St John’s, Harborne, Birmingham has a global support programme with 13 individuals or couples at work in various places worldwide; the church stands by certain principles such as being God-honouring, Christ-centred and culturally relevant. It also happens to be the case that the congregation is temporarily detached from the church building on account of a £5m ‘Building for Mission’ project that is taking place. The Vicar, Leonard Brown, who tells us he has been a school teacher, a chaplain, a vicar, a headmaster, looks quite unfazed by it all.
Mark Meardon, Vicar of Holy Trinity, Hazlemere, High Wycombe, has a similar background. HT is in the middle of a £2.3m project. An impressive video takes the website visitor in and out of the church building, under the scaffolding, around a building-site and into a world of hard hats and work in progress. Out of the gutted building will come a Trinity Centre. ‘As culture changes, we need to respond by adapting our forms and expressions of church so we can continue to connect with our community,’ says the website. Be sure to see the video. It’s unique.
The oldest place of worship in Bristol, St Philip’s and St James’s church, is in the midst of a thoroughgoing renovation. It will be made watertight and a new raised flooring will be introduced that will accommodate chairs to replace pews. The church has renamed itself as Central. In the 1960s it was facing closure. Ann Widdecombe’s brother was vicar at one time; the present vicar is Tim Silk. The church proclaims: ‘We are a church centred on Jesus.’ Its end-of-2020 programme included an on-line Christmas party. Anybody who can organise that has little to fear.
At St Jude’s, Southsea Friday Fridge is a nine p.m. occasion when bacon butties and other delicacies are provided for visitors. Another feature is life groups, designed for specific types of newcomers, and Alpha. The Vicar is Adam Tams, who leads a strong team including an operations manager. The church says quite reasonably that with 300 people to choose from a visitor is bound to find someone he or she will get to know. The church is benefiting from a £2.4m renovation completed ten years ago.
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