A CHURCH congregation will commemorate the 80th anniversary of their building.

Patcham Methodist Church in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, held a dinner over the weekend and is hosting a festival in May to celebrate.

Just a barn on a farm track going back to the early 20th century, the church came into being on April 21, 1935, as the Patcham estate was springing up around it.

Reverend Dermot Thornberry, the church minister, said: “I am delighted to be part of the 80th anniversary celebrations and I do believe for the sake of our Methodist heritage that every significant milestone should be celebrated.”

The first service was held there over Easter in 1935 and the barn building was leased for £2 a week. Before it opened, services were held in the homes of families in the village.

The building underwent a modernisation in the mid-1990s and today hosts regular Sunday services and community sessions throughout the week.

Rev Thornberry said: “As the building has changed from 1935 to present day, so too has our style of ministry, worship and teaching changed from those earlier years.

“Our church is in an evolving process. As society changes, so do we. The church will adapt to meet needs of 21st-century Christians.”

He said it was important that worship appealed to all.

Rev Thornberry added: “It is crucial not to block out any particular age group.

“There must be a balance. Regardless of the practical development of the buildings, the ministry has to always develop.

“At Patcham Methodist Church, we try as far as possible to achieve this interaction between the age groups.

“And indeed it offers something for everyone.”

A formal dinner was held for those with a connection to the church on Saturday, with an anniversary service on the Sunday.