Our story began in 1905 when a Nurse Warnett of the Church Army, with the aid of a portable organ, began worship Services in a greengrocer’s shop in Widnes town centre.  From then on these services were held at different venues each week,
and these became known as the Cottage Meetings, or just simply Missions.

These Meetings became so popular that by the end of 1908 it was decided that a larger more permanent home was needed, and so a disused blacksmith’s shop, in the Sandstone Quarry in Appleton Village, was rented by the growing group of worshippers.

In May 1914, the then Bishop of Liverpool, Dr Chavasse opened a new brick and corrugated iron building in Regent Road,Widnes.  This new daughter church of St Luke’s, Farnworth, was dedicated to St John the Baptist.   The congregation grew steadily and by 1932 there was talk of having another bigger and more modern church building.  However, because of the approach of the Second World War, and also because of a lack of finance, it was not until the 1950’s that fund raising began in earnest to build a new modern church.  

Our current church building was eventually opened and dedicated by the then Bishop of Warrington, the Rt. Rev. L .A. Brown on the 19th June 1963.

In 1999 it was discovered that the roof of the old Church Hall was in a state of collapse, and for Health and Safety reasons this part of the Centre could not be used.  However following a number of financial grants, and the generosity of the congregation, together with a bank loan from Lloyds/TSB the new Main Hall was opened in time for the Millennium celebrations.  The Centre has now been greatly expanded, with more store rooms, and toilets, and the lounge and dining room has been re-positioned and refurbished.