Four Oaks Methodist Church         

Our Building

Our church building has something of a Gothic look but is built in a mixture of styles including some Perpendicular and Arts & Crafts features. Designed by architects Crouch and Butler, the main church was built in 1903 with some additions over the following ten years.  Some of the additional community buildings were added in 1969.  The church building itself is faced with Weldon stone and roofed with Collyweston stone tiles.  It is built in a traditional cross-shaped style. 

If you are unfamiliar with the names given to parts of a church there are some details in the glossary at the bottom of this page. 

Front Entrance

The front entrance to the church is reached by a number of steps, so this may not be the best entrance for everyone.  Level access to the whole building (except the gallery) is available from the car park. 

The front door leads into the narthex, or lobby.  This is dominated by a beautiful stained glass window which was a gift in memory of a former member.  There is a visitors’ book here, and some pigeonholes that church members use to leave post for each other.

Side doors from the narthex to the left and right lead to the main body of the church, the nave.  The access on the right also allows you to go up the stairs coloured orange on the plan to the gallery.

The Gallery

Over the top of the narthex, or lobby, is a gallery giving us a few rows of additional seating for the congregation in services.  The gallery is served by the speakers and the hearing loop, but it can be a little difficult to see the screen when that is in use.  We ask that children are accompanied in the gallery please.  This is the view from the gallery down the nave towards the chancel.

The Nave

This is the main part of the church where the congregation sits in services.  It is arranged with a central aisle with pews to either side and additional aisles along each side of the nave.  Bibles and hymn books are kept in the pews, though when you arrive for a service you might be offered a notice sheet or an order of service that is specific to that occasion.

If the service includes a baptism we try to keep the front few pews free for the family, and on Sunday mornings we try to keep a couple of rows at the front free for the children from Junior Church (or Sunday School) to sit where they can see what is going on.  Otherwise members of the congregation sit wherever they feel comfortable. 

In the centre of the nave marked on the plan with blue crosses there are a couple of places where the pews have been adapted to make it easier for wheelchairs or buggies to be accommodated. 

These areas also have screens which relay the images from the main screen in the chancel (when the multimedia is being used) for those who find that hard to read.  The main screen shown by a blue line on the plan is put in place at the back of the chancel (in front of the stained glass window) as and when it is needed to allow us to use multimedia resources in services.  The church has a hearing loop.

The Chancel

This is the area at the far end of the nave from the front entrance and the gallery and is where the people leading a service usually stand.  At the back of the chancel is a beautiful stained glass window, and the organ is to the right of the chancel.  There is a raised pulpit at the left of the chancel which is sometimes used by preachers, though most of a service is usually led from the smaller lectern on the right.  Between the two is a large table used for Holy Communion.

The Transept

The part of the church that is crosswise to the nave is the transept.  The left hand part of the transept coloured yellow on the plan is taken up with the piano, space for our music group when they are part of the service, and controls for the multimedia which means there is no seating there.  The door from the left hand transept leads into the vestry.  This is also a fire escape, particularly suitable for anyone with mobility difficulties as there are no steps.

The right hand part of the transept coloured purple on the plan has chairs rather than pews which makes it more convenient for some visitors.  In family services this area is often used to create a crèche area for families with small children.   When multimedia is being used there is also a screen here which relays the images from the main screen in the chancel which can’t be seen from here. Here also is the information table where details of church activities and groups we are associated with are available.

The Toilets

The door from the right hand part of the transept leads to the rest of the church rooms and facilities, including the toilets.  These are located in the corridor between the church itself and the halls and rooms.  There is an accessible unisex toilet as well as facilities for men and women. 

The Office

This is the first room you come to through the door from church, and is the base for all our administration.  There is a post box on the wall outside the office door so you can leave anything for the team if the office is closed.  Opening times and contact information for the office are on the contact page.

The Bennett Lounge

Past the office and just around a corner you will find the Bennett Lounge.  Originally called the church parlour this room is used for some church committee meetings and occasionally for small services, as well as by various community and church groups.  It has a little kitchen suitable for making tea and coffee. 

To reach the rest of the rooms from the Bennett Lounge you retrace your steps past the office and go along the corridor past the toilets.

The Large Hall (and Room 3)

This is our largest room and is where we usually have refreshments after Sunday morning services and on some other occasions, and where some church meals, fellowship occasions and other functions take place.  It has both a door and a service hatch leading into the kitchen, and can be used with or without the small side room that can be seen on the plan and which we call room 3.

The Small Hall

This is a little smaller than the large hall but is still large enough that it is sometimes booked for children’s parties and is popular with the Scouts.  It has a service hatch from the kitchen.

Rooms 1 and 2

The two rooms opposite the kitchen and the halls can be used singly or together because the wall between them is demountable.

Accessibility

There is level access to the church and all our rooms from the rear door from the car park, which is opposite the door to Room 1.   The corridor which runs from here past the various rooms and halls to the door leading into the transept of the church has two steps, but a ramp to the side of them gives level access the whole way.  The rear door from the car park is a sliding door and so is more convenient for visitors pushing buggies or who use a wheelchair. 

Room Hire

Except for Sunday mornings when they are all in use by our Junior Church which we call Sunday Club, the Bennett Lounge and the other halls and rooms are often available for hire by contacting our chapel keeper Mick Grey on 0121 308 1510.

Glossary

Aisle: generally the passages to the side of the main part of the church (the nave) although there is often also a central aisle, as there is in our church.

Altar: an area in the centre of the chancel which is the centre of worship.  In some churches it may be very ornate, but in Methodist churches such as ours it is common for it to comprise just a communion table.

Chancel: the area of the church which includes the altar.  Often (as in our church) this is also where the choir sits when there is one. It is sometimes separated from the rest of the church by a screen or, as in our church by a rail which is referred to as an altar rail.

Crossing: the area where the central part of the church (the nave) and the crosswise part of the church (the transept) meet, generally in front of the chancel.  Where a church has a tower (as our church does) this often stands above the crossing.

Lectern: one of the places in the chancel where speakers stand, the lectern is often a bit less grand than the other (the pulpit) and it is traditionally on the right from the congregation’s perspective.

Narthex: the entrance or lobby area of a church, usually at the far end of the nave from the chancel.

Nave: the central body of the church where the congregation sits.

Pew: a traditional bench seat used in a church.

Pulpit: one of the places in the chancel at which speakers stand, the pulpit is often more grand than the other (the lectern) and is traditionally to the left from the congregation’s perspective.

Transept: the part of a traditional cross shaped church like ours which lies crosswise to the main body of the church (the nave).

Vestry: a room used to store robes and as a sort of office for preparation of services.