Nine O'Clock Service
The Nine O'Clock Service ("NOS") was a youth-orientated alternative Christian worship service started in 1986 at St Thomas' Church in Crookes, Sheffield, England, by a group of musicians and artists. The service and the group associated with it grew to national prominence, but the service was stopped in 1995 following allegations of sexual and emotional abuse.[1]
Origins
[edit]Beginning as a simple alternative format service under the leadership of Chris Brain, the group responsible for it developed a leadership structure that was endorsed by the leadership of St Thomas' Church. The average age of the members was 24 for much of NOS's life. The membership was significantly from non-church backgrounds.
Starting with about 10 people who worked on designing and creating the services, the congregation grew to almost 600 members while resident at St Thomas' Church. Main themes included care for the planet and concern about its abuse, simple lifestyle and development of relationships with non-churched people.
By 1988, David Lunn, then Bishop of Sheffield, sanctioned a move to a new site at Ponds Forge Rotunda in the centre of Sheffield.[2] Around the same time, Chris Brain underwent training to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England.[3] The Planetary Mass at Pond's Forge was marked by both bold liturgical experimentation and naive hopefulness. The suspended Roman Catholic priest and American Dominican theologian Matthew Fox was consulted.
Demise
[edit]The number of community members stopped growing and service attendance plateaued at about 300. A significant practical weakness in terms of duty of care was the lack of accountability for NOS and its absence from diocesan accountability. This was allowed because of its perceived international significance, which in the end came to nothing. Plans for communities elsewhere were in talks.[1]
In 1995, a number of complaints began to surface of the sexual abuse of women in the group by Chris Brain. After an investigation by the Diocese of Sheffield, the group was shut down in August 1995. The Bishop of Sheffield demanded Brain's resignation after he confessed to having sexual relationships with young women in the congregation. There were also calls from former members of the congregation that he be defrocked. The Archbishop of York banned Brain from acting as an ordained priest. Initially refusing to step down, Brain eventually resigned in November 1995, the week before a documentary on the abuse scandal was aired. He then checked himself into a psychiatric hospital.[4][5] The Diocese of Sheffield, through a seconded pastoral team led by Rachel Ross, the Reverend Andrew Teal and the Reverend Peter Craig-Wild, attempted to manage the pastoral care both of Brain and members of the community wounded by the scandal. A remnant of the community continued to meet, under different leadership, for some years afterwards in Sheffield.
Prosecution of Chris Brain for multiple sexual offences
[edit]On 1 February 2024 South Yorkshire Police announced that Christopher Brain had been summonsed to appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on 18 March 2024 to face a total of 34 charges of sexual offences (one of rape, 33 of indecent assault) against 11 members of the Nine O'Clock Service congregation. The police appealed for any further potential victims or witnesses to come forward.[6][7][8][9] On 18 March 2024 Christopher Brain appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. District Judge Marcus Waite granted him unconditional bail and told him to appear again at Sheffield Crown Court on 15 April 2024.[10][11][12][13][14][15] On 15 April 2024 Christopher Brain was due to attend Sheffield Crown Court in the afternoon for his plea and trial preparation.[16] The case was transferred from Sheffield Crown Court to Inner London Crown Court to avoid the risk of someone connected to the case being known to one of the judges who might hear the case.[17][18] On 30 April 2024 Christopher Brain appeared at Inner London Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and 33 charges of indecent assault regarding 11 women, all members of NOS. The offences are alleged to have taken place between 1981 and 1995. He was released on unconditional bail and was next due to appear for a case management hearing on 10 June 2024 at the same court (Inner London Crown Court). His trial was set for 30 June 2025 and is expected to last eight to ten weeks.[19][20][21][22][23][24]
Books
[edit]Howard, Roland (1996). The Rise and Fall of the Nine O'Clock Service: A Cult Within the Church?. London: Mowbray. ISBN 0264674197.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Howard, Roland (1996). The Rise and Fall of the Nine O'Clock Service. A cult within the church?. London: Mowbray. ISBN 0264674197.
- ^ "1990,s documentary on the Nine O'Clock Service". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ "The Nine o'clock Service".
- ^ Jojo Moyes (8 April 1996). "Nine O'Clock church relaunches services". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022.
- ^ Liam Clarke (1999). Challenging Ideas in Psychiatric Nursing. London: Routledge. p. 66.
He would talk regularly about how we were discovering a postmodern definition of sexuality in the church, but it was really one bloke getting his rocks off with forty women.
- ^ South Yorkshire Police (1 February 2024). "Priest summonsed over multiple non-recent sexual offences in Sheffield". Archived from the original on 1 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Former Sheffield priest accused of sexually abusing church members". BBC News. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Ed Thornton (2 February 2024). "Nine O'Clock Service founder Chris Brain faces criminal charges". Church Times. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Nine O'Clock service – statement". The Diocese of Sheffield. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Oli Constable (18 March 2024). "Christopher Brain: Sheffield priest in court to face 34 sexual abuse charges". BBC News. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Dave Higgens (18 March 2024). "Priest who led Nine O'Clock Service movement to face 34 sexual abuse charges". Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Sarah Marshall, PA Reporter (18 March 2024). "Priest appears at court accused of 34 sex offences against ex-members of Sheffield congregation". The Star. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Rev Christopher Brain: Nine O'Clock Service priest in court on sex assault charges". ITV News. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ PA News Agency (18 March 2024). "Sheffield priest in court to face 34 sexual abuse charges". Bracknell News. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Matt Hancock-Bruce (18 March 2024). "Rev Christopher Brain appears in court charged with 34 sexual offence". Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Holly Phillips (15 April 2024). "Sheffield priest who led Nine O'Clock Service facing Crown Court today". Sheffield Wire. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Sean O’Neill (6 May 2024). "Priest's sex crimes trial moved due to potential links to judges". The Times. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Hattie Williams (10 May 2024). "UK news in brief - Chris Brain trial relocated 'to ensure fairness'". Church Times. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Chris Baynes (30 April 2024). "Chris Brain: Sheffield priest denies sex attacks on 11 women". BBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ "Sheffield priest Christopher Brain denies sex charges against former followers". ITV News. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Sarah Marshall, PA Reporter (30 April 2024). "Chris Brain, Nine O'Clock Service: Priest pleads not guilty to sexually abusing Sheffield congregation members". The Star. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Chris Davis-Smith (30 April 2024). "Priest who led evangelical movement in Sheffield denies sexual offences allegations". Planet Radio. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Barbara Jordan (30 April 2024). "Wilmslow priest Rev Christopher Brain denies sex offences". Knutsford Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ Helen Williams, PA & Sophie Corcoran (30 April 2024). "NOS 'Rave Church' Sheffield reverend Christopher Brain denies rape and sex attacks". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 30 April 2024.