A brief history of St. John's
House-building in the area began in the early 1970's and by 1975 some local people had begun to meet in homes for Bible Study and informal Communion Services. In 1978 a house in Shannon Court was purchased by the Church of England and used for meetings and services. The group grew and in 1981 the regular Sunday service, with its Junior Church, moved to the Community Centre next to the Metro station.
From the outset the intention was to welcome people of varying denominations to the church. In 1985 this was formalised when 'The Church in Kingston Park' became a Local Ecumenical Project, one of the country's first, comprising the Church of England, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church. In due course the decision was made to construct a new church building, and in December 1991 the Church of St John the Evangelist was dedicated. The Partnership was strengthened in 1996 when joined by the Baptist Church.
Over the years various ministers of the four denominations have served the church, and lay ministry has also been encouraged. It was the hope that the church's premises, which were designed to be flexible, would be used by other groups in the community. A wide variety of meetings and activities, other than those connected with the life of the local church community, take place in the building each week.