How We Kept a Tiny Rural Church Alive

Allegedly founded in response to pagan worship on nearby White Horse Hill, St John the Baptist Kingston Lisle is a 12th Century church in a small village in rural Oxfordshire. Part of the Ridgeway Benefice, a group of six churches under one Rector, it has 14th century wall paintings, 15th century woodwork and notable stained glass. It seats 120 people, but by 2010 the congregation had dwindled to four or five, and the bills were not being paid. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) was faced with closing the building for good.