Building to Bless Purpose Document APCM

BUILDING TO BLESS

CHRIST CHURCH HALLS BUILDING PROJECT

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.” Luke 4:18-19

CONTENTS

Contents

Introduction ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 1
Vision______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2
Understanding our Motivation __________________________________________________________________________ 3
Design and Finance. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 8
Timescale and Proposal_________________________________________________________________________________10

BUILDING TO BLESS

Introduction

Christ Church is a large, busy, vibrant and growing church in the heart of Beckenham. It is well known
for its long standing commitment to young people (it’s Youth Club has been going for over 70yrs); it is
well known for its twice monthly community lunches; elderly persons’ chair based exercise class; its
Baby and Toddler Groups which serve over 70 children and their families every week, and it has fully
subscribed Beaver and Cub Scout packs. Alongside these community provisions there are a large
number of weekly faith based activities for church members as well as a significant weekly use of the
halls by non-church organisations and small businesses. Beckenham Historical Society, 3 Weight
Watchers sessions, 11 Pilates classes, Educational coaching for children and young people, the South
East London Orchestra, various choirs and a hearing aid aftercare clinic.
While much is already being accomplished within our existing halls complex Christ Church is limited in
who it can help and what it can offer the community by the condition, facilities and design of our current
buildings.
Christ Church understands its role in Beckenham needs to be one which brings greater possibilities,
opportunities, encouragement, practical help, friendship and meaning to the lives of those in the
community. As Christians we take our lead from the example of Jesus Christ found on the cover of this
report:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.” Luke 4:18-19
It is the desire of the congregation at Christ Church Beckenham that we should help the poor, the
captive, the blind and the oppressed; conditions that will be expanded upon later in this report.
In essence we want to bring a greater blessing to the people of Beckenham regardless of whether they
are members of Christ Church or even the Christian faith. We want this scheme to be a

BUILDING TO BLESS BECKENHAM

Revd. Rob Hinton
Vicar of Christ Church Beckenham
April 25th 2018

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BUILDING TO BLESS

Vision

In 2017 Christ Church was set a Vision for the redevelopment of part of our church halls complex in
order that we might play a greater part in improving the lives of the people in the Beckenham
community, regardless of their faith or affiliation. While buildings do not in themselves add much to a
person’s condition they can, if planned with purpose and passion, allow for far greater opportunity and
impact at many levels of our community life.

The Vision presented has been discussed both by the wider church membership and then distilled
through more focused gatherings until a smaller project group took responsibility for producing the
final proposal. While there is still much to be done to reach a detailed and definitive result the Vision can
be understood under the following motivations, provisions and activities:

Motivations

 To create more and better opportunities to express the mission of God in Beckenham
 To provide a venue with facilities fully accessible to all members of society
 To address the chronic need for friendship and support of the lonely and isolated
 To engaging fully with the weekend night-time economy in a way that offers an appropriate but

alternative experience on the High Street
 To present an open and attractive ‘face’ to Beckenham High Street which complements and

adds to the extensive investment already made by Bromley Borough Council
 To offer training and support of refugees and asylum seekers leading to sustainable

opportunities
 To address the problems of a decaying building which is no longer fit for purpose

Provisions/Activities

 Larger capacity community hall on Beckenham High Street
 Large commercial grade kitchen to the lower halls complex
 Fully accessible building including facilities and levels.
 Evening live music venue Friday/Saturday – taking the form of a high quality coffee nightclub
 Accredited Barista training programme for refugees and asylum seekers
 Twice weekly community lunches
 Carpet bowls
 Community Steel band
 Addiction Recovery Course
 Establishing a new lower halls complex with an entrance onto Beckenham High Street while

maintaining the historically significant upper/Main Halls.
 Provide small high quality meeting spaces and conference facilities for local organisations,

businesses and community groups.

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Understanding our Motivation

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

As already stated above Christ Church recognises its Christian role in the community as being one that
seeks to help the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. Within the context of our proposed
scheme we understand these terms to cover the whole spectrum of society and its complex needs, and
while we cannot meet all, we hope to be able to help with some.

Loneliness

We recongnise that loneliness is a growing, yet hidden, problem in our society as highlighted by the Jo
Cox Campaign:

 A study by The Co-op and the British Red Cross reveals over 9 million people in the UK across
all adult ages – more than the population of London – are either always or often lonely.

 Research commissioned by Eden Project initiative The Big Lunch found that disconnected
communities could be costing the UK economy £32 billion every year.

 A survey by Action for Children found that 43% of 17 – 25 year olds who 9 million people in the
used their service had experienced problems with loneliness, and that of UK across all adult ages
this same group less than half said they felt loved. are either always or

 Action for Children have also reported 24% of parents surveyed said they often lonely

were always or often lonely.

 Research by Sense has shown that up to 50% of disabled people will be lonely on any given day.

 Research conducted by The Forum which examined loneliness amongst refugees and migrants
in London found 58% of those surveyed described loneliness and isolation as their biggest
challenge.

 A report by Carers UK revealed that 8 out of 10 carers have felt lonely or isolated as a result of
looking after a loved one.

 A report by the Alzheimer’s Society found a third of people with dementia said they lost friends
following a diagnosis. Almost 1 in 10 only leave the house once a month.

 Analysis by Age UK shows 3.6 million people aged 65 and over agree that the television is their
main form of company.

 Polling conducted by Independent Age found more than 1 in 3 people aged 75 and over say that
feelings of loneliness are out of their control.

We believe that faith groups across the country are well placed and resourced to do much to help those
who are ‘imprisoned’ at home as a result of age, mental health, financial poverty, bereavement or even
retirement.

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At Christ Church we have made some attempts to help those who live isolated and vulnerable lives but
we know that much more
could be done with better
more capable premises. We
want to provide people with
a regular and more frequent
place of friendship, support
and care. That means aiming
to provide community
lunches twice a week, carpet
bowls, Steel Band classes for

the elderly. All in full view of the High Street through a clear glazed façade.

Night-time Economy

Christ Church members were foundational in the setting up of Beckenham Street Pastors, a national
initiative operating at a local level to provide support for those who work and play in the nighttime
street economy of our towns and cities. Christ Church is the operational base for Beckenham’s team of
volunteer Street Pastors and therefore we are very aware of the needs of those who become distressed
or disorientated as a result of their night out. We are also aware that when the High Street is alive with
people on a Friday and Saturday evening the church is not.

Christ Church is not opposed to the current nighttime offer in when the High Street is alive with
Beckenham and would not want its proposal to be understood people on a Friday and Saturday
as being in opposition to or competition with the bars and evening the church is not
clubs. We seek to take our responsibility seriously and increase
our presence on the High Street with regard those who are
either in need of comfort and safety in the evenings. We are
concerned about the UK drinking culture and its effects on
society as a whole.

“Every day in thousands of households across the UK, people are struggling with a real drink problem. 10.8
million adults are drinking at a level likely to pose a risk to their health and of those, 1.6 million have some
level of alcohol dependency. Harmful drinking costs society 21 billion Pounds. * (Public Health England source)

According to Alcoholics Anonymous, people turning up for their first meeting are not sleeping on park
benches, are not homeless, are usually employed. Outwardly they appear to have normal lives. Many of them
appear to be very successful with good jobs and a family and a mortgage. They get up, they go to work, they
come home and they drink.

Sometimes they drink at work, at lunchtimes perhaps, or maybe they have begun to hide their drinking from
their colleagues and their families. They may have become aware themselves that it might be a bit of a
problem. Mostly they don't think it's a problem at all. They dismiss criticism of their behaviour, they may not
be truthful about their levels of alcohol consumption. A lot of them feel unwell a lot of the time, a constant
low hum of a hangover that gets louder now and again when they have really hit the bottle. They don't know

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what will happen when they pick up a drink. Sometimes they can control it, sometimes they can't. For some, it
has already passed way beyond any form of control.” Alcoholics Anonymous.

We recognize that making an alternative offer will not be simple but we believe that we have put
together a scheme that is both appealing to the wider community, offers something missing from the
current nighttime leisure scene and provides the opportunity for refuge from the bars and clubs.

Within this scheme we want to offer a live music venue which will host Christian musicians from across
the London and South East church network. We aim to provide space and opportunity for young
aspiring Christian bands and musicians, long established and well known Christian artists playing music
across cultural divides. This would not be a stage for traditional church music but rather something of
cultural relevance to those out in Beckenham on a Friday and Saturday evening.

The venue would incorporate high quality barista coffee sales of the nature of Cafe Nero or the better

independents such as Monmouth Coffee. It is worth noting that

none of Beckenham’s coffee shops are open in the evening. The At the very core of this key aspect of the
venue would not serve alcohol or permit it to be brought in. We

are aware that we would need to employ door staff. Building to Bless vision is the story of

At the very core of this key aspect of the Building to Bless vision Nichodemus

is the story of Nichodemus, the Jewish leader who came seeking

Jesus in the night in John chapter 3. On the whole when people are out on the town the church is at

home in bed! The live music venue would be called Nic’s Place and on each table there would be the

story of Nic – who came to find the answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” We would

hope that members of the congregation would be regular patrons of Nic’s Place and we would offer

training in listening and talking to people who wanted to know more about Nic’s question and

experience.

Some may feel this to be an unrealistic evangelistic venture with huge financial risk and we feel that
sense of risk, but we believe that the church has to take a greater role in what happens in Beckenham in
the evening and look at the experiences and successes of others who have ministered in this kind of
place. We aim to carry out as much research as possible and produce a solid business case – the hope is
that this aspect of the B2B vision will be self-financing, however, as long as it remains explicitly
missional, I believe that it is a ministry worth supporting. We ask little in terms of sustainability when
we fund the work of our mission partners – only that they are doing the Lord’s work in a tough social,
religious or financial environment.

[picture as an example]

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Knock-on work with Refugees / Asylum Seekers / Ex-offenders

Being located in a middle class commuter town, Christ Church does not come face to face with issues of
poverty in the same way as neighbouring churches do. However we would be both naïve and dishonest if
we failed to see material needs in those in and around our community. Attached to the various initiatives
connected with this proposal are the opportunities for training and employing those in greatest need
but with little support.

The proposals in this scheme would require a part time catering manager, a venue manager, reception

staff, door staff and cleaners. These would need to be wholly funded by the activities they are involved

in. However, of greater interest to the core vision of the scheme would be the barista bar at the nighttime

venue. The intention is for this to be a training opportunity for refugees,

asylum seekers and ex-offenders. Each would receive a three month

period of training and employment with the hope that an agreement a training opportunity for
could be made with the three national coffee chains represented on the refugees, asylum seekers and ex-
High Street whereby, at the end of their three months at Christ Church, offenders.
each person would then receive a further 2 weeks work experience with

a major brand, thus providing them with a respectable CV with which to

find permanent work.

We believe that it is part of the Church’s duty to help those who cannot enter society without help,
guidance and backing. We recognize that refugees find it hard to establish themselves and their families
and so we would look to engage with Bromley Borough Council, The Office of The London Mayor, the
national Government’s “Community Sponsorship” programme for refugee sponsorship, Hope for Justice,
and the Church Urban Fund-Places of Welcome scheme, in order to achieve our aims.

There is also the opportunity for short term mission work for our own young adults amongst those
receiving training with us. It is great that our young people are encouraged to experience mission
opportunities abroad but there is a real need for the missionaries of tomorrow to understand and
engage with the needs present in the UK as well.

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CONDITION OF CURRENT BUILDINGS

The condition of the lower hall and link buildings is of great concern to the Church Council and the users
of the Lea Wilson Hall (lower hall) and associated link buildings. Make no mistake, their condition is
extremely poor and in need of very great expenditure.

There are no disabled facilities within the whole halls complex, nor is there step free access between any
of the rooms. It is of critical importance that this long outstanding failing is addressed. Very recently the
fire alarm was triggered in the halls and evacuation was a stressful and painful experience for many
elderly folk at the Community lunch who’s only avenue of escape was up steps. Likewise there are many
who simply cannot go to the bathroom because we neither have disabled facilities nor do we have step
free access to regular toilets.

The material condition of the fabric of the Lea Wilson hall is literally crumbling

the Lea Wilson hall is away. Much of the stone work is degrading at an alarming rate and the
literally crumbling away brickwork likewise. Repair would require the services of stonemasons as well
as general builders, new leaded windows would need to be manufactured and

the heating system would require renewal. There is persistent damp ingress in

many parts of the building which has proved impossible to eradicate by repair

alone and would require significant “dig-down” and new DPC treatment. The thermal efficiency of the

building is very poor and therefore it is expensive to run and environmentally costly. The present felt

roof was installed many years ago as a temporary measure and while it is currently water tight it is

showing signs of significant wear and it must be expected that failure cannot be many years off. It is

unlikely that the council would allow us to re-roof the existing building in anything other than slate – at

massive cost.

To repair the problems alone would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and still it would not address
the deficiencies of accessibility, capacity, suitability or community engagement.

Even if repair and refurbishment was economically viable it

would still not address the one of the most significant challenges the Lea Wilson Hall presents
presented by the current building. As it stands, the Lea Wilson Christ Church as a ‘closed
Hall presents Christ Church as a ‘closed and dead’ building. The and dead’ building
gable end on the High Street is bleak, stained with pollution, over-

facing and impenetrable. This is contradictory to the whole ethos

and vision for Christ Church going forward, and while the

church’s presence on the High Street should never be measured in terms of the buildings, it is quite

certain that our aim to bless Beckenham will be handicapped if we do not make dramatic changes to our

most prominent and public face, after the church building itself.

While we are open to the suggestion of architects regarding the usefulness of the current building we
neither expect nor believe its retention to be the best use of our funds or the best way of delivering the
mission as set out in this paper.

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Design and Finance.

DESIGN

It may seem strange to produce such a large amount of documentation without supplying even the most
rudimentary sketches of what the finished scheme may look like. It may seem even more obtuse to not
talk about costs; however, this is intentional. From the first moment that the vision was laid before the
congregation in April 2017 the focus of the project was on the works of mission and ministry to be done
within the new building not its form. It is the vision which we are funding not the shape or design.

There are currently two elements of design being considered:

1. The Lower Halls complex: including the Lea Wilson Hall, LW Room, lower Fairfield Road
entrance and corridor, finance and store rooms, stairs, toilets, Pink Room and landing, and
addressing floor levels, lifts and kitchens.

2. The open area between the Main Hall and the Jubilee Hall: creating a new covered entrance,
gathering and meeting area.

While these two elements articulate our aspirations for the whole site, the project group think it is
financially more realistic to focus on the first rather than the second.

As a Church we have to join with Christ in his commitment to free all those he seeks to liberate. It is
unlikely, if we had been asked to design his mission to humanity, we would have designed his earthly
journey as he did, (coming in weakness to the undeserving and untouchable, at such a sacrificial cost,)
but now we know what his earthly ministry was, we can see the wisdom in the shape of his incarnation,
life of sacrifice, crucifixion and resurrection. The design of our building will therefore be led by the
activities and outreach we are called to deliver – activities that Jesus would be involved in.

FINANCE

Therefore while it is not intended, at this stage, to provide a costing for this project it is prudent to talk
about what funds we might be able to raise. Funding for this work will be a combination of our
significant reserves, congregational giving, and outside grants and partnerships.

This will be an exercise of faith and sacrifice for the whole church and that is why we must be committed
to the work before we fall in love with a building.

The PCC has current unallocated reserves totaling over £1,000,000. At we must be committed to the
the February meeting it was asked how much of that it would be willing work before we fall in love
to commit to this project, (subject to the design and business case.) with a building

Its response was amazingly generous and beyond my expectation -
£900,000.

From the outset I believed that a total figure of £1.8m should be possible and the commitment of the
PCC served to confirm that belief. Remember this is not a cost projection but a belief in what is possible

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for us to raise. There is no point in proposing a building that we have no hope of financing. Far better to
cut our coat to match our cloth.
With money already offered by the PCC, and allowing for GiftAid, the average pledge would be £900 per
year over the next three years by each member of the Electoral Roll. Obviously for some this is beyond
what is possible whereas for others it is only a percentage of what is possible. Likewise there regular
members of the church who are not on the electoral roll and some who are on it but who’s membership
is tenuous.
You will see from the proposal document, found later in this report, that the progress of this vision is
dependent on several stages being met.
Firstly: The PCC were given the chance to discuss and explore the document that makes up the body of
this report. Their response was the commitment of £900,000 from our reserves.
Secondly: The Building to Bless Beckenham proposal is being presented to the Church at the 2018
APCM. You are being asked if you believe that it is right for us to progress to a design stage. – This will
cost money and that is why we need to know your view. (There is £25,000 already set aside for this
purpose from previous schemes.)
Thirdly: Church members will be asked to consider how much they are willing to pledge to this proposal
so that we can get a good indication of whether or not this is economically viable.
Fourthly: In October we will present plans, graphics, business models and costs both to the PCC and the
congregation and ask for your views and your concrete financial commitments.
Only after all these stages have been completed will the PCC have the information needed to vote on the
scheme.

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Timescale and Proposal

TIMESCALE

February 2018

1. By the February 2018 PCC meeting, the council will have had the opportunity to review all the
documentation relating to the Building to Bless vision. At that meeting they will be invited to
ask questions and commit to a level of financial support out of our reserves, currently estimated
at £1,000,030.00.

2. If the PCC agree to the project’s mission and ministry goals and aspirations, commit a realistic
sum of money, then the same information, backed up by the commitment of the PCC, will be
given to the wider congregation in plenty of time for the APCM on 25th April 2018. At this
meeting the congregation will be asked to vote to go forward.

3. If the APCM endorses the proposal as put forward and the decision made by the PCC in
February:

a. The project group will begin discussions with the local planning authority and
architects using funds already designated for this purpose.

b. The Congregation will be asked to pray and pledge.
c. All pledges will be received by the end of October by which time we hope preliminary

plans will have become available for review by the PCC and the congregation.

If the PCC or the APCM rejects the vision then no further work on the scheme will be undertaken and no
costs will have been incurred. It will then fall to the buildings committee of the PCC to commence a full
and detailed review of repair, refurbishment and accessibility needs across our halls complex.

PROPOSAL

The PCC have £900,000 in its reserves that it is willing to commit to these works subject to the
viability of the scheme being proved in the design phrase.

Proposed: Rev. Rob Hinton – Vicar and Chair of the PCC Seconded: Vivienne Bowman – Church
Warden

The Proposal was passed unanimously at the PCC meeting on February 24th 2018.

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