�
Vision � Building
for the Future
Building for the
Future - our 2009 Jubilee
If
it has been said once, it has been said a hundred times…that the church
is the people, not the building. And it is true! Even so, reality
dictates that a people need buildings
from which to operate - a place for coming together and a feeding
station from which to go out. Even from Old Testament times, God’s
people sensed their need for special places - places set apart for the
Holy One. Listen to our minister's message preached on 20th April 2008 to hear what God had to say to his people on this matter.
This
page on our website answers the key questions about the next exciting
stage in our church's journey of faith and obedience to God, and gives
you an impression of what the remodelled building complex will look
like. Please get
in touch with the church office if you would like to know
more.
Why a remodelled
Church?
What has happened
so far?
What improvements
will there be?
How will we pay
for it?
How can members participate?
What's the latest news?
Appeal leaflet and Pledge form
Why a remodelled Church?
Our
building is essentially sound and, through the years, we have all
developed a strong attachment to it…but there are aspects of it that
are due for a make-over. In saying this, everyone should be assured
that everything is being done to maintain the essential character of
the church. However, as we worship and work together in 2009, the 50th anniversary of St.
Andrew’s Church being founded, we recognise that our world
is a very different one to the one of the late
1800s when our church was built. In these days, church-going was more
or less the done thing. Nowadays, that is hardly the case. We have to
work much harder, therefore, to draw people into the life of the
congregation…and the look and feel of our buildings is part of that.
And
that is the heart of it - we are making these plans as part of the
overall plan to further the mission of the congregation. We are talking
about a new, efficient heating system. We are talking about flexible,
comfortable seating. We are talking about a greatly enhanced platform
area (chancel). We are talking about an open, welcoming approach to the
church,
with easy physical access for all. We are talking about a building ‘fit
for purpose’ for the next fifty years…a centre for worship and mission
that will be as useful to those who come after us as our present
building has been to us.
What has
happened so far?
In
2007 a small group from the Kirk Session began to travel
around the
country (even to Northern Ireland) to see what a number of churches had
done to revitalise their buildings. These trips gave us enough
encouragement to take our thinking a stage further. The next step was
the formation of a Feasibility Group which was charged with bringing
forward initial proposals
for the
re-enlivening of our buildings. These were formed and then, through the
services of an architect, plans and drawings were prepared.
We
gained approval for our plans from the various bodies of the wider
church, then presented the proposals to the full Kirk Session and to
the congregation. The
members of St Andrew's are giving their whole-hearted support
to the
plan that will breathe new life into our
sanctuary and halls - all with the hope that better facilities, fit for
purpose, might aid us as we move towards, and beyond, the landmark of
fifty years of St. Andrew’s Church in 2009.
We
moved out of the building in November 2008 and are gathering for Sunday
worship in the hall of Arbroath Academy, the secondary school in our
parish area. The various organisations which use our church premises
are spread across many locations in the town. We are very grateful for
the hospitality that is being given to us by other churches and service
organisations and by Angus Council's Department of Education.
What improvements will there be?
The redesigned complex will offer:
- wide,
level access to all the entrances and throughout the interior of the
buildings
- glass
front doors and arched windows
in the vestibule wall which will allow passers-by the opportunity to
see right into our sanctuary while we worship. The wooden
doors will remain, but will slide out of sight into partitions when the
building is in use
- improved
vestibule and office
- moveable
single seats instead of wooden pews in the main body of the church
- much
larger raised platform (chancel) across the width of the church, with
ramps for access
- the
sound system linked into
the vestibule area so that ushers and others can listen to and
take part in our worship while outside the sanctuary
- glass-roofed
gallery linking the church and halls complex, with a new exterior
entrance and a new doorway from the sanctuary; a superb gathering area
which gives easy access to all the other facilities, and expands our
capacity to accommodate our growing population
- a
new suite of ladies, gents and disabled toilets
- larger
kitchen in a more central location
- larger
storeroom
How will we pay for it?
Over
the last five years, we have built up a Church Redecoration Fund - this will now be a deposit on our much bigger
project! The estimated cost represents a formidable target
and it is right that we should have some apprehension about achieving
the total. If, though,
it is God’s plan for our future, HE will provide the resources we need.
General
income has been increasing year on year as our numbers have grown and
the average level of giving as gone up, resulting in regular surpluses
for which we give thanks to God. The balance in our Reserve
Account and our expendable endowment funds gave us a great starting
point for our dreams and visions for this project, and there was a
magnificent response by the congregation to the building project appeal
in 2008, both in terms of one-off donations and by pledging further
giving over the next 2 years; much of this giving is augmented by Gift
Aid.
We
are confident of God's provision as we journey on with Him. The final
cost of the project is likely to top half a million pounds, but the
results in terms of a quality environment for mission and ministry will
be worth every penny!
How can members participate?
We distributed an
illustrated leaflet
explaining the project to every member together with a pledge form, and are encouraging people to think in terms of sacrificial giving,
in light of their individual circumstances.
There are two ways in
which members can give:
- a
one-off donation: the more we
can give “up front”, the less we have to borrow
AND/OR
- a
pledge to regular giving which month by month will help to pay off the
balance
As
part of our giving towards the costs of the refurbishment of our
sanctuary, there is also the opportunity to donate one of the beautiful
new chairs which will be arriving shortly. The cost will be �50 per
chair. If you are interested in this, please contact the Session Clerk,
Jane Miller, via the church office. What's the latest news?
The
builders have completed their work within budget and slightly ahead of
schedule - praise God! :-) They handed the keys of our buildings
back to us on 2nd October. Next comes the decorating and carpet laying,
cleaning, reinstalling the multimedia systems and moving everything
back into place in the sanctuary, halls, office, kitchen, meeting and
storage rooms.
We anticipate being back in our home for worship
and all our other activities by early November, and we're looking
forward to our big celebration weekend, which will closely coincide
with St Andrew's Day!
Friday 27th - afternoon reception for invited guests
Saturday 28th - Open Day all day, for everyone in our church and the wider community
Sunday 29th - all-age communion and dedication in morning worship; youth celebration in the evening with Christian band Superhero and local support.