Wynyard’s first Church of England church to launch this weekend in ‘historic’ moment

Wynyard’s first Church of England church will open its doors officially on Sunday, September 26, in what has been described as a “historic moment” for the local community.

Vine Church will be based at Wynyard Church of England Primary School and worshippers will be able to gather every Sunday at 3pm.

Vicar Emily Hudghton, who has established the church alongside husband and vicar Mark,32, has said she hopes the church will be at the heart of the community.

Emily, 31, said: “We’re really excited. We can’t wait. We’ve had our launch delayed twice because of Covid, so for it to finally be here is wonderful.

"Wynyard’s never had a church before, so this is really a historic moment for our community.

“First and foremost, it’s going to be place to worship God, but we also really hope it will be at the heart of the community too.

"It’s such a warm reception from the community, it’s really exciting.“

She added: "For us, the church is more than just a building, it’s a community and in that sense we’re open 24/7."

The Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, will join the launch event to commission and bless the new church and a party with artisan pizza and ice cream van will follow afterwards.

Emily has said the launch event has seen a big interest, with all tickets already claimed and a waiting list in place.

She said: "It’s such a warm reception from the community, it’s really exciting.”

Mark and Emily, who have been married for nine years, moved around a lot as children with Mark’s dad being a vicar and Emily’s family having a military background.

Emily, who started exploring her faith as a teenager, said: "I just completely fell in love with Jesus. He changed my life. He gave me sense of meaning and purpose to my life that I didn’t have before.”

She and Mark met in 2008 while studying at York University and began looking into becoming vicars after joining the church there.

They were ordained together in 2017 at Durham Cathedral.

Emily said: "It’s been wonderful to be able to share that with him. It’s been a real joy.“

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