Building In Faith

Building in Faith

On Saturday 17th July 2010 Building in Faith, Phase 1 was completed. At 2.30p.m. we held a wonderful Celebration Service in the newly re-ordered Church. We were pleased to welcome Bishop Alistair Magowan who preached, Bishop Michael Hooper who had supported our project throughout and was pleased to see it come to fruition, and Bishop Michael Bourke who also took part in the service. A choir of over 50 sang “And the Glory of the Lord” from Handel’s ‘Messiah’. Oliver, a young member of our church read a poem he had composed for the occasion entitled “Cold to Warm” because, once we had a cold church but now we have warm under-floor heating.

The church looked amazingly spacious now the pews had been removed; with the comfortable red chairs glowing against the lime plastered walls and the dark grey floor tiles. Over 300 people processed into the church from the Parish Centre at 2.30p.m. to enjoy the inspiring service. Refreshments were served afterwards back in the Parish Centre and it was a great delight to welcome several past members of our congregation who had moved and gone to other parts of the country.

There was time to meander back into the church and have a good look around and admire the newly tiled vestry floor and cupboards – the Victorian tiles having been retrieved from under the old chancel carpet and altar table. Another prominent feature is the windows which are now more easily visible.

The next few months will be a huge learning curve for everyone in both the leadership and the congregation as we adapt to chairs, words and pictures on the large screen and monitors and moving around for communion, to name but a few. Already the community has held coffee concerts each morning for a week for the Church Stretton Arts Festival, and the acoustics were magnificent. Also the Primary School held their ‘School Leavers’ service in our newly re-ordered church.

Our church looks beautiful and is a credit to all those who have laboured to bring this transformation to completion to the Glory of God. Now we start to press forward for Phase 2, which will be a new entrance foyer north of the West door, to include toilets, a coffee bar, welcoming space and a meeting room.