T Abbott
Organist
Mr. M Kirby
Mrs. S Penn
Worship Coordinator
Mrs. A Croft
General Church Meeting
Secretary
Mrs. A Croft
Church Council Secretary
Mrs. A.Croft
Church Treasurer
Mr. R Ball
Envelope & Gift Aid
Secretary
Mr. R Ball
Mrs. S Ball
Property Steward &
Lettings
Mr. R. Ball
Safeguarding
Mrs. L Groves
Cradle Roll Secretary
Mrs. Y Montford
Newsletter Editor
Mr. R Ball
Mrs. S Ball
Action for Children
Secretary
Mrs. V Lawrence
Missions Secretary
Mrs. V Lawrence
CTL & LCOC
Representative
Mrs. S Penn
Circuit Meeting
Representative
Mr. A Baker
Mr. R Ball
Mrs. A Croft
Information for preachers
Church contacts
How to find us
1934
Rev. L. Ash Parsons, M.A.
1934-1938
Rev. Ernest Pratt
1938-1945
Rev. Wilfred Wade
1945-1949
Rev. George Trevithick
1949-1955
Rev. J. Owen Clutterbuck
1955-1962
Rev. R. Clifford C. Pattison
1962-1966
Rev. Dr. Ralph A. Letch. B.D.
1966-1971
Rev. Eryl W. Hughes
1971-1977
Rev. Maldwyn O. Williams
1977-1985
Rev. G. M. Kenny
1986-1989
Rev. D. Clifford Jones
1989-1991
Rev. John P. Hastings. B.A., B.D.
1991-1996
Rev. John Neal
1996-1997
Rev. Christopher Briggs
1997-2008
Rev. Julia Dowding
2008-2016
Rev. Phil Horner
2016-2017
Rev. Dr. TJ Wesley, OsL
2017-2020
Rev. Seung-Wook Jung
2020-
Rev. Margaret Newman
Ministers
The Grand Opening of Beech Hill in 1934
Local Preachers
1908
Douglas Tearl
1925
John Burrows
1929
Sydney Bolt
1933
Clifford Hawkins
1937
Horace Fountain
1947
Dorothy Chapman
1975
Anthony Brazier
1985
Jo Symons
Organists
Dr. J. H. Burgoyne C.B.E.
David Ballard
Hazel French
Geoffrey Ball
Philip Stanyon
Brian Gillion
Malcolm Kirby
Members who have become ordained ministers
Norman Richardson
Anthony Trevithick
Anthony Brazier
Reynaldo Leao Neto
The Brick Laying Ceremony
History of Beech Hill
In 1908 a School Chapel opened in Beech Road. The Beecroft family gave the site for this
Chapel, and it was from this Chapel that the Beech Hill Church evolved. Sir John Burgoyne
played a prominent part in securing the site at Beech Hill. Both these families came
originally from the smallest society in the circuit, Aley Green.
On April 9th 1926 a site was secured for a new Church at Beech Hill. The Beech Road site
was sold for a rather low price of £3750 in 1937. The first turf was cut on October 19th
with a short service. The stone laying took place on November 29th 1933.
The opening ceremony took place on 23rd May 1934. The architect was Mr G. Withers.
The total cost of the premises was £9200, with another £5,000 paid for the site.
Beech Hill 1943
The church opened with a membership of 64 but within two years this had risen to 164. There were 450 Sunday school children compared
with 157 before the church opened.
In the first two years there were 51 Baptisms and 16 marriages. The Sunday school was so full that two rooms of Maidenhall school were
used as well as the church hall.
At first singing was accompanied by a piano but in 1935 on October 2nd the new organ costing £1,000 was opened with a recital.
In 1936 Rev Pratt preached a sermon on 'The peril of petrification' reminding all that a church that stood still was doomed.
A prophetic voice for the future!
During the war years 'firewatchers' came on duty in the Church basement. Around 700 evacuees shared the premises as their wartime school.
The church was full for both morning and evening services and played a full part in the town activities.
Inside Beech Hill
In 1934 Luton Circuit contained 37 churches and had a staff of 11. By 1964 there were two Luton circuits, South and North. With 6 churches and 2 staff in the Luton South Circuit by 1984.
In 1950 Cardigan Street Methodist church closed and many members joined with Beech Hill.
In 1968 the choirmaster Mr Geoffrey Ball instituted a Concert of Christmas music and carols with the bulk of the proceeds going to the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children.
This continued until the choir diminished in size in the late 1990s.
In 1979 the church began offering hospitality to young people travelling to London for the MAYC weekends. These visits continued until the mid 1990s.
The Vestible, Harvest 1987
The Chancel decorated
for a wedding 1987
The Chancel, Harvest 1987
Hazel French at the Organ
The Church Lending Library
The Creche
A Short History
A New Church Building
In the late 1990s if became obvious that the church building was deteriorating and required a substantial amount of costly work. There were cracks apprearing in some of the walls, the
heating and electrical systems needed replacing and there were no disabled or modern kitchen facilities. So a discussion began as to what the future of the church should be. Should we
close or should we redevelop. If we were to redevelop, how would we finance the project.
There were other considerations. The original church was built and commissioned in 1934. Since then the people of God at Beech Hill had been on many journeys of faith. Journeys that led
into youth work with Girls and Boys Brigade and an overflowing Sunday School. Along the way we had: hosted evacuated WWII children who met on the premises for their schooling; ran
successful women’s groups, enabled The Befrienders and the Mums and Tots groups; felt uplifted by the wonderful singing of the Operatic group who used the premises, delighted audiences
each Christmas with a home grown Concert and a young peoples Christian Pantomime. But more recent times brought the challenge of the community around the church changing;
becoming multi-faith and multi-cultural.
Society no longer looked to the church to provide entertainment during the week. Rising aspirations and prices forced mothers out to work, whilst T.V. and video bought instant access to
entertainment. People died, moved away or just failed to recognise their need for a church life. The congregation dwindled.
Hence the beginning of another journey, an exploration of God’s will for Beech Hill.
We talked – a lot. We asked other people their ideas and needs, we did a neighbourhood survey and decided to use what we had discovered
as our Mission priorities. Taking just one of the Mission priorities ‘Health needs’, we started searching for a way to make things better for the
church and the community.
No one in the council seemed to be interested in our ideas – at first. Gradually however, the deprived area we form part of began to be
involved in SRB funding, and folk began to have renewed hope that life could be better. Ears started to open to listen to our ideas, but it still
seemed the work was up to us.
We joined forces with a Christian Mission group called ‘Grassroots’ who gave us a Brazilian Mission partner called ‘Leao’, who stirred the
congregation to start thinking differently. We joined a churches Commission on Mission programme called Building Bridges, which further
expanded our understanding of what church could be, as we accepted faith and God were all around us, not just within the church or even
Christianity.
With our growing knowledge and understanding we felt ready to look at extreme measures. ‘What about demolishing the lot’, someone said.
So that’s what we started to explore. How could we build a new church and some form of Health Centre? Where was the money coming
from? What would we use the church for, once we had built it?
Another journey began, looking for possible ways forward and some partners to accompany us on what turned out to be a long journey.
Over the next few years we decided what we wanted from a church building. Priorities were:
A place to worship on Sundays with a small chapel area for use in the week.
Room for Junior church activities.
Space for a coffee bar and a decent kitchen.
Room to house those groups who whilst not part of the church, were very much part of our community.
Space for other community groups.
A dedicated church office.
Possibility of putting on luncheon clubs and maybe some youth work.
Make the whole area a facility for the use of all faiths and cultures.
A place that all can identify with and feel part of.
The ability to offer space/time for the Health Centre clients.
The ability to ‘rent out’ the first floor for functions and business meetings.
The building must ‘pay its way’.
With all this in mind we eventually found a partner who would buy the land and build the Health Centre and the Church. Meanwhile the
Primary Care Trust had decided to make the building of a new Health Centre for Dallow ward a priority. We were in business. Now all we had
to do was convince the Circuit, District and Connexion that we had a viable scheme.
God worked with us, encouraging, and guiding, and patiently uplifting us when things got tough, (as they often did). At times we nearly gave
up, but God would send us a message through the arrival of new members, a better price for the land, sudden movement on a contentious
point etc.
None of this could have been achieved if we had not had a very good professional team of people around us. Architects, Surveyors, Project
managers, Solicitors, all worked together to ensure God’s will was done.
Beech Hill Methodist Church
Building in porogress 2006 - 2008
2nd November 2006
24th December 2006
14th January 2007
11th February 2007
25th February 2007
11th March 2007
10th June 2007
Interior pictures taken in June 2007
The pictures below show the completed Beech Hill building. It took almost two years from when we
moved out of the old building to moving into the new. We actually moved in just in time to celebrate
Christmas 2007. Our official opening service was in June 2008 when we were pleased to welcome Rev.
Anne Brown, the Chair of the Methodist District, to lead our celebration worship.
We thank our friends at All Saints Church in Shaftsbury Avenue who welcomed us and allowed us to
share their premises during the building of our new church.
The new Beech Hill building completed in December 2007
