Heslington Church

St Paul's Church, Heslington

Heslington Church is in the parish (and village) of Heslington, near York, England. As well as the village and some more modern housing estates, the church also serves some outlying farms. The Heslington campus of the University of York is also in the parish.

It is a local ecumenical partnership between the Church of England and the Methodist Church, making it one of few joint Methodist/Anglican churches. It was formed from Saint Paul's Church, Heslington and Heslington Methodist Chapel in 1971, the name of the combined church being "Heslington Church", though some people still incorrectly refer to it as "St Paul's". The old Methodist Chapel is now the village meeting room.

The building looks much like a Victorian parish church from the south. It was originally constructed in 1858. However, the north wall was removed during rebuilding in the 1970s, and the building was extended by the ecclesiastical architect Ronald Sims. Sims added a modern suite of meeting rooms, vestry and kitchen on the north side. The old choir and sanctuary now form a separate chapel, and the congregation sits in a semicircle facing the new altar to the north. The building is now a Grade II listed building.

Each denomination in the ecumenical partnership is represented by a member of clergy; the Anglican vicar is Rev. Nancy Eckersley, while Rev. Rory Dalgleish, Methodist chaplain to the University of York, represents the Methodist Church. Rev. Rowan Williams, Anglican chaplain to the university, frequently worships at the church, although the church and the university chaplaincy are officially separate. Nancy Eckersley retires in January 2011. Services are conducted from a combined liturgy, written by the church.

Sunday services take place at 9.00am (traditional) and 11.00am (contemporary), though the 6.30pm service has recently stopped meeting. Aside from the usual midweek meetings, the church also plays host to various university groups throughout the week.

External links

• This is York link
• Heslington Church Website
• Details from listed building database (326166) . Images of England. English Heritage.