Historic Quarry Bank church hosts its final service before closure
This Christmas will prove to be the last for worshippers at an historic Quarry Bank church which has closed its doors for the last time.
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A carol service was held on Sunday afternoon at Wesley Methodist Church, Mount Pleasant which is closing because of the cost of repairs to the 196 year old building.
It is the second Methodist Church in the area to shut in recent months - at the end of October Providence Methodist Church held its final service, with the Reverend Alan Combes leading it.
Wesley is also one of the churches he looks after as a circuit minister and said the news had come at short notice and a bit of a shock, as they were only told two weeks ago.
He said: "We had the results of an assessment from the insurers which stressed the urgency needed for the repairs to be undertaken and how much they would cost.
"We are not in a position to carry them out financially so the decision was taken that with a relatively small congregation and the church not used to full capacity it would have to close as a place of worship.
"Many of the congregation will go to other churches in the area - we have a good relationship for example with Amblecote Wordsley Methodist Church and they will welcome more people with open arms.
"I would stress that although we have seen two go in recent months and that is always a shame, the Methodist church is still strong on in the Black Country and Dudley Borough."
