A 153-year-old church has been put up for sale due to its "declining congregation".
Southport's St George's Reformed Church on Lord Street first opened its doors in 1969 and has now launched an appeal to find a local organisation that might be interested in buying the Grade II listed building. Committee members would prefer the place of worship to remain open “for the benefit of the community.”
However, if no buyer is found by the time the church closes in April next year it will be offered at the “highest price for development". Minsters and Elders of the church are hoping that a community group will come forward and offer a "fair price" to take over the building.
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In a letter, St George’s Church Secretary Neil MacKenzie wrote: "The church is managed by the ministers and elders (a committee of the members of the church). It is with sadness that the church members have decided that we will be ceasing worship at the Church, most likely on 23rd April 2023, because of declining numbers in the congregation.
“When this happens, the trustee of the building (the United Reformed Church (Mersey Province) Trust Limited) will take possession with a view to disposal. In the meantime, the elders are making the closure publicly known with a view to ascertaining whether there is an organisation or group of organisations who would be interested in taking over the buildings (the church building and the church hall at the rear) for the benefit of the community at a fair price."
St George’s United Reformed Church first opened in 1869 and is one of six churches in the Southport and Formby Team Ministry. Neil said: " If proposals were forthcoming from the community, the elders meeting would be keen to put them to the trustee for consideration as a suitable legacy from the church to the town.
"If it turns out that there is no interest, the buildings will be disposed of by the trustee on best terms, which usually means highest price for development. The church would regret this happening if there had been an opportunity for community use that had not been explored. This is why we are making our closure widely known now."
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