Princes Risborough Methodist Church
The building was opened for worship in 1869 though a Methodist community was
worshipping in the town some 20 years earlier.
The First Chapter of the witness and use of the building spans some 103 years into the early 1970s, when it was used to the full. In addition to the normal Sunday services, there was a Sunday School, Wesley Guild and a Youth Club.
Princes Risborough Methodist Church 1966
Towards the middle of the 1970s the building needed extensive and expensive repair work; there was also a problem of space as there was only one small room at the back of the building. Though considerable effort and prayer was put into seeking a new site for the church no suitable site was found and there was even some debate as to whether the Methodist Church should continue in Risborough.
At a meeting in early 1975 a crucial vote was taken which favoured the building entering a Second Chapter in its life.
The building was to be totally refurbished. A porch was added at the front and an extension built to the rear of the building, so the worship and witness of the Methodist Community in Risborough could continue. With the refurbished and extended premises the witness continued with Sunday Services, Sunday School, and a new Shell Group, along with a week day fellowship meeting. During this period, lasting about 32 years, close ties were developed with the other churches in the town to form Churches Together in Risborough.
A New Chapter in the Life of The Church Family
There has long been a strong desire to improve the premises, which has been thought
and prayed about for a number of years. Funds were raised and it was hoped that a new site could be found where a modern building could be built. When again this proved to
be impossible the Church Council decided that the existing building should again be modernised and extended.
The objective was to improve and extend the premises to further our outreach and
service to the local community, and enhance our profile on Wycombe Road.
Plans were drawn up to refurbished the interior, build a much improved entrance porch
and a further extension at the back, which was now permissible under new planning guidelines. Once the Wycombe District Planners gave their permission to go ahead on
14 January 2008 the Church Council made the final decision to go ahead with the development.
Progress has been very rapid and although there were some finishing touches required,
the refurbished premises were re-dedicated during a Service on 16 November 2008,
which was conducted by Rev. Ann Varker.
The following slide show depicts the older buildings and the prOgress of the redevelopment in 2008 and shows just how much work was done in just a few weeks