Beeston Methodist Church is seeing the benefits of its major renovation that started in 2025 and completed earlier this year. Special celebrations were held on June 20 to mark the official opening of the new sanctuary, remodelled to meet 21st century church and community needs. More than 200 people came to look around and enjoy a morning of music, displays and refreshments. A special afternoon service of celebration and dedication was attended by the District Chair, the Rev Andy Fyall, and representatives of the various contractors who worked on the year-long, £2m project.
The transformation of the worship area has attracted many favourable comments. The creation of a bright, open, accessible and flexible space supports large and small group worship and is available for a wide range of community activities. A new audio-visual system enhances the streaming of services including weddings and funerals as well as concerts and other events.
The impressive pipe organ, donated to the church when it opened in 1902, has undergone a major overhaul. It is now played from a new console at floor level with electronic links to the pipes.
A new, insulated roof and floor and a newly installed heating system has made the church more energy efficient. We have solar panels fitted to roofs facing away from the road.
The worship area was made much more accessible by removing the pews, levelling the floor and introducing stackable seating. The remodelled space seats up to 300 people and is an ideal location for concerts and other performances.
Chris Bridges, chair of the Redevelopment Group, said: “The church is an important community asset. It is used by many, many groups for concerts, rehearsals, Yoga classes and many other activities. The U3A meet here and hundreds of people come through the building every week. With the church now easier to heat and use, we hope it will be used by even more of the community in the future.”
A short video, made before the redevelopment started, can be seen on YouTube. The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pitqt7WXZEQ
In June a journalism student from Nottingham Trent University created a short radio story about our project. You can listen to it here:
You can see photos from behind the scenes throughout the project ending with the service of celebration. These are in the drop down menu Redeveloping the Premises