Christ the Worker: progress with building
plans
-report from the May PCC
The Parish Church Council (PCC)
unanimously supported a proposal that Christ the Worker seeks planning
permission for a hall.
Christ the Worker has decided to postpone plans to build an extension to the
existing building. The PCC had been shown the plans for this a few years ago but
trying to carry them out had met with difficulties. The main one was obtaining
outline planning permission, not given because the planners thought there was
not enough parking space.
Also, the congregation was not strong enough yet to support such a major
project. Some of those whom Chris Hanson had encouraged to join the faith had
moved on to churches, with better facilities for children and young people, and
so the congregation had lost the very people who would have been able to help
use and maintain a larger church complex.
Instead, Christ the Worker is planning to erect a hall behind the existing
building. This will have a kitchen, toilets and adequate storage for equipment
for activities with children and young people. Although looking as if it were
built of bricks in the normal way, the hall will be pre fabricated and so can be
erected quickly and cost £90,000, very different from £1,000,000 which the
church complex could have cost.
With a hall alongside, Christ the Worker can be carpet ed and reordered to make
it more worthy of the worship of God. Chairs can be left in place and the
present sanctuary area used as a little Lady Chapel for private worship.
Reordered, the church will seat about 170 and, on special occasions, the service
will be transmitted electronically to an overflow congregation in the hall.