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St Michael’s is proud to be the now grown-up daughter
of All Saints Church, Hoole
 In October 1965, the dual-purpose church hall was opened
on some earmarked land on the north east corner of the recently-built
council Kingsway estate. It formed the culmination of thinking
and planning by the vicars (Revd Pat Gell and then Revd Anthony
Martin) and PCC of All Saints for some years previously.
The church was dedicated by the Bishop of Chester, Gerald
Ellison, on 16 October 1965.
 Its first curate-in-charge was Revd Joe Burrows (1964 to
October 1967) and his wife Cath. The single Reader in those
early days was George Edwards
The early ministry was centred around a flourishing Sunday
School, which had met for the previous year at Woodfield
School. From 1965 this Sunday School met in the Hall on Sunday
mornings, so the only morning services which were held were
the monthly family services on the first Sunday in the month
at 10am. (This is still the pattern 35 years later). But
weekly evening services were held from the outset, and 8am
Holy Communions were held two or three times a month.
 Little by little the church grew. Revd John Malbon was the
next curate in charge (Sept 1968 to Sept 1971), and he and
Janet also were the first to live in the newly acquired curacy
house at 44 Ullswater Crescent.
Housegroups and an increased number of Sunday morning services,
plus the continued work with the Sunday School and Pathfinders
were the growth points.
 In March 1972, Revd Brian Snelling and Vera succeeded to
the curacy, and they continued the good work with a well
remembered squeeze box at the now weekly Sunday morning services.
During these years, three more Readers joined the ministry,
Mick Bull, John Harston and Geoff Lawson. John Howell, the
local area CMS rep also joined the ministry when he had time.
 Revd Lloyd Williams and Margaret led the ministry from Feb
1977 to April 1980 and in these years a number of further
initiatives were undertaken, including Evangelism Explosion.
Services were by now regularly held, morning and evening.
During these years we held the first of the now annual church
camps/houseparties (to Bala on a scorching weekend). Also
during this period, the curacy house was enlarged by the
building of an extension to the dining room and kitchen.
Yet another Reader was licensed, David Blackmore.
 From June 1980 to Oct 1984, Revd Ian Hobbs and Joan were
in post. During these years, the Vicar of Hoole Canon Anthony
Martin moved away (Jan 1984), having overseen the growth
of the daughter church for all those years.
In the same period, the church building plant was expanded
to provide the main church auditorium. The name St Michael’s
dates from October 1982, when the new church was opened by
the new Bishop of Chester, Michael Baughen.
 Hitherto the church was simply known as All Saints, Newton.
Brian Fisher trained and was licensed as Reader in this period,
and Alan Spall and John Thompson (CMS area rep) also joined
the Lay Reader team.
 Revd John Darch and Madge arrived from Jan 1985 to Feb 1988.
They built on the foundations of both people and plant, and
the church grew gently in numbers, as well as maturity.
During this time, our first missionary partner went abroad,
Anne de Reybekill serving with Scripture Union (later with
Interserve) in Lahore, Pakistan. The Readership was further
strengthened by the licensing of Christine Blackmore.
 Revd Bob Kiteley and Alison came to us from June 1988 to
Dec 1999. The church was ready for some important strides
First of all, and after much discussion with our mother
church and its vicar Revd Brian Reeve, the church became
a parish in its own right (in October 1991). It was agreed
that the boundary would be the railway line between Hoole
and Newton (now the cycle path). And so Bob Kiteley in October
1991 moved from curate to be our first vicar.
 Secondly, we were beginning to overspill our church accommodation,
and so the PCC agreed to build on top of the existing siderooms,
whose flat roof anyway was inclined to leak. For the whole
of the summer, the church held its worship services in Kingsway
High School auditorium. The refurbished church hall was dedicated
by Bishop Michael Baughen in October 1991.
Thirdly, an opportunity arose for the move from the rather
inadequately sized curacy house to a properly sized vicarage
house, which became available at 22 Plas Newton Lane in 1995.
 And
lastly, the land at the back of the church (an old hard tennis
court in Pinetops) came up for sale, and the church
acquired it at auction in 1995 as a strategic purchase
as well as a provision of a garden for social events etc.
The ministry team enjoyed the arrival of Paul Brigham as
a Reader for a few years, before he left the area. We also
gained the ministry of two retired ministers: first Revd
John Mayoh and then Canon Michael Botting. Revd Alan Ward
(the diocesan youth officer) was with us for a while, and
Revd Arthur Roberts (the Chaplain at the West Cheshire Hospital)
joined us for fellowship and his wife Judith became a member
of the Reader and Pastoral helper team. Christine Davies
trained as a Parish Assistant and served in that capacity.
In December 1998, Bob Kiteley left us after 10 years for
an appointment in Guildford diocese.
 In September 1999 the Revd Bob Toan and Pam arrived as our
new vicar. It was the first time St Michael’s had ever
had anybody more senior than a curate join us, and in Bob’s
case he even had been a Rural Dean from Birkenhead (and shortly
became Rural Dean of Chester).
Bob Toan’s ministry saw a phase in which several people
went abroad in the Lord’s service. Early in 2000, Andy
and Ruth Bull left for service in Asia. And a year later
Jon and Jayne Price went out to East Africa, Jon to work
as an office manager and Jayne in a nursing capacity. In
addition, a new member and retired doctor, Olive Frost, went
on a succession or lecture tours to Central Asian Republics
to contribute her medical skills to these places. And also
Chris and Liz Blunt went to the Far East to contribute skills
of civil engineering and language teaching.
Back at home, three other initiatives were coming to fruition.
The overcrowding of the morning services at Devon Road, coupled
with the need to get closer to the west end of the parish,
led to the planting in autumn 2002 of a new church at Newton
School on Sunday mornings. Our new curate Andrew Buchanan
became the new and temporary curate in charge.
And the call to serve the needs of the community led to
the leasing of a corner shop on Kingsway parade, and the
setting up with help of Kingsway Chapel of a community coffee
shop. After much refurbishment, Kings Way Café (also known
as The Shop) opened to the public in early 2003. Judith Roberts
took on the task of part-time community worker. She was later succeeded by Darren Andrews the present manager.
A third initiative arose when the diocese suggested that
the vacant ministry at Christ Church, Newton, be filled by
our curate Andrew Buchanan. So in summer 2003, he moved down
to this neighbouring parish, and in the autumn also took
on the role of assistant chaplain in the college.
Meanwhile in summer 2003, Revd Joanna Jepson was ordained
deacon  and joined St Michael's as curate. In the autumn,
the national press descended on her and also St Michael's
in an unprecedented fashion, following her successful initiative
to seek clarification of the law concerning the late termination
of pregnancies for cleft palate. Joanna helped us explore new ways of worship with things such as Film Services and Candlemas Celebrations. In September 2006, she moved on to a joint role as Priest-in-Charge at St Peter's, Fulham and as Chaplain to the London College of Fashion.
So for the last 41 years, the Lord has been at work
in the fellowship of St Michael’s, showing us his love
and encouraging us to share it with our neighbours and friends
and all who would hear. The work began with a thriving Sunday
School, and even today on a Wednesday morning, the Hall echoes
to the noise of some 80 or more mums and toddlers. Some may
even be the children and just possibly the grandchildren
of those early children who first came back in 1965.
"40 Years Young - The History of St Michael's" by David Blackmore was published in October 2005 to celebrate the church's 40th anniversary. Copies are available (price £5) from the Church Office.
As the foundation stone of 1982 at the church door says, ‘God
my Praise.’
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