A time to get and a time to lose

INTERVIEW
by
Matt Pointon

Those words from Ecclesiastes are literally becoming true in one Burslem church for the long-serving Minister of Swan Bank Methodist Mission, Rev. John Hibberts stepped down after 24 years at the helm to be replaced by the Rev. Ashley Cooper.

“I have been at the Minister at Swan Bank since September 1983,” John told me, “and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that worship should be modern, you shouldn’t go to church and step back in time, and we are very modern with a band and some lively worship. A church needs to get with it in order to survive and over the years that I have been at Swan Bank we have flourished.”

The Rev. John’s success however, has not been solely within the walls of the church. He is a chaplain to various other institutions including the George Hotel, HMYOI Werrington and, most famously, Port Vale F.C. “Swan Bank is a Mission church you see,” John explained, “and that means getting out and serving the community. A church needs to scratch where people itch and not tell people where to scratch.”

I aked John is, being an avid Port Vale fan did not shake his faith at times due to their perennial lack of success. “Now,” he said with a smile, “I don’t believe that Port Vale will never be successful and indeed, I believe they are successful now, even if this is not shown in the results. Football is an ordinary game for ordinary people and Port Vale is a club that caters for ordinary people well.”

On the subject of missions, John recently went to Ghana to assist with a Methodist mission there. When I asked him what he had gained from the experience, he said that it helped him to “recognise the importance of the poor, no matter what the colour of their skin. The thing is, I am an ordinary bloke and I want to help ordinary people wherever they might be.”

That such a man as John is ‘ordinary’ I am not sure, but the Swan Bank of today stands as a testament to his commitment. The Rev. Ashley agrees. “I am thankful to John for all that he has done and very excited at coming to such a great church that is at the heart of the community and is one of the hearts of the community. I only hope that I can continue to build up the congregation and find new ways of addressing the needs of the local people.” A local lad with 4 years ministerial experience in Chester and a similar time in Kidsgrove behind him, I have no doubt that those challenges will be met and that Swan Bank will continue to thrive.