Church finds new spiritual home with help from council

The RCCG Discipleship Centre is a popular and growing community church, based in the northern part of Portsmouth’s city centre. They have been working closely with Portsmouth City Council to find new premises that will allow them to expand their work with the wider Portsmouth community and have more space for their growing congregation.

The council saw the opportunity to purchase St Wilfrid’s following its closure in 2022, realising it would provide a suitable new home for the church. Now that the RCCG Discipleship Centre can move from the city centre, it frees up the land for future development and aligns with other property deals in the area, including the purchase of the former Sainsbury’s supermarket nearby, which is currently being used as the Pitt Street Skatepark.

Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said:

“This is a complex project with many different landowners in the area, but this example of collaborative work with the RCCG Discipleship Centre shows that we can achieve an outcome that benefits everybody involved. The church will be a welcome addition to the community in Fratton and will be excellent custodians of this local landmark.

“This successful project demonstrates the hard work going on behind the scenes to enable the regeneration of the City Centre North area, following approval of the outline planning application last year. We are now gearing up to look for partners to help us deliver that vision.”

The deal safeguards the future of the St Wilfrid’s church building, built in 1907 as a ‘mission church’, part of the parish of St Mary’s, Portsea Island, to provide a smaller, more local church for those living in the area of Fratton around George Street.

At a dedication ceremony held at the church on 19 December, the RCCG Discipleship Centre outlined some of the outreach work they have already done with local residents, which will help them tailor a range of community outreach projects from their new home. They have also agreed a deal with Penbridge School and Manor Infant School to provide parking for their popular Sunday services.

As a priority, they will be setting up coffee mornings for older residents, as engagement with the community showed that social isolation was a major issue for many living nearby.

They also want to work with children and families, with plans to set up a toddler group where new parents can meet and establish a holiday club. This is alongside working with the youth and young adults, mentoring those at risk of dropping out of education.

Pastor Ayo from the RCCG Discipleship Centre said:

“I’d like to thank the council for supporting us with our move to new premises. We are delighted to move to our new home at St Wilfrid’s in Fratton and have enjoyed getting to know the local community.

“We are looking at other partnerships with local charities and having a family centre on site, where activities can be linked with other supportive involvements. This could include working with parents and carers on how to play creatively with children or working with women experiencing domestic violence.