"The church has stuck around when everything else has moved away."

“The church has stuck around when everything else has moved away. That is witness in itself, God hasn’t given up on this community.”

When the mines closed in Willington, County Durham, it took more than the jobs. It stripped the village of its identity, its security and tore through the fabric of the close-knit community. Over the years that followed, the factories closed, local businesses dwindled and slowly the services that had supported the village of some 6,000 inhabitants disappeared. However, the Methodist Church at Willington has adapted to the challenge and is now one of the last remaining support services, ensuring that the community, especially its vulnerable members, are taken care of.

Our Confident Community (OCC), the community ministry based at Willington Open Door Methodist Church, has become a lifeline to the people of the village. It offers a place of welcome in one of the most deprived areas in England. Despite shrinking employment and stretched public services, the church has stood firm, offering food, practical support and friendship along with the invitation to explore faith.

Willington was a proud mining village, but like many former coalfield communities, it faces many challenges. As Centre Manager Lisa Tacon explains, “We are in the top ten per cent of communities living in poverty and deprivation in the country. We have high levels of fuel and food poverty, and a high percentage of children living in difficult circumstances.”

The poverty, loneliness, mental health challenges and homelessness are all concerns. Many older residents have watched their friendships disappear as neighbours have passed away or moved on. Newer residents, often placed in the town through social housing, arrive with no support network at all.

The center offers friendship and a safe space to sit with a cup of coffee, to talk and be heard. It provides mental health support, debt advice and (when funding and availability allows) provides tents and sleeping bags for the homeless.

A prayer table in the entrance offers readings, reflections and opportunities to leave prayers. “Ask the question: ‘Can I pray for you?’,” says Lisa, “and very few say no.”

In the church’s sanctuary, candles are lit, prayers are spoken and thoughts are shared. Lisa reflects, “People who would tell me they had no faith… but in their times of need, they want the prayer and need that space.” The minister, the Revd Bruce Sawyer, commented, “People are on their journey. They are committed to this building and to this community, but perhaps not in the traditional ways the Methodist Church has asked for. Our role is to join them on that journey and help them deepen their discipleship.”

The current Willington Methodist Church was opened in 2016. Next to it is the original chapel, built in 1874, which was closely associated with local industry. Some Sunday mornings hundreds of people would pack the church and its balconies. When the time came to consider the future of the old chapel, the congregation faced a painful choice. The building was decaying and restoration would have cost nearly £1 million. Many churches would have closed. But Willington did not.

We just knew it wasn’t time to lock the doors and say that’s it,” says longtime member, Helen Pryce. “We always knew God was calling us to build something new, something useful for our community.”

The cost of the new church was significant. Money began to appear in remarkable ways, including an unexpected £100,000 legacy that tipped the scales to take the project from impossible to achievable. The new building, with glass doors, modern facilities and a stunning stained glass window created from drawings by local schoolchildren, was designed to be welcoming and practical.

Running the centre costs £3,000 a week. At the heart of OCC is a food project that last year supported over 400 households. The food, much of it donated by supermarkets and supplemented by grants, is available weekly for a small admin fee, though, as the Revd Bruce Sawyer stresses, “If anybody is in genuine need and cannot afford to contribute, they can still continue to have food for free.”

This fee, introduced after careful reflection with the community, has become more than just a contribution to running costs. It affirms dignity. “There’s a sense that people are not simply a recipient, they’re a partner,” says the Revd Bruce. “It gives value, worth and opens conversations about budgeting, benefits and deeper issues.”

Volunteer Beverly, who rediscovered her calling to the church after the sudden death of her sister, describes Willington Open Door Methodist Church as the place that held her in love when she needed it most. Now she serves others with the same compassion she received. “This is where God needed me to be.”

“Faith underpins everything we do,” says Lisa. “Those who worship here on Sunday are praying for the work all week.”