Please pray for Suckley Church. In the next week or so there will be meetings that could be very influential on the future of our village. Here is the story so far: Suckley Church is at the very heart of our lovely village of Suckley where worship continues as it has done for centuries with the bells inviting folk to services, baptisms and weddings. The current church was built between 1878 and 1889, replacing an earlier smaller building on the same site that had fallen in to disrepair. (The earlier smaller church had the first Suckley School within its walls!) Changes of population, church-going and priorities of modern life all contribute to our church no longer being at the hub of village life. This large and previously vibrant church is now open but empty for most of the time. The present worshipping congregation has reached a level where the cost of the material upkeep of the church is unsustainable without a major review of the way our church is funded in the future. The neighbouring church of Knightwick closed and was decommissioned in the 1990’s when a similar situation arose. Similarly, Lulsley Chapel, Linley Green Chapel, Tedstone Wafre Church, and Wolferlow Church are all WR6 places of worship that have become redundant in recent years (most are now houses). The PCC and the villagers of Suckley are keen to see our own Church remain open and have a future as our village church for generations to come. If we want to maintain the church as a viable building and look to increase its usefulness for the whole community of Suckley, then we need to take action before it is too late. Hence... the SPACE project was born: Suckley Parish Academy and Church Enterprise In addition to the need for routine maintenance of our church, there is clearly a need to provide modern facilities, such as toilets, running water and kitchen, to enable the church to be properly functional for its major events, such as festivals, baptisms, weddings and funerals, when the church can be full. In addition to the needs of the church, the primary school situated next door to the church needs to expand its activities as it continues to be successful. Prior to the building of the current school building the school used to be housed within the previous church building in the south west corner, and our vision for the future is to see the school able to return to using the church building, using the available vast space (which is seldom used other than on Sundays) for activities such as large assemblies, PE, additional classes, drama, concerts etc. Rental income from the School use and other activities would provide a major source of money to enable to church to remain financially viable. So..... We plan to develop the space within Suckley church so that it becomes more relevant to the needs of the church community, the wider village and the school, and at the same time provide an income stream from this use, which will enable the church to survive and thrive in the 21st century. The SPACE project has been developed by a Steering Committee made up of the PCC and 10 others drawn from both the church and the wider village. The plan is to open up the main body of the church as a multi-functional space with removable stackable seating (both pews and chairs), so that the space may become useful for school and other activities, as well as becoming more user friendly in its role as our village church. In the bottom of the tower there will be toilets. Refreshment facilities in the South aisle will support these expanded activities. The Vestry could adapt to include a room for Sunday School, provide a ‘Quiet Space’ and enable other small meetings there whilst the main body of the church is in use. This plan has the enthusiastic support of the head teacher and governors of the school, the Archdeacon and the Diocesan Advisory Council (DAC). This DAC support is the church equivalent of obtaining ordinary planning consent. Clearly all extensions and alterations will be carried out with the advice of the DAC, the Diocesan architect, and will be sympathetic with the historical character of the current church building. Our building tells a fascinating story from the 12th century font to the 20th century reredos. The SPACE project intends to maintain and improve all the present church activities whilst reaching out to be more useful to others too. Our 21st century contribution will be vital. Funding We have taken the advice of a professional fundraiser and are at present approaching various Trusts and other grant giving bodies, such as the National Lottery, for the majority of the necessary funding. Information updates To join the mailing list or share your ideas and thoughts please contact the Churchwardens: Liz Devenish (SPACE chairman) 01886 884787 or [email protected] Anne Lewis (SPACE vice chairman) 01886 884552 or [email protected] November 2014
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 10:14:54 +0000
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