Rovers ace Gally balloons it for church celebration

The original St Barnabas' Church, Blackburn, was built 122 years ago but fell to dry rot then rose again in an old Co-op supermarket.

Since then, it has gone from strength to strength.

Members are celebrating the 122nd anniversary along with the 10th anniversary of the new building, and they have unveiled plans to develop exciting new college courses. The main celebrations involved a special Sunday service, followed by the balloon extravaganza.

The new St Barnabas', with church, community centre, bookshop and cafe, was opened in the former Co-op supermarket in Johnston Street in 1988.

Since then the congregation has gone from strength to strength and the church has received praise for its work with the wider community.

The present vicar, the Rev Herrick Daniel, said the success of St Barnabas' was down to the fact they met more than people's spiritual needs.

He said: "We are right in the middle of an urban area and there is a lot of social deprivation. "There are many underprivileged people such as the poor, single parents, the elderly, the unemployed and so on.

"We are meeting their needs socially, mentally and morally as well as spiritually. This is a modern church meeting modern-day needs."

He added: "Looking back over the past 10 years, thousands of people from the community and beyond have been blessed, served and have benefited from the services provided by this unique venture."

A flower festival will be held throughout the week and there will be concerts and exhibitions on the history of the church.

And once the celebrations are over, work will start on the next phase of the development of the church, which is to offer college courses in theology, evangelism and pastoral care.

Mr Daniel added: "We have the rooms, we have the facilities and we have the vision and ambition and we intend to use it to its full potential."

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