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News
Christmas funding boost for Kiltermon Church
Kiltermon Church.
A much-loved church in Clogher Diocese is to receive £10,000 from the National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant.
The grant will help fund the building of an extension, installing a kitchen, toilet and meeting room at Kiltermon chuch, part of Fivemiletown Parish, helping it to better serve its community.
Kiltermon church was built in 1841 as a School House and a Chapel of Ease in the parish of Aghalurcher. It was under the care of the Curate of Clogher. The building was constructed using stone sourced from Alderwood Quarry. It became a Chapel of Ease under the Parish of St John's Fivemiletown when The Perpetual Curacy to Clogher was dissolved and Fivemiletown became a parish in its own right. It was extensively renovated after World War II and a new roof was added in the early 1970's.
The project will facilitate the building of an extension, which will house a new kitchen, toilet and meeting room. The church is situated in a small rural community and its congregation is trying to ensure that the church continues in its ministry and mission into its local community.
Precentor Kyle Hanlon.
Precentor Kyle Hanlon, Rector of Fivemiletown With Kiltermon said: “Jesus gave a commission to take the Gospel to the whole world. Here in the Clogher Valley there has been a Christian witness for 1600 years since the days of St Patrick. Both diocesan cathedrals bear the name of Patrick’s friend and fellow missionary, St Macartan. The small church building at Kiltermon stands at the west end of the valley between Fivemiletown and Clogher. The Church and parish has enjoyed growth in its worshipping congregation there in recent years making this work a necessity as we plan for a future of ongoing witness and ministry.”
“We greatly appreciate the support of the National Churches Trust which recognises the value of worship and ministry within smaller church buildings in rural settings. Kiltermon is a peaceful and beautiful place which deserves to be maintained and developed.”
Huw Edwards.
Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, Vice President of The National Churches Trust, said: “The UK's historic churches and chapels are a vital part of our national heritage and have done so much to help local people during the COVID-19 lockdown. But to survive, many need to carry out urgent repairs and install modern facilities. The cost of this work is far beyond what most congregations can pay for themselves.”
“So I’m delighted that Kiltermon church in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone is being helped with a £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant. The funding is an early Christmas present for the historic church and will help secure the future of this important community asset.”
A total of 45 churches and chapels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the charity supporting church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK.
In 2020 the Trust has awarded 260 grants totalling £1,723,000, including recommendations on behalf of other funders with £200,000 of the funding provided by the Wolfson Foundation.
Grants will be available in 2021 to projects at churches, chapels and meeting houses and applications can be made by Christian places of worship in the UK that are open for regular worship. From repairing a roof to helping to install an accessible toilet - and many other projects - the National Churches Trust’s grants help keep churches open for worship and community activities and allow them to continue to serve local people and communities.
The interior of Kiltermon Church.