St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead

St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead is a Church of England parish church which serves the parish of Ravenhead in St Helens, England. It is one of the over 200 parishes which together form the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool.

St John's, Ravenhead
St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead
St John's, Ravenhead Location within NW England
OS grid reference	SJ4986594093
Location	Ravenhead, St. Helens
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	www.stjohnsravenhead.org.uk
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1869
Dedication	St John the Evangelist
Consecrated	27 December 1869
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	23 August 1985
Architect(s)	Medland & Taylor, Manchester
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1869
Construction cost	£2,500
Administration
District	Diocese of Liverpool
Province	York
Diocese	Liverpool
Archdeaconry	St Helens & Warrington
Deanery	St Helens
Parish	Ravenhead
Clergy
Rector	Rev Helen Coffey
Vicar(s)	Rev Gareth Banton, Rev Sonya Doragh
Curate(s)	Rev Anita Fath, Rev Gregor Stewart
Laity
Organist(s)	Paul Henry
Churchwarden(s)	Deryck Hadfield, John Ingham

Centres of worship

There is one Anglican church in the parish of Ravenhead. - the parish church of St John the Evangelist. Its mission church, Emmanuel, closed in 2016 when the building and land was sold. The Emmanuel building has now been demolished and the land is the subject of a building development.

History

St John's Church was built and opened in 1869. Following the First World War, a Memorial Hall was built as an annexe to the church in 1924. The mission church, Emmanuel, opened in 1965 as St John's Mission, though previous buildings on the site were associated with the church as far back as the early 1900s as Sunday schools and a vicarage. The most recent building development was of the St John's Community Centre, which opened at the St John's site in 2004. St John's Church is a listed building.

The Emmanuel building and site were sold in 2016.

Community centre

During the 1990s, a survey showed that there was significant demand in the area for improved community facilities. Throughout the following decade, the church raised finances to extend facilities at the main parish church to incorporate a new community centre. A sizeable sum of money was needed and raised through donations and grant making bodies. The St John's Centre opened in January 2004.

Vicars of Ravenhead

Ravenhead has been served by eleven vicars since the opening of St John's Church in 1869. A further minister, Rev. John Angell Jones, was appointed for three months to oversee an interregnum between the death of Rev. H.S. Bolton and the arrival of Rev. J.R. Beresford.

• Rev. Richard Ravenscroft Moore (1869–1884)
• Rev. Harry Sandford Bolton (1884–1923)
• Rev. John Angell Jones (1923, interim)
• Rev. James Richard Beresford (1923–1936)
• Rev. George Goode (1936–1948)
• Rev. Ernest Henshaw (1940–1960)
• Rev. Malcolm Dorrance Whyte (1960–1967)
• Rev. Frank Allred (1967–1975)
• Rev. John Seth Parry (1976–1987)
• Rev. Edward Roy Doran (1988–2009)
• Rev. Terry McFadden (2012 - 2015)
• Rev. Dozie Moneme (2016 - 2020)
• Rev. Gareth Banton (2021 - )

See also

• Listed buildings in St Helens, Merseyside

External links

• St. Johns & Emmanuel, Ravenhead