A 120-Year-Old Town Hall, a £3 Million Makeover and a 4,000-Name Petition: Merton Hands a Hall to a Pentecostal Church

• Merton Council agreed a freehold swap giving Merton Hall in Wimbledon to the Elim Pentecostal Church
• About £3 million was set to be spent remodelling the 120-year-old hall as a worship space and cafe
• More than 4,000 residents signed a petition against the deal
• Opponents were concerned about the church’s position on same-sex relationships

A deal to transfer a 120-year-old public hall in Wimbledon to a Pentecostal church drew strong opposition in early 2018. Under a freehold swap, Merton Council was to hand Merton Hall to the Elim Pentecostal Church, with around £3 million to be spent remodelling the building as a worship hall and cafe, PinkNews reported in January 2018.

The local Elim congregation numbered about 130 people. Elim itself, founded in 1915 by George Jeffreys, comprises around 550 congregations across the UK and Ireland. The article noted that the denomination’s accounts showed £62.3 million in assets and £193.4 million in own-use assets as of September 2016.

More than 4,000 residents signed a petition against the transfer. Campaigners, including John Chambers, feared that the church would refuse to allow gay people to hold marriages, parties or other events in the hall, with bookings assessed case by case. The report quoted Elim’s published position: “We oppose church services for blessings or civil partnerships and other forms of gay and lesbian relationships as unbiblical.”

The remodelling was due to start within a fortnight of the report. The dispute illustrated how deals between councils and churches over public buildings can become flashpoints, raising questions about who controls community space once it passes into church hands and on what terms it is shared.

For councils, such swaps can unlock money and redevelopment. For churches, they can secure a permanent home. But the Merton case shows that when a public asset changes hands, residents expect transparency and continued access, and a church must be ready to explain how the building will serve the whole community.

Pentecostal churches are part of daily life for many Jamaican families at home and in Britain. For congregations in Jamaica seeking leases or transfers of government or parish council buildings, and for diaspora members supporting them, the Merton row is a reminder that public property brings public scrutiny: clear agreements on use, access and cost protect both the church and the community it hopes to serve.

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