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Dore Methodist Church is a small building that fills with worshippers every Sunday and hums with activities throughout the rest of the week. We have a resident minister, Rachel Downs-Lewis, whom we share with Endcliffe. Our members and visitors come to the church for its sincere Christian worship and its warm atmosphere. There is a strong sense of belonging to a supportive, friendly and caring community, where all newcomers are quickly made welcome.
The church building has a fairly modern look - very modern in the bright and cheerful interior - which shows little sign of its history. It originated as a chapel constructed by the 'Primitive' (that is, original or traditional) Methodists in 1861, when it was called more colourfully Mount Zion . This was a very suitable name in those days, as its location is just across the road from Dore's earliest known Christian site, once with a preaching cross.
The building was remodelled and renovated in 1962 and 1998. One of its proudest features is the stained glass window, installed in 1998, and one of its most modern features is the radio controlled clock, fitted in 2001 to commemorate the Millennium. (You will find further information in John Dunstan's The Story of Methodism in Dore 1790-1907, Sheffield 1980; and his Chapel Life at Dore In Its Local and Methodist Setting, Dore Village Society, 2011.)*
Dore Methodist Church is proud of its links with the local community. We open the doors for coffee each Saturday morning, and maintain close relations with Dore Village Society, the Probus Club, the Guides and Brownies, and other organisations that use the church hall. With our Anglican neighbours, Christ Church, we regularly hold joint services, exchange ministers, and cooperate in local activities.
One of the most fruitful of our cooperative ventures, with Christ Church and Dore and Totley Christian Fellowship, is the Youthworker Trust, which works with the young people in Dore, helping them to discover the reality of Jesus Christ for themselves, and to grow in Christian understanding and in the ability to help others. The project began in 2004, and has developed exceptionally well, with support and help from many different members of the community. If you would like further information about the activities and management of the Dore Youthworker Trust you can visit its website: www.soulroots.org.uk
*Chapel Life at Dore, by John Dunstan, published by Dore Village Society, September 2011, iv + 59 pages, paperback. ISBN 978-0-9500461-4-3. £ 4. (£5 by post from Dore Village Society, 4 South Court, Dore, Sheffield, S17 3PN - cheques payable to Dore Village Society.) The author has drawn on written and printed sources and also on people's memories, several of them recorded by the Dore Oral History Group. Set against a wider background, the book is readily accessible to newcomers to the subject and fully illustrated. Methodists, people associated with other churches and those with a passion for history will find a lot to interest them here.
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