St Michael's Church, Stoke Gifford
Living to make a difference
We’ve now been using our new facilities for just over a year. But we still have a long way to go.
This project update (May 2016) summarises the story of the Heart of the Community so far, and brings us up to date with the latest fundraising totals and targets.
Whether you’re a longstanding church member, new to St Michael’s or just visiting, it’s well worth a read!
The Bishop of Bristol, Mike Hill, officially dedicated the new church and community centre in Stoke Gifford this weekend. It means the building is now licensed by the Church of England to be used for worship, baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Bishop Mike presented the formal documents for the dedication to the congregation of St Michael’s at the evening celebration on Sunday 10 May 2015.
George Lord, a retired member of the local community, received the licence on behalf of everyone who worships at St Michael’s Church.
The first sections of the new building are now open, with the ground floor of the main auditorium seating over 300 people. Fundraising continues for the final phase of the project – to complete the rest of the community facilities, improve the historic church building, refurbish the old school rooms and support outreach projects elsewhere in the UK and around the world.
The occasion is also covered in this article on the Diocese of Bristol website.
The new St Michael’s Church and Community Centre is now in use.
The first sections of the new building are complete – with the main auditorium, the reception area, the church office and the first of several new meeting rooms all now in action.
The St Michael’s 10.30am Sunday service this weekend (26 April 2015) was held in the new auditorium and attended by over 260 people. The building was also used by 170 members of St Michael’s for our annual church weekend together.
St Michael’s 10.30 service this weekend
The new church and community centre is part of our ambitious Heart of the Community project – which is enabling us to fulfil our vision of Living to Make a Difference. The project also includes the refurbishment of our historic church building, the upgrading of the Old School Rooms facilities next door, and funding numerous outreach and anti-poverty initiatives elsewhere in the UK and around the world.
The same view in October 2013
The new centre has been built over the last 2 years on a derelict land in the centre of Stoke Gifford. Our fundraising efforts and our commitment to pray and trust God continue as we seek to raise the final £1.5m needed to complete the project.
In the weeks and months ahead the new space, combined with our existing facilities, will enable us to welcome, serve and provide meeting spaces for more and more people, young and old, from across this community and beyond.
Since Sunday 26 April 2015 two of our weekly congregations have begun to worship in the new church and community centre auditorium.
The 10.30 service now begins with everyone – all ages – worshiping together in the main auditorium. After the first 20 minutes the children and young people go to their groups in the Old School Rooms as before. (The changeover is a lot quicker now – because the dividing walls are already assembled and teaching and craft materials already in position.) The grown-ups stay in the auditorium for more worship, teaching and prayer together.
The service finishes at about 11.50am as before, when we can all share coffee, tea and biscuits in the coffee shop.
The evening congregation also now gathers in the new auditorium at 6.30pm for our most informal weekly celebration as a church.
The 9.00am service will continue to meet in the church building every week. And our monthly service of Evensong is also staying in the church building. Prayers, baptisms, weddings, funerals and all kinds of other services will continue in the church building as well.
For the first few weeks there will be extra people welcoming, signposting and making sure we all know what is happening during our services in the new space. We will be discovering together what works really well and what needs to change a little to make the best use of the new facilities.
Some of us relish the opportunity to try something new. Others find change more challenging. We will all need to take extra care of each other during this transition. And there will be opportunities to feedback about our experience of worshiping together in the new building.
We begin this exciting new phase of life at St Michael’s remembering that the church is not the building. It’s us – God’s people. Wherever we gather to worship, each one of us is a vital part of the body of Christ.
A new book by a member of our congregation – A guide to Fun Ways to fundraise for your community, church or charity – has just been published to help raise money for the Heart of the Community project.
An early version of the guide by Penny Hallett (Allen) was made available to church members last year. This has been extended and updated and is now available from Amazon, priced £7.99. Royalties from the sale of the book are being donated to the Heart of the Community project.
The 176-page book is packed with over 200 great ideas for fundraising activities and events – as well as tips to guide you through the process and make it all worthwhile. It includes how to:
A big thank you to David McCann who provided the internal illustrations and to everyone at St Michael’s who contributed ideas and advice.
Whether you’re new to fundraising or an old hand looking for fresh ideas, this easy-to-read guide contains something for everyone. Why not find an idea that you like, make it your own, and go for it.
You can order your copy here.
“This book crackles with ideas, sound advice and hot tips for making the vital task of fundraising both effective and fun. A top tool for all good causes.”
The Right Reverend Mike Hill, Bishop of Bristol
On Sunday 21st September fourteen people set out to run the Bristol half marathon to raise money for the Heart of the Community project. A mix of church members and a few friends and family, some of whom had little previous experience of running distances. Everyone completed the course; the fastest time was 1:31:49. Seven people did it in under two hours, and seven did it in between two and three hours.
Congratulations to all of them! Thanks to their efforts a total of £4,868 (without gift aid) has been raised so far. And there is still time to donate. Let’s see if we can make it £5,000! If you’d like to chip in simply go the the online giving page and click to donate.
A picture of the team also appeared on the live updates on the ITV web site (sixth photo down):
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, visited us on Saturday 13th September – as part of his weekend in Bristol and the West. Archbishop Welby, described the Heart of the Community project as ‘wonderful’, ‘courageous’ and ‘exciting’. He said: “This project warms my heart. This is not about a community building: this is about building a community. It is a great example of what the church does best, which is loving and serving and transforming – and it’s about the future.
“It is a huge project to undertake and I know there is a lot further to go. It is not audacious simply because it’s bold, daring and big, but because it is one of those projects that depends entirely upon God and God moving people’s hearts. There is a real vision about what this community could be in the future and what is being put together here. The Heart of the Community is happening because it is God’s heart for the community now and over the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years and that is so exciting. It is wonderful to be here. All of us should look around – any thought that God’s church has no future in this land is a complete delusion.”
As he dedicated the building the Archbishop thanked and blessed all those who had worked on the building, the project team and the vision behind the centre. “May it be a light for its community, may it be a reminder of the love of God at the heart of the community. May you govern and direct the church and people of this area that it may be a place of help for those growing up, a place of safety for those growing old and a place of flourishing for those in work.”
Bishop Mike has also asked that his personal thanks and appreciation be passed on to colleagues and congregations in the Diocese. “… the effort and commitment that both individuals and organisations have put into planning and engaging with this pastoral visit has been considerable… I would like to take this opportunity of expressing my personal thanks to you for all that you have contributed in planning and expertise, in prayer and through your physical presence at the events…”
To see the full gallery of photos by Rob Wicks please click here
Today, Simon Jones had the opportunity to speak to John Darvell on this show at Radio Bristol. If you’d like to listen again,you can go click here and fast forward i to around 1 hour 35 minutes. Simon talks about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit to the Diocese this weekend and also his visit to our lovely new building. Why not take a listen?
Members of St Michael’s Church, Stoke Gifford have been taking a look at their new church and community centre ahead of its dedication next month.
Archbishop Justin Welby will be visiting the centre on Saturday 13 September during his visit to the Bristol Diocese to bless the church’s ‘audacious’ Heart of the Community project and dedicate the building.
The shell of the building, on the site of old farm barns in North Road, is due to be completed at the end of this month.
Small groups of church members were given a preview of the ground floor of the building and the chance for informal prayer and worship in the 600 seat auditorium after each of the church’s three Sunday services.
The building is the centrepiece of the church’s £5.5m Heart of the Community project, which also includes refurbishing the neighbouring Old School Rooms and renovating the 14th Century church. A tenth of all money donated or raised by the congregation is being used for mission work to combat poverty and spread the gospel in the UK and overseas.
The new centre will provide much needed facilities for conferences and church services, wedding receptions and other celebrations as well as community rooms. It will also serve as a resource for the wider region as it is within easy access of the M4 and M5 and just minutes away from Parkway Railway Station.
The Bishop of Bristol, Mike Hill, who has described the project as ‘audacious’ will be accompanying Archbishop Welby.
The next phase of the project will be to kit out the inside of the building and provide usable space on the ground floor by Easter 2015.
The Rev. Si Jones, Rector of St Michael’s, said: “The Heart of the Community project will provide a legacy that will speak of God’s generosity for generations to come.”
On Saturday 13th September, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will be visiting Stoke Gifford to bless and dedicate the Heart of the Community project and the new St Michael’s Church and Community Centre.
His visit will last about an hour, between 6.30 and 7.30pm. The church family are all warmly invited to be there. However due to space and health & safety restrictions, numbers will be limited – and entrance via ticket only, on a first come first served basis.
Please note that you must pre-register with the church office, and obtain a (free) ticket to attend.
To register, please email admin@stmichaelsbristol.org or phone 0117 9692486 during office hours
UPDATE : All tickets have now been allocated, and we have opened a waiting list.
Note for ticket holders: if you have had your place confirmed, please collect your ticket from the office as soon as possible. If you are no longer able to come along please do advise us so that someone else can attend. Many Thanks
On Sunday 20th July, a little over a year after the contractors first arrived on the Old Barns Site to start work building a new Church and Community Centre in the heart of Stoke Gifford, the congregation of St Michael’s Church met together in the new auditorium to pray and to worship God.
As we approach the end of the first phase of this project (a secure, watertight and weatherproof shell, due for completion towards the end of August) congregations in three different services stood together to affirm our faith that, despite the challenges, and as we obey and trust in Him, what God has started He will see through to completion. As it says in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
On Saturday 2nd August we are joining with the Stoke Gifford Royal British Legion to host a community event on the Green, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. We’ll be raising money jointly for the RBL Poppy Appeal and the Heart of the Community project.
Bradley Stoke Radio will be in attendance, along with Westerleigh Brass Band and Mini Massive Sax Flextet, and there will be lots of other things to see and do. The OSR Coffee Shop will be open serving tea, coffee, cold drinks and cakes – and on the other side of the Green the Beaufort Arms will be putting on a barbecue.
Children are invited to wear fancy dress, for a little parade and a chance to win a prize. Please do come along and support this community event!