St John the Evangelist, Woodley, is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in Woodley, close to

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

in the English county of Berkshire. It is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

church in the Reading Deanery of the

Diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contain ...

. The church was built by Robert Palmer in 1873. In 1987 an extension was added to the south-east wall. Adjacent to the church is the St John's Centre, a Grade II listed building which was formerly a Church of England school but is now used as the church hall and office. Across the road from the church is the Rectory, though the present incumbent chooses to live elsewhere in the parish.

Ministers

Parish of Woodley

Originally part of the Parish of

Sonning Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book '' Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Geo ...

, Woodley became its own Parish in 1881. In the 1960s St James' Church, Woodley was planted and came under the authority of St John's Church, being led by a curate until 1992. While Ian Watson was Vicar, St John's Church planted Emmanuel Church, Woodley in 1991 by employing a

Church Army The Church Army is an evangelistic organisation and mission community founded in 1882 in association with the Church of England and now operating internationally in many parts of the Anglican Communion. History The Church Army was founded in E ...

couple called Richard & Mandy Priestley. The following year, 1992, saw the one parish of Woodley become two parishes within a Team Ministry. The Parish of St John the Evangelist contained St John's Church and Emmanuel Church, whilst the new Parish of Southlake contained St James Church with the curate at the time, Rev. Paul Roberts becoming a Team Vicar. The Team Rector based at St John the Evangelist Church led the team of clergy for both parishes.

Woodley Airfield Church Woodley may refer to: Places * Woodley, Saskatchewan, a hamlet in Benson No. 35, Rural Municipality, Saskatchewan, Canada * Woodley, Nairobi, a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya, south of Kilimani * Woodley, Berkshire, a town near Reading in Berkshire, Eng ...

was planted jointly by St John's Church and Christ Church in 1993. Airfield Church is ecumenical, having

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, and URC leadership. Following the controversial departure of the Rev. Ann Douglas in 2006, the Benefice of Woodley was suspended in order that the future of the Team Ministry could be reviewed. During the interregnum the Rev. Jon Honour, Team Vicar at Emmanuel Church, was appointed Acting Priest-in-Charge of St John's Church, assisted by the then curate, the Rev. Jason Reid. In 2007, the PCCs of St Johns and St James independently voted to dissolve the Team Ministry and establish a

Group Ministry A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

in its place. The benefice currently remains suspended pending the completion of the necessary formal arrangements to effect this change. Interviews were held in October 2007 for a Priest in Charge for St John's Church, and the Rev. Marquez was licensed in March 2008. In 2021, Rev. Marquez was suspended after being charged with five counts of indecent assault on a child under the age of 14. He was cleared of all charges in Sept 2023. All four Anglican Churches in Woodley are part of Churches Together in Woodley.Church Together in Woodley
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External links

St John the Evangelist Church, WoodleyEmmanuel Church, WoodleyWoodley Airfield ChurchSt James Church

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodley, Saint John the Evangelist church Church of England church buildings in Berkshire Grade II* listed churches in Berkshire Borough of Wokingham