0:00:04 > 0:00:06What is a church?
0:00:06 > 0:00:10A historic building with a tale of its own to tell?
0:00:10 > 0:00:13A state-of-the-art worship space?
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Or the hub of a community in these difficult times?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I've come to explore the past, present and possible future
0:00:22 > 0:00:26of the church in one city, Stoke-on-Trent.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Today, bringing the Cathedral of the potteries back to life
0:00:32 > 0:00:35with the BBC's help. The ordinary house that's become a place
0:00:35 > 0:00:41of 24-hour prayer, plus music from Kristyna Myles, Stuart Pendred
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and contemporary and traditional hymns.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56As you travel in and around Stoke-on-Trent
0:00:56 > 0:01:00you get glimpses of the area's rich Christian heritage,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02but churches aren't just stuck in the past,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06look around and it's fascinating what you'll find.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Forget your high street coffee shops with their baristas
0:01:09 > 0:01:11and skinny cappuccinos,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15I'm actually in one of the city's forward-thinking churches.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Another exterior that belies what's inside
0:01:20 > 0:01:22is Longton Methodist Central Hall.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26It's one of the hidden architectural gems, not just of the Potteries,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30but the whole of the Midlands, and it's here that over 800 people
0:01:30 > 0:01:33have gathered to sing their songs of praise.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13Just north of Stoke-on-Trent is the village of Mow Cop.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Its most famous building is this castle, actually it's a folly
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and it was on the slopes that what became known
0:04:20 > 0:04:22as Primitive Methodism was born.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Methodism was founded by John Wesley
0:04:27 > 0:04:30who was famous for his outdoor preaching.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33But by the beginning of the 19th century,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37some of his followers felt that the movement was losing its way.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Methodism actually became a bit respectable
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and it was a bit worried about appeasing the government
0:04:43 > 0:04:46because it wanted to maintain its religious freedom.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49The Primitive Methodists were a group
0:04:49 > 0:04:52that really felt called by the spirit
0:04:52 > 0:04:56to go back to the early form of Methodism as John Wesley practised it
0:04:56 > 0:05:01and what they were really concerned about was things like open-air preaching,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03engaging with the poor and the marginalised.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09The first Primitive Methodists were really concerned with saving souls.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13It was the fire of the holy spirit, it was about saving people.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16They felt very much that the power of God was calling them
0:05:16 > 0:05:19to change lives for ordinary working people.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21How did that show itself?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24In what way did they get involved in changing lives?
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So then they got involved in politics
0:05:26 > 0:05:31and, for them, they wrestled with this and they read their Bibles
0:05:31 > 0:05:34because they wanted it to be absolutely right with Scripture,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36but they absolutely felt that politics
0:05:36 > 0:05:39was the outworking of their Christian faith.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Through preaching, they learnt skills in public speaking
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and those were just the skills they needed
0:05:47 > 0:05:50that would equip them to empower working people
0:05:50 > 0:05:54to get better conditions and, as they developed then, they were also able
0:05:54 > 0:05:57to become some of the very first Labour MPs
0:05:57 > 0:05:59and actually go into Parliament.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13The influence of those early Methodists was long lasting,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15affecting the worlds of both church and politics
0:08:15 > 0:08:18well into the 20th century.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Tristram Hunt is not only the MP for Stoke Central,
0:08:21 > 0:08:27but also a historian and he's well aware of the legacy of nonconformism.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Religion and politics in Stoke-on-Trent
0:08:30 > 0:08:33went together very closely. This wasn't a part
0:08:33 > 0:08:37of the world with a particularly strong trade union movement.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41This wasn't like Manchester or Liverpool.
0:08:41 > 0:08:48The vehicles for organisation came out much more clearly from religious practices
0:08:48 > 0:08:52and when we look at Methodism, when we look at congregationalism,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56these were often the vehicles for people to begin to think about
0:08:56 > 0:08:59a broader conception of social justice
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and how they could play their part in that.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The nonconformist inheritance within the Labour movement and the Labour Party
0:09:06 > 0:09:10was enormously powerful right through to the 20th century.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14It's not there today in any way the same degree.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19I think it's, probably, its last two great apostles, if I can use that phrase,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23where Michael Foot and Tony Benn.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Michael Foot inherited from his father, Isaac Foot,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31that great West Country nonconformist, liberal passion,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35a belief in the word, a belief in the puritan good old cause.
0:09:35 > 0:09:41We are not prepared to accept the decision
0:09:41 > 0:09:43of this Parliament as to whether...
0:09:43 > 0:09:49'I think the Labour Party's more distant relationship with nonconformity today is really
0:09:49 > 0:09:53'a reflection of broader social and cultural trends.'
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Yes, we have lost something.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59We've lost that sense of mission and purpose
0:09:59 > 0:10:01which goes right back to the English Civil War.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04We've lost that notion of the good old cause.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I think we've lost some of the language, some of the rhetoric,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12some of the sense of struggle, and our politics is the poorer for it.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33This may look like an ordinary terraced house,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36but inside there's a labyrinth of rooms all devoted to prayer.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43The Beacon house of prayer was set up by Karen and William Porter
0:12:43 > 0:12:48and they too were inspired by the example of those early Methodists.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51It began, I guess, because we moved to the city of Stoke-on-Trent
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and we connected strongly into the city prayer movement
0:12:54 > 0:12:57that was happening and very early on,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01as we moved to the city, we were reminded of the well of revival
0:13:01 > 0:13:05within Methodism that was here and as we came we were to connect into that
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and be some of those people who would re-dig wells of revival.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12It began in our lounge with about 15 friends,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16not with an agenda or a plan, we just said we were going to meet
0:13:16 > 0:13:18together once a week and we'd worship.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22How did you go from your lounge to a dedicated house of prayer?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25About five years ago we found a building
0:13:25 > 0:13:28and we had this nice facility with a basement room,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33a ground-floor prayer room and next door was a massage parlour.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35So it was an interesting contrast.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39You started in 2007, how has it developed from there?
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Gradually different churches connected with us, prayer groups started to come,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and last year we felt God was challenging us.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Now you've built enough strength,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50will you have a year of unbroken prayer in 2012?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Father, we thank you for the journey that we've been on...
0:13:53 > 0:13:55So, Karen and William responded to this call
0:13:55 > 0:13:59by organising a year of 24/7 prayer.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Every single day during 2012, at any time of the day or night,
0:14:04 > 0:14:09there was always at least one person praying at the Beacon.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14Practically, there's a rota so 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16We've got a website - whynotprayforachange -
0:14:16 > 0:14:19people literally sign up for the hours that they'll be there.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21We give you thanks, Father...
0:14:21 > 0:14:24My slot is 6-7, so I get up at 5:30am.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Excuse me, did somebody, like, volunteer you for that
0:14:28 > 0:14:30or did you volunteer yourself?
0:14:30 > 0:14:33The rota went up and everybody had to fill in what was best for them.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Was that the only one left?- No, no.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39I've been getting up quite early in the morning and praying anyway.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42So, Kev, is it like a prayer relay race
0:14:42 > 0:14:46where the person after you comes in and you hand over the baton?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Yeah, it's very much like that.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52The person who I'm taking off will actually pray for me.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54He who is so faithful...
0:14:54 > 0:14:58I always read my Bible first and then around the particular room
0:14:58 > 0:15:02that I actually pray in, there's a city map, there's a map of the whole of the country
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and there is a map of the world and I find myself drawn towards praying,
0:15:05 > 0:15:10at some point in that hour, towards what's going on in our city and our country.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15I'm quite creative, so I find myself doing a painting or even drawing.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18For me, coming from a traditional church,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I just thought praying was praying, really.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Yet what I've discovered is that there's so many
0:15:25 > 0:15:29creative ways of praying which, again, made me want to stay.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36# In this world
0:15:36 > 0:15:41# I walk alone
0:15:41 > 0:15:45# With no place
0:15:45 > 0:15:49# No place to call my home
0:15:51 > 0:15:54# But there is one
0:15:54 > 0:15:59# Who holds my hand
0:15:59 > 0:16:04# Through rugged roads
0:16:04 > 0:16:08# Through barren lands
0:16:09 > 0:16:13# In your love
0:16:13 > 0:16:18# I find relief
0:16:18 > 0:16:21# A haven from
0:16:21 > 0:16:27# My unbelief
0:16:27 > 0:16:31# So take my life
0:16:31 > 0:16:36# And let me be
0:16:36 > 0:16:40# A living prayer
0:16:40 > 0:16:45# My God, to thee
0:16:45 > 0:16:50# So take my life, take my life
0:16:50 > 0:16:54# And let me be
0:16:54 > 0:16:59# A living prayer
0:16:59 > 0:17:05# My God, to thee. #
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Bethesda Methodist Chapel is known locally
0:17:12 > 0:17:15as the Cathedral of the Potteries and holds up to 2,000 people.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20But in 1985, the last regular service was held here.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28It was a sad occasion and there were tears that night to think that
0:17:28 > 0:17:30there wouldn't be a service here again.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Bethesda fell into decay, but in 2003, this wonderful building
0:17:36 > 0:17:40was a finalist in the BBC Two series Restoration.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45This galvanised attempts to save the chapel and in the past ten years,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47it has been lovingly renovated
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and now holds open days and occasional services.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54It feels wonderful to see people walking in the church again
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and to have a service in here,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00like we did a few weeks ago for the memorial,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and to hear the organ being played.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06The first time the organ was played, I'm sorry, but I cried.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16And some people who are probably even older than I am
0:18:16 > 0:18:19will tell us about their memories and how they were married here.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24It is really wonderful to see people come in.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Another impressive building in the Potteries is where our
0:18:29 > 0:18:33congregation has gathered - Longton Methodist Central Hall.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36This has recently undergone a restoration programme of its own,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40not as far-reaching, perhaps, as Bethesda, but quite remarkable
0:18:40 > 0:18:43because it was the handiwork of just one man.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Property steward Alan Nickisson single-handedly painted
0:18:48 > 0:18:51the interior of the church.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Speaking as someone who needs a week to do two coats of emulsion in a room,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57how long did you give yourself to do this?
0:18:57 > 0:19:02I was asked how much time did I need and I said I would need seven weeks.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07So, when you started it, what drove you to it?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I think it was the past,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12it was my memories of this place many years ago.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14When I first started with the Boys' Brigade
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I used to come to the classes that used to be here in the church
0:19:17 > 0:19:20itself in the mornings. I used to thoroughly enjoy the services.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23How high is the ceiling here?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Approximately 45 feet from the floor.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Did you lie on your back to do it,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30sort of like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel?
0:19:30 > 0:19:35No, no, no, not at all. We had what's known as a birdcage scaffold.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38When you see the roof being raised off this place and people singing
0:19:38 > 0:19:42their praises in such a beautiful building, what does that feel like?
0:19:42 > 0:19:46It's an unbelievable feeling. It's absolutely unbelievable
0:19:46 > 0:19:49to realise that, when people are looking around them as they're
0:19:49 > 0:19:53singing, the worship that takes place in here at that particular time,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55it does absolutely raise the roof.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57It's just wonderful.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Two of Stoke's churches are among the ten largest
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Methodist congregations in the country - and no wonder.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25One of them, Swan Bank, not only offers Sunday worship,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29but sports facilities, a coffee shop and even a library.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Swan Bank's been here in the centre of Burslem since the early 1800s.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38And so we've been working since then and we've had to change and adapt.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42We've seen churches around us close, but we're still a growing church
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and that's because we've tried to take seriously
0:22:44 > 0:22:46the needs of the present age.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50We have opened a coffee shop that's open every day of the week.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53It's the only place in the town to get a really good cup of coffee
0:22:53 > 0:22:55in terms of a cappuccino or a latte or Americano.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Also, recently, because in the town the library closed down, we've opened
0:23:01 > 0:23:04a small library in the building so we can serve our community.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06What is it that you like about this place?
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Erm, just that there's lots on offer.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11It's lovely and everyone's really friendly.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14You get a really warm welcome when you come in the door, so yeah, it's really nice.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20- So it's not like libraries where if you breathe loudly you get told to be quiet?- No.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- You've got six weeks.- OK, thank you.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I think Swan Bank, by having a library here,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28we'll have broken down some barriers for people
0:23:28 > 0:23:31because it's a community library and people will come in,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34the coffee shop's here and there's lots of things for them to do.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38They'll just come in here, take a book and they're in church before they know it
0:23:38 > 0:23:39and I think that's great.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43If you're visiting us, a very warm welcome to you as we worship...
0:23:43 > 0:23:47'If the church becomes central to people's lives, day in, day out,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51'so they're coming regularly into the building and the building becomes a nonthreatening place,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55'it's really easier to invite them to a worship experience with us.'
0:23:55 > 0:23:59So we're a growing church because, first of all, they're used to being in our building,
0:23:59 > 0:24:04we're building relationships with people and then they're coming to faith.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11# Be still for the presence of the Lord
0:24:11 > 0:24:17# The holy one is here
0:24:17 > 0:24:23# Come bow before him now
0:24:23 > 0:24:29# With reverence and fear
0:24:29 > 0:24:35# In him no sin is found
0:24:35 > 0:24:41# We stand on holy ground
0:24:41 > 0:24:46# Be still for the presence of the Lord
0:24:46 > 0:24:52# The holy one is here
0:24:55 > 0:25:00# Be still, for the power of the Lord
0:25:00 > 0:25:07# Is moving in this place
0:25:07 > 0:25:12# He comes to cleanse and heal
0:25:12 > 0:25:18# To minister his grace
0:25:18 > 0:25:24# No work too hard for him
0:25:24 > 0:25:30# In faith receive from him
0:25:30 > 0:25:34# Be still, for the power of the Lord
0:25:34 > 0:25:41# Is moving in this place. #
0:25:48 > 0:25:54In 1992, 25 people from Swan Bank started a church in this former secondary school.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58It now has a congregation of about 500 people,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01many of whom are new to church life.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06If somebody had told me five years ago that I'd be a regular church attender
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I would have laughed at them, to say the least.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13I was drinking, like, every single day after school
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and when I left school I was just in the pub all the time.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I started hanging round with the wrong crowd
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and we'd go to the football matches, home and away,
0:26:23 > 0:26:28and there'd be large groups of us and we'd get into a bit of mither.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33And then I started going out with a girl and she kept inviting me along
0:26:33 > 0:26:35to this youth group on a Friday night.
0:26:35 > 0:26:41I thought, "Friday night? There's more to do on a Friday night than go to a church youth group."
0:26:41 > 0:26:45She kept nagging me and nagging me so in the end, just for a bit of peace,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I said, "OK, I'll go along."
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Then I went along to the church on a Sunday
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and that was...that was good.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57I mean, first impressions, there wasn't pews and there's a band.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01There was a guest speaker there which comes from an army background
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and I could relate to him. He started describing
0:27:04 > 0:27:08how he experienced the holy spirit.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13He said, "If you want to experience what I encountered then put your hand up."
0:27:13 > 0:27:16So I was sitting there with my arms folded and I thought,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20"I've got a reputation here, I'm not responding to some preacher bloke,"
0:27:20 > 0:27:26and I started feeling, like, a flood into my body...
0:27:26 > 0:27:31and I couldn't describe it. It was better than any amount of alcohol.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33It was just unbelievable.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37And that was basically when I made a commitment to become Christian.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Father God, we thank you for the inspiration of your holy spirit
0:30:30 > 0:30:34manifest in new ways of being church,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36for the leading of the spirit.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42'Giving us a sense of purpose and direction
0:30:42 > 0:30:44'as we pray that your kingdom may come
0:30:44 > 0:30:46'and your will be done.'
0:30:46 > 0:30:50In Jesus' name, amen.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58Just as churches of the past have informed the way we worship today,
0:30:58 > 0:31:02modern hymn writers are often inspired by those who've gone before.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Michael Saward said he wanted to offer great declarations
0:31:06 > 0:31:09of faith and affirmations of commitment
0:31:09 > 0:31:11when he wrote the words of our final hymn,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Christ Triumphant Ever Reigning.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Next week, to mark Robert Burns' birthday,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Sally meets Scottish artists,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38including a writer who delves into the minds of murderers
0:33:38 > 0:33:41and a painter who risked everything by giving up his day job,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44and hymns from Dunblane Cathedral.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd