ABOUT US
We are a small, vibrant church situated in the picturesque village of Melbourne in the south of Derbyshire
We have 50+ members with regular attendances of 30 – 40 people at each Sunday morning service. We hold many various mid-week activities where we eagerly welcome friends and visitors. Please navigate around the website for further information to view our activities, officers and photographs of the church.
All adults working within the Church, that spend any time with children and vulnerable adults, will have undergone the relevant Safeguarding courses and hold a current DBS certificate.
For further information please click here or contact our Safeguarding Co-ordinator – Cathy on 07954 218199.
Please see below for details of Church contacts:
Secretary
Miss Margaret Loydall
T: 01332 862175
e: margaretloydall@outlook.com
Treasurer & Weekly Offering Secretary
Mr Peter Newbury
T: 07899 668027
e: peternewbury@outlook.com
Safeguarding Co-ordinator:
Cathy Read
T: 07954218199
Book our facilities
For information on engaging the church for Marriage, Baptism or Funeral Services, please contact the Church Secretary by email margaretloydall@outlook.com or telephone (01332) 862175.
We have a large church hall which is separate from the main church building. This includes a smaller meeting room and large fully equipped kitchen. These can be hired on short or long-term contracts following liaison with the Church Secretary or Treasurer.
A Short History
It was from the Castle Gate Church in Nottingham that men were sent to preach the Presbyterian cause in Melbourne. The earliest Minister served to 1718.
During the 1740’s Whitfield and Wesley were occasional visitors to Donnington Park, the residence of the Countess of Huntingdon. It is believed that through their influence one of her many servants became a “missionary of good tidings” and was sent to the surrounding villages. Melbourne was one of the places he visited.
Up to 1768 services and meetings were held in cottages, but during that year a small chapel was erected on the Ladyship’s estate (in Penn Lane) and continued to be an independent Chapel until 1871 when the present Church was built.
No list of members can be found until 1770, and it was in that year that the minister, Thomas Jones, was joined by another minister, Joseph Griffiths. These two men went to Derby, preached in the Market Place, hired rooms, and so laid the foundation for the first Congregational Church there, now Central United Reformed Church.
In April 1871 the foundation stone of the present church was laid, twelve months later the opening service was held, then in February 1873 the adjacent schoolrooms were opened.
With the joining of the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church in England in October 1972 the Church became Melbourne United Reformed Church.
Melbourne United Reformed Church, High Street, Melbourne, Derbyshire, DE73 8GJ
Tel: 01332 862175
Email: margaretloydall@outlook.com