A CHURCH that has served the Cowley community for almost 90 years is set to get a new lease of life.

Temple Cowley United Reformed Church closed its doors to parishioners in November due to the retirement of minister Revd Dick Wolff and a lack of leadership to keep the church going.

Responsibility for the Oxford Road building passed to a trustee body, The United Reformed Church Wessex Trust, while a new permanent owner was sought.

Now it has been revealed the building, which dates back to 1930, will continue to be a place of worship and be sold to the Littlegate Trust to create a Church of England congregation. The initiative is in partnership with St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford.

Mr Wolff, who last year admitted he was 'extremely frustrated' not to be able to pass the building on to a successor, said he was 'very happy' to hear the future of the building was secure.

He said: "I am impressed and very glad they have been able to make this happen as the charities act does complicate things."

There had been concern that the fact the trust must get the best deal for the building would exclude community projects.

Revd Nigel Appleton, speaking on behalf of the United Reformed Church Wessex Trust, said: “Contrary to some ill-informed rumours that circulated locally it was never the intention of the trust to sell to the highest bidder without regard to the needs of the local community. With support from our agents we marketed the building on the basis of its current use and received a high number of expressions of interest, almost all from community-based organisations and faith groups."

He added six organisations, three Christian and three from other faith communities, had been short listed and the trust had been open to the possibility of selling to any of them.

Revd Appleton said: "Any one of them would have been an asset to the local community. In the end the offer from the Littlegate Trust combined the financial return that allowed the trustees to show that they had achieved the best outcome for the charity, with high levels of availability for use by the local community.”

Littlegate Trust chairman Tim Dossor said: “We are delighted to have secured the building to continue the tradition of a church that serves the community."

He added the sale had been agreed with a view to completion within the next few weeks, saying: “The Littlegate Trust exists to provide buildings for Christian ministry and we jumped at the opportunity to see this building continue to be used as a church, serve the local community and share the good news of Jesus Christ.”

In addition to a Sunday service and midweek church groups, the new owners are looking to also with local community groups who use the building.