The Church Building
The church is a Victorian Grade II listed building, built in 1846. Over the past fifteen years, a lot of work has been done to restore and update the church. Some of the pews were removed from the back of church and choir pews removed to make much needed communal space.
The church can seat up to 120 people in the pews. We are able to seat a further 60 people in chairs which we can rearrange to suit a variety of services and events.
There is a vestry and a small meeting room at the back of the church where Sunday School is held. We have a toilet at the entrance of the church which is fully accessible and has baby changing facilities.
There are two military graves in the churchyard.
In our future plans we would like to build on the successful concerts and social events that we have previously hosted as well as to open the building for greater community use.
Our Community
Following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, we started to rebuild our regular activities, reconnect with and reach out to our community and raise funds to help us maintain our established presence in the village.
St John the Baptist Church, Dodworth, retains a broad catholic theology and the centrality of the Eucharist, while also embracing fresh perspectives and family-orientated worship within this tradition. In our worship we follow modern Anglo Catholic liturgy.
The church maintains close links with Dodworth St John the Baptist C of E Primary Academy (DSJA) school. The children come to church throughout the school year to celebrate religious festivals and our vicar regularly goes into both DSJA and Keresforth Primary School for collective worship. We also offer successful and vibrant toddler and youth groups for young people in the village.
Our Thursday service and coffee morning remain a popular cornerstone of church life. We have an excellent relationship with the other churches in the village – Dodworth Methodist Church and Rosehill Wesleyan Reform Church. We support each other’s activities, provide help and assistance when required, and host regular and enjoyable fellowship evenings in rotation.
Our church is well established as a focal point of the local community. We support the village with such events as the hugely well-attended Remembrance Day Service and the Christingle and Carol Services at Christmas and we work with local groups such as the Dodworth Ward Alliance and the Dodworth High Street Events Group to maintain a visible and supportive presence. We host two large fundraising events annually – the Summer Fair/ Afternoon Tea and the Christmas Fair – plus a number of smaller events in church throughout the year.
We are often complimented as a church that is friendly and welcoming to all and wish to maintain this important quality in the future.