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| Focus Groups |
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| The Vision |
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| Pray for the Project |
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| Getting Technical |
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| The BEACON Project |
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| How did we get here? |
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We're all supposed to ask "big questions" in life, aren't we? Perhaps some of you who have joined the church family fairly recently are asking similar questions about the planned church hall development, like: How did we get to this point? What's the story? OK then, here we go!
As far back as the late 1980s people in the church talked of "doing something about the hall". This was put aside when it was decided to double the size of the main church building. The hall situation was to be reconsidered once the church extension was completed (1989) and paid for (around 1991).
The flat roof leaked from time to time back in those days and it was realised that something needed to be done. It was decided to approach an architect friend for some free advice. He came and looked over the building and gave some helpful pointers as to the way ahead.
At that time we realised the existing walls could not be built up, or a pitched roof added, as the foundations of the wall at the Audley Road end of the hall are only inches deep and the hall is built on the site of an old brick works.
After several meetings it was decided to approach arc;hitects for a feasibility study on the hall. Outline plans were produced but were quite disappointing as they didn't really fit the, admittedly complicated, brief and just seemed to replace the hall as we have it with something very similar. After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with the architects we eventually got ot Plan F, which was for a two[story hall but with a ground floor very similar to the existing hall and rooms. This would have been at the same level as he hall is now so ther would still have been different levels between the chuch and hall floors.
At a packed meeting in the hall in 1993, if my memory is correct, well over 100 members and friends voted to go for this scheme despite some reservations and little excitement about the actual layout proposed.
Shortly after this our minister at the time left and the "steam ran out" in terms of property development. The leaks in the roof got worse and worse and increasingly difficult to repair. In the mid/late 1990s we had quotes of about £30,000 - £40,000 to re-lay a similar flat roof with a guarantee of about 20 years, or £100,000 to replace the roof with an aluminium flat roof with a guaranteed life of about 50 years. It was decided to consult the church by means of a written survey accompanied by all the facts and costs as we had them at the time.
The options given were to relay the flat roof, or look into "a major redevelopment". A large majority of those who replied favoured this last option. The main concern of those not in favour of such a way forward was that such a large sum of money would be better spent. "Personnel rather than property" was the view of some.
Alongside these discussions of a practical nature was a growing common vision of Sheldon Road as a "Seven Days a Week Church" both reaching out to and serving the local community i.e. the west side of Chippenham - not just the streets immediately adjacent to the church. When neighbouring houses came up for sale some church members urged us to buy them to have better facilities for groups/activities throughout the week. Others thought the size and layout of the rooms in these houses were unsuitable.
Those who favoured "personnel not property" were pleased when the church decided to employ a full time layworker for Sheldon Road in the early 1990s. The person appointed worked hard in the church and area but left the post after two years. The church council at the time decided not to seek a replacement.
After this the movement to improve the hall facilities came to the fore again with the survey mentioned above. We wanted, and still want, a building that would allow for several different activities to go on at once without disturbing each other.
For example, did you know:-
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The Church Council and other meetings have been held away from the church because the Cafe Base has been using the Church Hall.
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on Sunday mornings several different Junior Church groups (ages 5 to 13) have to all use the hall at once - some groups separated by only a few feet?
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| | So, there you are. I hope some of your questions have been answered and the "history lesson" wasn't too boring! Anyway I hope you have a better understanding of how we got to be where we are now.
David Stranks (Recently edited) (on behalf of the Awareness-Raising Group) Edited |
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