Dental surgery to church

A former dentist’s surgery in Wales has been given a new lease of life as a church has moved in.

The building on Porthmadog’s High Street, New St John’s will be a place of Christian worship as well as a vital community hub, hosting social events to tackle loneliness and local outreach projects such as school uniform exchange.

Once associated with dental check-ups and toothaches, will now serve as a place of Christian worship and a hub for community-based initiatives to tackle loneliness for New St John’s Church, Porthmadog.

The original St John’s Church, which was constructed between 1873 and 1876, was perched atop a hill overlooking the town. The architect remains unknown to this day, but it is expected that the initial plan was to build the church closer to the town centre. However, due to structural issues and accessibility concerns, it closed its doors in 2023.

The church community identified the former dentist’s surgery as a new location because it was accessible and close to town. With New St John’s being at the heart of Porthmadog, the original intention has been now realised.

Most Rev Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales attended the Sunday service to bless the new building.

He voiced his excitement over the thriving Christian community being situated right on High Street and looked forward to seeing how New St John’s would welcome people.

He said, “It’s been a wonderfully exciting day because we have blessed a new church for Porthmadog. I’m delighted to see a thriving Christian community gathered together right on the high street. In addition to worship each Sunday, all kinds of new things will be happening here. New St John’s will become a space to welcome people in a new way. New St John’s is a very different space from what we would associate with a traditional Church building and making the space a spiritual home for worship, and a purposeful Christian community, is going to be an exciting and challenging opportunity for the church community. Having spent time with the community here today, seeing their will, their resolve, and their sense of fun, I have every confidence they are going to do just that.”

Revd Kim Williams, Bro Eifionydd Ministry Area Leaders said: “At New St John’s, we are right in the heart of the community. Our motto is Faith in Action and our words and actions back this up.

“We are opening our doors to anybody who comes in. We have worship, but we also have social times and various outreach projects that we’re looking to start soon. Our midweek Open Afternoon event, where we serve tea, cakes and biscuits, is an opportunity for people to come and chat. We also have plans for a uniform swap shop, and a mother and toddler group.

“At New St John’s, we want to be a place of hope and offer people a glimpse of the love of God.”

Sunday worship takes place at 9.30am and you can find New St John’s Church at 76 High Street, Porthmadog.

They plan to put this faith into action by hosting social events and outreach projects during the week. These initiatives include a midweek open afternoon event serving tea, cakes, and biscuits for locals to enjoy a chat. Plans for a uniform swap shop and even a mother and toddler group are also in the works.

(Picture Courtesy: Cambria News UK)

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