With the rise of the prices of energy, many of us are having difficulties to pay the bills. Churches are not exempt to the issue. A Derbyshire church has started hosting concerts, just to be able to pay its energy bills.
St Peter’s Church in Belper said it saw costs for gas and electricity increase from £4,500 to £10,500 in a year.
Last weekend, the church hosted an Elvis and Michael Jackson tribute show, replacing hymns with the kings hits.
Reverend Anne Stratton said she was delighted with how the gigs had been going but disappointed so much money was going on bills.
“Basically what we made on concerts just about bridged the gap.”
“The sad thing is I look at that and think we could have used £6,000 much more effectively in and around the community, helping the food bank and that sort of thing,” she said.
Rev Stratton said: “Quite a lot of people say ‘I didn’t think you could do this in a church’. I often run the bar and if I have my dog collar on people sometimes come up to the bar and gasp. And I think ‘I wouldn’t be running the bar if I didn’t think it was okay for you to have a drink here’.”
Chris from “Michael Jackson Raw” was the impersonator selected as Michael Jackson and Dave Vincent as Elvis Presley and it seems that the show was a success for the church to put funds into their energy bills.
You can find more information about St Peter’s Church in Belper HERE and Michael Jackson Raw HERE
