Published on: 05/05/2026
A £1 million project to provide a community hub at St John’s Goole is well underway, and there’s optimism for its potential in the future.
The restoration project has already raised around £750,000 through grants, and aims to:
- Restore the cottage and playgrounds
- Complete the roof work on the church building
- Complete as much of the Life and Hope Gardens as we can
- Put toilets into church
- Explore the potential of having a cafe space in the church building
Members of the St John’s congregation are being asked to consider one-off gifts or to increase their regular monthly giving for a couple of years during the fundraising. People have also been involved with activities as well, such as raising over £500 by collecting copper coins, planning a skydive in the Summer and hosting various afternoon teas.
Revd Hannah Patton, Priest-in-Charge of St John’s, and Jonny Patton, Worship and Operations Director, say the church community have got on board with the idea of having a dedicated season of fundraising:
‘Everybody really understands the vision. It’s quite easy to understand the vision when it’s related to buildings, and there’s a bit of a Nehemiah story here in that we’re trying to gather the community to rebuild and renovate what we’ve got.
‘I think people like to know what they’re giving to, and if they believe in that they will give – and people really do believe in seeing the church grow up to be ready for the next generation of worshippers.
‘Some people have their ideas of what church is; some positive and some negative. What we’re trying to do is break down those barriers, so that people who do want to go on a faith journey can, and we’re really open about that. We don’t try and hide the fact we’re here because we believe in Jesus, and primarily we’re here so people can journey with him in life. We are open and honest about this church being for everybody.’
Nearly £50,000 has been raised of the £250,000 total, giving the project plenty of momentum before the fundraising closing date of 31 January 2028. Discover more about the project: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/pages/StJohnsCommunityHub
