The present building dates from 1878 but was preceded by a smaller building and a history of Baptist witness dating back to the early 1700's. By the 1970's the congregation had dwindled and the church closed; so the building, plus the adjoining manse and adjacent Sunday school rooms were sold, initially as one complex, with church and manse being sold on again into separate private ownership.

Over the next decade the church was unoccupied and deteriorated until, in the 1980's it was again put up for sale. A witch showed initial interest from Manchester who wished to use the building as a meeting place for local covens.This proposal caused some concern in the area, and came to the attention of a retired Baptist minister in east Lancashire who had preached at the church in his younger days. He used his savings to out-bid the witch, for a time this became the focus of the local and national press.

With a love for the Pennines and an interest for young peoples work, he set about obtaining planning permission and raising funds to convert the building to a holiday centre suitable for young people but retaining part of it as a place of worship, so that an evangelical Christian witness could be re-established in Slack.

A charitable trust was created and Bob Hulme a pastor with business background was approached to take on the management of the centre, the administration of the trust and, with his family, to pioneer the re-establishment of the church.

The witch and others opposed the work but, in June 1988 pioneered by the family of four, the church was re-constituted and a short time later the centre re-opened. Both are still in use with the church reaching out to the area and the centre being used by a wide variety of groups.

For more information about these and other places contact tourist information on the links below

Burnley Tourist Informamtion
Blackburn Tourist Informamtion
Leeds Tourist Informamtion
York Tourist Informamtion
Halifax Tourist Informamtion
Hebden Tourist Information