“Woman dances on holiday”, “Man moves portrait”, “former Ministers blame 8-week-old government”

A quiet week to end the “silly season” as we patiently await the announcement of the Second Church Estates Commissioner…

Update: On Monday 2 September 2024, the Church Times tweeted: “The new Second Church Estates Commissioner is to be announced in the coming weeks, after the longest wait since the office was established in 1948”. Apparently the name has been known internally since mid-July. 

Restrictive covenants on closed places of worship

The former St John’s Church in Hanley, which is Grade II-listed, was closed and had not been used as a church since the 1980s. The Diocese of Lichfield sold the building in 2009, and it was turned into an antiques centre and café. The deed of sale included a restrictive covenant preventing it from being used as a place of worship for any other religion.

The building has recently been purchased by the Zamir Foundation, which plans to turn it into a multi-purpose centre including a museum, a multi-faith library, a women-only gym – and a mosque. Continue reading →