A brief history

Starting the Journey

Ruxley Methodist Church was founded in 1960 and St Francis of Assisi (Church of England) was founded in 1939.  When the St. Francis congregation found in 1997 that their building was subsiding, Ruxley Methodist Church Council kindly offered to let them share the Methodist Building just down the road.

On Pentecost Sunday 1998, a sharing agreement was signed and from August 2000, we have been sharing all our worship.  In an historic vote at separate annual meetings on 26th April 2001, both congregations agreed overwhelmingly to move forward as a single congregation Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) under a Covenant Agreement, signed at a joyful service on Sunday 20th January 2002.

Views of the old St Francis Church, now demolished

Next Steps

The latest step in our Christian journey together, is that we have decided to build a new Church building. This is a major project, as well as a step of faith, and prayerful planning is now well underway.  In May 2007 we received planing permission for a new church building on the old St. Francis site, involving relocating the Anglican Minister's residence; building a new Church with integral hall and meeting rooms; and using part of the remaining land for residential accommodation.  The new Minister's House is now complete and is located on the corner of Ruxley Lane and Scotts Farm Road, adjacent to the church.