Author: Laura Thomas

Stories of Hope

Posted on by Laura Thomas

A message from Tom Benyon

Greetings from St Michael’s Church! I trust that you are well under these strange circumstances.

We all love a good story, don’t we? I read my sons a bedtime story every night before they go to bed, and it’s often one of the highlights of the day. Stories are part and parcel of our lives: we tell, read, and watch stories all day long, and some of us even dream in stories as well. Someone once said that we tell stories to help us make sense of the world, and I’m sure they were right.

You will have seen the disturbing stories of racial injustice and heartache in the news and it has been hard to make sense of it all.  With this and the pandemic as a backdrop it is easy to lose sight of God’s goodness. But we mustn’t.  As Christians we are part of a wider story of hope where, through Christ, God is making all things new. This means we can see stories of hope even in the hardest of situations. I wonder whether you have stories like this to draw on? I hope so.  

Recently we have encouraged church family members to send in brief videos of them telling some of these stories, moments of hope and encouragement where they have seen God at work. We have called these ‘Ten Second Testimonies’, and yes, they only have 10 seconds in which to communicate it! It has been a good exercise for us all.  Not only has it been encouraging to hear these little moments of hope from folk across the church family, but it has also been good to spot those occasions in our own day where we notice God at work. This may be the small act of kindness from a neighbour, the ‘accidental’ meeting of someone on the way to the shops or the simple pleasure of seeing sunshine dappled through the trees. Each story, however insignificant, is a gentle reminder that He is at work, making all things new.

My prayer is that you will be able to see these moments for what they are, small stories of hope, and ones you may want to tell someone about them. But don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be in just 10 seconds!

I am so looking forward to the time when we can see each other again face to face but in the meantime do take care and please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Thanks to the Arches Volunteers

Posted on by Laura Thomas

On a very warm Thursday the staff team was supplemented by a great bunch of volunteers to clear the arches in St Michael’s Centre (Thanks to Phil, David, Andy, Freddie, Johnny, Jacob and Dan). 

We are now ready for the builders!  The foyer is now filled with items for re-storing in the new room configuration.

The ground floor Arches Corridor (beyond the Resources and Seminar Room), is the last remaining construction phase of  St Michael’s Centre.  

Finishing this work will bring five more rooms into use, plus a kitchen. This will meet the demand from our own ministry areas , as well as from external hirers. 

At their meeting on Monday 17 February 2020, the St Michael’s Centre Trustees agreed to award the contract to Stone BCI Ltd, the company that worked with us to complete the balcony and the offices.  Work was due to start in April, however this has been postponed due to Covid-19. We hope to make a start on it on 15 June.

Bells strike the right note

Posted on by Laura Thomas

The sound of bells from St Michael’s Church is here to stay.


The Parochial Church Council was granted a temporary licence in September 2018 to make safe and preserve the original bells and evaluate a modern digital bells system.
The digital bells were installed in the church tower in early December 2018 and tested and adjusted over a nine-month period to get the most realistic sound.


The Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) visited the church in November 2019 to see the system and hear the bells. They noted that the system was effective and “evidently greatly appreciated by the congregation and neighbouring community”.


A faculty for permanent use of the digital bells was granted earlier this year so long as:
• any future alterations or replacement of the system is referred to the DAC
• they are rung for “ordinary use” (excluding times when muffled* bells would be required), and
• the PCC is encouraged to progress the preservation and repair of the bells.


There were once four bells in the bell chamber: there are now only three. There is no record of what happened to the missing bell. In July 2019 the bells were removed from their pivots and supported on a timber platform to remove the weight from the historic bell frame – which is included on the Church Buildings Council’s list of significant frames

*Muffled or half-muffled bells can be rung to mark funerals and other solemn occasions.