St. John the Evangelist, Ravenhead

St John's, Ravenhead
St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead
St John's, Ravenhead Location within NW England
Coordinates: 53°26′28″N 2°45′22″W / 53.4412°N 2.7561°W / 53.4412; -2.7561
OS grid reference	SJ 948 940
Location	Ravenhead, St. Helens
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	www.stjohnsravenhead.org.uk
History
Founded	1869
Dedication	St John the Evangelist
Consecrated	27 December 1869
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	23 August 1985
Architect(s)	Medland & Taylor, Manchester
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1869
Construction cost	£2,500
Administration
Parish	Ravenhead
Deanery	St Helens
Archdeaconry	St Helens & Warrington
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York
District	Diocese of Liverpool
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Interregnum (2015 - present)

St John the Evangelist, Ravenhead is a Church of England parish church which serves the parish of Ravenhead in St Helens, England. It is one of the over 200 parishes which together form the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool.

There are two Anglican churches in the parish of Ravenhead. - the main parish church of St John the Evangelist and its mission church, Emmanuel. Though Emmanuel is geographically located in neighbouring Thatto Heath it still falls within the Ravenhead parish boundary.

St John's Church was built and opened in 1869. Following the First World War, a Memorial Hall was built in 1924. The mission church, Emmanuel, opened in 1965 as St John's Mission, though previous buildings on the site were associated with the church as far back as the early 1900s. The most recent building development was of the St John's Community Centre, which opened at the St John's site in 2004.

During the 1990s, a survey showed that there was significant demand in the area for improved community facilities. Throughout the following decade, the church raised finances to extend facilities at the main parish church to incorporate a new community centre. A sizeable sum of money was needed and raised through donations and grant making bodies. The St John's Centre opened in January 2004.

Ravenhead has been served by ten vicars since the opening of St John's Church in 1869. A further minister, Rev. John Angell Jones, was appointed for three months to oversee an interregnum between the death of Rev. H.S. Bolton and the arrival of Rev. J.R. Beresford.