Sutton St James Baptist Church has £35,000 revamp
Building works at Sutton St James Baptist Church are helping to pave the way for its wider use by the whole community.
A £35,000 investment has seen heating installed, windows replaced and French doors put in.
The number of toilets has been boosted from one to three, including one for the disabled, and baby changing facilities have been provided.
Some £30,000 of the bill has been met by money the church had in trust from the sale of the manse many years ago while £5,000 came from the Baptist Union Small Projects Fund.
Pastor Sue Hensby said: “We will still be seeking grants to enable us to do the other works we would like to do, including upgrading the kitchen area, decorating the old school room, decorating the main church, paving the car park and the path to the graveyard.
“We also want to create a pleasant and safe outside space for children to sit in and play in.
“Our vision is to offer the church as a village hub, which would be open every day for a few hours so that there is always somewhere that people can pop in for a cuppa and a chat, receive support from local experts that will come in on a regular basis, such as Citizens’ Advice or Christians Against Poverty, and a place where we can offer prayer and healing.”
The church was unsuccessful with its large grant application to cover the project for the heating, windows and loos, but the fellowship went ahead anyway and used the money in trust.
Mrs Hensby said that money could only be used for building works for the church, and not salaries or running costs.
Some of the cash remains in trust as a “safety buffer” in case there is a major issue, like the need to replace the roof.
Mrs Hensby said: “I am aware of a few local churches that have had this problem when the old slates start to deteriorate.”
Currently the congregation is made up of nine families although the church hosts twice weekly coffee mornings and a monthly community lunch.
Sue became the pastor in 2017 and has previously spoken about plans for the church.
Earlier this year we wrote about a loo at the church being twinned with a toilet in Uganda.
