Category: Heart of the Community

Heart of the Community project updates

Posted on by Laura Thomas

Church and community centre construction news

Work on rebuilding the north wall is progressing well, and is due to complete on 16th March. In addition, the steel frame work is pretty much completed now, and construction of some internal block walls and conservation arches are underway. Work on the brickwork and external stonework is due to start shortly. Although there is still some delay to the programme, the professional teams are working hard to reduce this. 

Prayer

Thank you to those who continue to pray for the project. At this time please pray in particular that the funds needed to meet the imminent shortfall will be made available at the right time. We thank God that He promises His spring-time ‘rain’ of blessing. “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.” (Zechariah 10:1) 

Buy a Brick

This term St Michael’s Primary School are getting behind Buy a Brick and will be supporting the project by asking pupils and parents to get involved by buying bricks and helping to raise funds. The new main auditorium of the church and community centre will be a wonderful resource for the school, providing space for the whole school community to meet together, and to host events for all parents and families. 

Planning permission prayers answered

Posted on by Laura Thomas

The development of the new church and community centre took an important and well timed step forward this week. Planning permission was granted to dismantle and rebuild the ½ metre thick wall running parallel to North Road. This will give the most visible face of the site a much greater sense of uniformity. Stone from the existing wall will be cleaned, cut and reused using an exact match of the original mortar. Work on this has already started and will take around six weeks to complete. Thank you to everyone who prayed for the best outcome of this planning process.

The new church and community centre is one of the audacious ambitions of our Heart of the Community project – along with the refurbishing of our historic church building, the upgrading of our Old School Rooms facilities and the support of outreach projects and fighting poverty in the UK and around the world.  

Media launch for Buy a Brick campaign

Posted on by Laura Thomas

The Buy a Brick fundraising campaign for the Heart of the Community project was launched to the public this week, with a colourful photo-call on the site of the new church and community centre.

The Buy a Brick scheme invites everyone in the local area to play a part in building community, by chipping in with the cost of a brick or two for the new facilities in the centre of Stoke Gifford. Bricks are already on sale in the Old School Rooms on week days. They will also be available from lots of local meeting places and businesses, as well as our mobile community building sites at key events over the next few weeks.

The first brick was purchased by Jaci Crocombe, editor of the Little Stoke Gifford Matters magazine, who is covering the progress of the Heart of the Community project in detail. The magazine is also supporting the campaign by donating £150 towards the cost of the Buy a Brick display stands.

Bishop Mike of Bristol and Jack Lopresti MP have also bought bricks already. 

Jack Lopresti said, “I admire the ambition of the Heart of the community project. The new centre will be a great asset to serve the local population. I’m delighted to buy a brick and play my part in building local community.”

You can also buy bricks with just a couple of clicks, by following the simple online instructions on the Buy a Brick pages of this website. 

Latest Heart of the Community newsletter

Posted on by Laura Thomas

The second in our series of newsletters for the Heart of the Community project is now out.

This edition includes details of fundraising events, online initiatives and the latest news from the building site of the new church and community centre.

You can view the newsletter online here

If you are on the mailing list you will receive a copy by email. There are a few printed copies available at the back of the church for those without email access, or you can be added to the mailing list by emailing Sue Woodhead, our project coordinator.