The first and probably most important question is, Where are we?

The church is on the Town Lane estate, a relatively new development on the outskirts of Southport - a town 15 miles north of Liverpool. 

If you want a street map showing exactly where we are in Southport, please click here.

You can also get information on where we are here.

How the church came about

In March 1987 a leaflet was posted through letterboxes on the Kew estate explaining that the Revd Rodney Middleton was going to be inducted as the Priest in Charge of St Francis of Assisi, Kew. The Saturday of the Induction brought a heavy snowfall but this did not prevent many, who would the next day become the embryo congregation, from joining clergy and dignitaries at the service.

 The Induction and subsequent services were held in the main hall of Kew Woods Primary School. This meant that each week the church was ‘assembled’ before the service. Chairs were brought from under the stairs, the lectern and the altar (which was specially made to be dismantled and folded) were stored in a cupboard adjoining the hall and had to be brought out and set up. After service the school hall was returned to it’s pre church state. The staff room doubled as a vestry. We have some photographs of those days in our first gallery. HERE

In October 1987 the Sunday School was set up using classrooms – or when they were unavailable, the staff room and corridor.

After a public meeting with representatives from other denominations in the town, the congregation and other interested people it was decided that a more permanent solution was needed for the church. It was decided that the church would become a joint Anglican Methodist venture.  Fund raising began to raise the money for the first building.

In April 1991 a short service was held on a piece of land next to the school and behind the local chip shop, to mark the beginning of the work on the site of the new church.

The new building was prefabricated and was transported to the site on the back of several lorries. A crane lifted the sections into place were they were bolted together. Mains electric, water and drainage were connected, a car park built and the inside of the building was made ready for the first service which took place in June 1991. You can see photographs of the building of the new building in the second gallery. HERE

Fundraising continued and in 1996 on a piece of land adjacent to the temporary building but in Folkstone Road the permanent building of the Church of St Francis of Assisi, Southport was built. Our third gallery has photographs of the erection of the new building and views of the finished church. HERE

The first service in the new building took place on Mothering Sunday in March 1997; 10 years after the first congregation had met together. The sermon was given by the Revd Neil Stubbens, the Methodist Minister and Mrs Margaret Webb, the Reader. Their subject was New Birth, from the perspective of the building coordinator (Neil) and a mother (Margaret).

The Revd Rodney Middleton had moved on to a new parish in Haydock in 1995. The Revd Alex Galbraith was appointed as Vicar and was inducted by the Rt. Revd John Packer, the then Bishop of Warrington in April 1997.

In 2001/02 work took place building Phase 2 of the church building. This was an extension providing much needed extra space in the church hall and kitchen. You can see some photographs of this extension HERE.

You can read some interesting newspaper articles about the church here. HERE