Time also up for Bognor's United Reform Church

The town's United Reformed Church is to close in mid-July. The official service of closure will be held by its minister, the Rev John Gordon, at 5pm on July 11.

Its last service will take place at 10.30am the next Sunday. After that, the church's fate will depend on the property market.

Mr Gordon said: "It's very sad we had to make the decision to close the church. Closure is a last resort. I tried every avenue in the book to keep it open.

"It was a painful decision because the church elders who made it are people who have been christened here, married here, seen their children married here, buried their grandparents here and their grandchildren christened here.

"It's a shame because the church has played its part in the community of Bognor.

"But things do change and people no longer seem to want to come to church on Sunday mornings."

Church-goer Sheila Gibbon said: "I'm really sad the church is closing. I have belonged to the church since 1948.

"I feel we could have gone on longer but the reason is that the congregation is getting smaller. Many of them are elderly and there is not enough manpower to get things done."

Mr Gordon, who has led the church for eight years, said this imbalance in numbers meant the church could not survive indefinitely amid annual running costs of some 50,000 a year.

"We are financially secure but it's a bit like the government. We had to resolve to do something now. Our church is inspected every five years and the last inspection showed we were adequate but improvements costing 150,000-200,000 would ideally be carried out.

"We can't afford that and then there is always the unexpected big bill which hits you. We had to pay 10,000 suddenly last summer for heating repairs.

"We wanted to go out with our heads held high rather than suddenly have to close because we couldn't pay our bills."

The church hall will remain in use until September when the agreements with its various user groups end.

The children's Bognor Regis International Dance Ensemble has met there since it was started by Janet Douglas 12 years ago.

She said: "It's sad the church is closing and it's inconvenient for us because the church is in the centre of Bognor and we can't get anywhere else in the area.

The end of such hiring agreements will see the church site become the responsibility of the URC's Southern Province Trustees.

"Presumably, they'll put it on the open market. It'll then be up to whoever comes in with the best offer. I don't know if it will go quickly or still be empty in two years," said Mr Gordon.

It's hoped the sale's proceeds will be available for use within the combined URC and Methodist area between East Wittering and Rustington.

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