Church History - Oadby Trinity Methodist Church

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A SHORT HISTORY OF OADBY TRINITY METHODIST CHURCH, LEICESTER

A Methodist chapel opened in Oadby on 13th May 1838. On the opening day it was full to overflowing and it seated 160 people. The population of Oadby at the time was about 1200. The chapel belonged to the Wesleyan Methodist Association (a small splinter group of the Methodist Church) and was in the Leicester circuit.

Only 12 years later a further chapel was opened in London Road, Oadby, where Marks and Spencer now stands but we don't know why the first one closed. This new one was on two floors with the chapel upstairs and the schoolrooms below on the ground floor.

The majority of the members at the time were framework knitters, worked on a farm or were in the shoe trade. Most had lived all their lives in Oadby. The membership was at around the 30 - 40 mark when this chapel opened but it then climbed steadily until there were 86 full members by 1895.

Local preachers led Sunday services and the ordained minister (from Hill Street church in Leicester) visited only on a Tuesday for the 7 o'clock service. By this time the smaller branches of Methodism, including the Wesleyan Methodist Association had combined to become the United Methodist Free Church, later to change again in 1907 to the United Methodist Church.

By 1908 a site for a new church building had been purchased at the corner of Sandhurst Street but events on the larger stage overtook the village. Unemployment was rife and in the space of a couple of years 1910-11 no fewer that 35 members emigrated with their families to Canada, the United States and New Zealand.

In a desperate effort to make a start on the new building and to pay for the loans on the land it was agreed to put up the old chapel for sale. The asking price in 1913 was £450 but by 1915 when a buyer was found this had dropped to £250. The chapel closed on 27th June and services moved to the Village Hall. A low point indeed for the few remaining members.

Throughout the war years services took place in the Village Hall and efforts were made to raise money but these were not very lucrative and rent had to be paid.

In 1920 it was discovered that an ex-army hut could be purchased for £100 and it would be capable of holding 250 people. The congregation voted 3 to 1 for a £400 scheme to erect one on the Sandhurst Street site and this was then done. The church opened on Saturday 22nd January 1921 and a 12-gallon copper provided tea for all afterwards.

By 1926 the Methodists had begun to recover from their misfortunes and a pastor was appointed whose 'boundless enthusiasm and willingness to identify with the common man made him beloved by all.' Spirits rose, the congregation grew and enthusiasm was awakened for the building of a new, permanent chapel. It was hoped to build on the Sandhurst Street site but with the plans for the bypass this was not possible so a new site had to be purchased fronting the new road and this was completed in April 1929.

The Hill Street church in Leicester was to close and a letter promised Oadby trustees a sum of £2000 plus their pews, organ and central heating system. Good news indeed.

The laying of the foundation stone took place on 16th May 1931 and the new chapel opened on October 3rd of the same year. The members processed into the new building, children first, singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers'. The following year, probably when the United Methodist Church combined with other branches of Methodism to form 'The Methodist Church', our present building took the name 'Trinity Methodist Church'. The schoolrooms were built in 1933.

In the following years the church family was alive and active and many special events took place. Church and Sunday School Anniversaries and Harvest Thanksgiving services were the highlights of the year, but many social groups strengthened the church family. Pastor Argall felt that the monthly communion service was the best feature of the church and the power station upon which the members drew.

The war years followed and the military authorities took over the schoolrooms, but by 1947 the premises had been redecorated and by 1951 there were 150 scholars in the Sunday School. Throughout the 50s and 60s the population of Oadby boomed and the congregation became more fluid. A manse was built and the first occupant was Rev Christopher Hughes Smith with his family. Church membership stood at 128 and was growing fast and in 1964 the church became part of Oadby Council of Churches. The first Stewardship Campaign took place, changing the appearance of the church's financial giving for good and harnessing the talents and time of the congregation for the greater good of the church and the community.

By the 70s Oadby had been transformed from tight knit village community into a suburb of people whose roots lay elsewhere and the chapel had become the largest in the circuit. The premises had been altered and enlarged and the membership had changed considerably. People took time to settle down and grow in the faith.

The Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1981 with a special exhibition of church history and a publication to match. Church membership stood at 272 members with 400 families on the community roll.

The years that followed saw a drive towards bringing the church building up to date and making it more accessible to the community. Various outreach projects including a drop-in centre for the unemployed, a coffee bar and lunches for the elderly were undertaken.

It was decided that renovations, which had been discussed for some time, should now take place and fund raising began. The church closed for several months and 'camped out' at Gartree School until the transformed buildings were reopened in August 1990.

The final years of the century were spent settling into our beautiful new surroundings, finding new ways of worship and growing together as a church family. Housegroups, church weekends, weekday meetings of every kind, not to mention the wonderful drama presentations and pantomimes have all contributed to a feeling of community. We look forward to the future as we seek to employ a youth worker to help us in the task of bringing the young people closer into church life so that we may help to keep a thriving Christian presence in Oadby

Stella Orbell May 2002