St. Thomas' Church, Crookes
| St Thomas' Church, Crookes | |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of England and Baptist |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Thomas |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Hallam |
| Archdeaconry | Sheffield & Rotherham |
| Diocese | Sheffield |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Mick Woodhead |
| Curate(s) | Richard Grant |
| Minister(s) | Alan Ward |
St Thomas Church, Crookes is an ecumenical church with united Anglican and Baptist traditions, in Sheffield, England, in Crookes. The building still retains most of its original architecture, although a substantial expansion was made in the 1980s where the worship area was rotated and a church lounge and balcony area was installed at the East end of the church. Most recently (2013), a large 2 storey 'link block' has been added - linking the main church building with the various other rooms, offices and halls. This large extension also serves as a welcome area, admin/office space and also an upstairs seating area. Full disabled access has also been created with this latest development.
The church has an extensive staff team which includes the rector the Revd Mick Woodhead, Baptist minister the Revd Dr Alan Ward and curate the Revd Richard Grant, as well as a host of other staff members who oversee a number of core activities of the church, including children's ministry, youth, form training, students and young adults.
St Thomas Crookes uses a cell and cluster (or Missional Communities) structure which helps enable every member to get involved in mission and ministry.
History
Previous vicars of note:
- Robert Warren
- Mike Breen
The church has played a significant role in a number of Charismatic expressions of worship including the Nine O'Clock Service. The church grew to have a congregation of some 2500 in the early 2000s although the church's small physical size meant that it had adopted a city church approach with services taking place in a mixture of larger venues across the city as well as the church buildings at Crookes. The church purchased a group of industrial units, in the Philadelphia area of Sheffield, and started to plant a church called St. Thomas' Church, Philadelphia, or the Philadelphia Campus. St Thomas Philadelphia is now a separate church in partnership with Crookes, though some administration elements are still shared for economy.
Architecture
The church is a classic Victorian church with a square tower and gothic arch stained glass windows.