ROSSENDALE's newest church - Weir Baptist - is going from strength to strength and in the autumn members will be reaching out into the community.

The church held its first service on July 8 when the doors opened at the Weir Hotel on Burnley Road and the Rev Neil Hepworth invited his flock in to worship.

Next month the father-of-four is taking a holiday and leaving his congregation in the safe hands of Ashley Stansfield, who lives in Bacup and is a member of Helmshore Christian Fellowship, and church member Kevin Renshaw.

Mr Hepworth said: "We have had about 40 to 45 people attending each Sunday and there are 12 children between us and the Sunday school was established on the second week.

"The older children meet in the pool room at the pub and the younger ones meet at a member's house."

He said once he was back from holiday the church would be going out into the community, setting up a service for residents of Deerplay Residential Home on Heald Lane and a luncheon fellowship at a member's house in Philips Road.

A house group will also be set up in September and the church will be electing deacons.

The long-term aim is to build a new church on land off Burnley Road - the site of the former Ebenezer Doal Baptist Church.

A building fund has been set up and Mr Hepworth said church was also going to begin applying for grants in September.