I noticed on the way home yesterday that the John Street and Oak Street breeze block elevations are finished. The arch window in the upstairs room will need to go in before that part can be completed - at the minute this void is being used as an access point to upstairs for things like timber, plaster board, piping etc. and to remove excess breeze block and offcuts of timber framing.
Work has commences on the frame work in the main hall area as well.
Its all go go go
CB
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Monday, 30 March 2009
Dont sit at bus stops
Apparently there was someone sitting under the shelter when it was struck by a lorry. She walked away from it with cuts and shock !!
The scaffolding at the back of the building has been removed now to facilitate access to the ground works for installation of the utilities during Easter week. As this is only single height there is no need for the scaffolding to remain.
The windows and doors should be on site next week and should be in place fairly quickly. Once these are in place the mechanical installation will take place. The Mechanical installation is basically the central heating, gas supply etc.
The electrician continues to weave cables through the site which must be an epic task. He is fitting all the fire alarms too.
The floor screeding is another task which needs to be completed. I would imagine this will take place shortly but it will take 3 or 4 days to dry which will mean no access. I suspect this will need to be done over a weekend to limit down time on site.
It seems like a lot of work but there are quite a few lads on site now and Duncan as usual is cool and collected about the whole thing.
CB
The scaffolding at the back of the building has been removed now to facilitate access to the ground works for installation of the utilities during Easter week. As this is only single height there is no need for the scaffolding to remain.
The windows and doors should be on site next week and should be in place fairly quickly. Once these are in place the mechanical installation will take place. The Mechanical installation is basically the central heating, gas supply etc.
The electrician continues to weave cables through the site which must be an epic task. He is fitting all the fire alarms too.
The floor screeding is another task which needs to be completed. I would imagine this will take place shortly but it will take 3 or 4 days to dry which will mean no access. I suspect this will need to be done over a weekend to limit down time on site.
It seems like a lot of work but there are quite a few lads on site now and Duncan as usual is cool and collected about the whole thing.
CB
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Drama in't Village
It would appear that the bus shelter which is on the pavement has been demolished today by a truck ! My roving reporter Flick sent this image from the crime scene !
Thankfully the bus stop is slightly further South East (up the road) than the building so it hasn't been damaged - I bet it went with a bang however !
CB
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Clarity
Throughout the project we have had to face shifting goal posts. I guess that is probably normal but to the uninitiated its quite alarming when you think you have a plan and things suddenly change. The land for example - we thought that the plan was in place but the land had other ideas - same with the stopping up order for the back alley which we now think is resolved and the issue with the stopping up order for the drain, the laborious process of getting the mortgage, legal paperwork, dates of trustees from the past, changing the direction of the baptistery to fit in with piling, delays because of the coldest winter for decades. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said that something new has cropped up every week and dutifully my brilliant colleagues on the building team have risen to the challenge and I want to publicly thank them for their efforts
Of course all of this is behind us but doubtless there will be other issues before the team can take a sabbatical in the Bahamas (please God if you are reading this!)
There is a bit more clarity coming through now and a less fuzzy timeline is coming into view.
On 19th April we have our church visit to site. This is important because we have a full leaders meeting the next week along with what may well be a penultimate site meeting with architect and builders on the 20th April at which time I have requested a final bill to be presented. This will enable the leaders to decide what to do with any surplus - we still have a kitchen and floor covering to find and a decorating budget but I'm sure we will get there.
The AGM on the 28th by which time everyone will have seen the building, the leaders will be in a position to close expenditure and we can make plans to finish our bits in the building before we open. At this point that date is dependent on the builders and others finishing their work.
CB
Of course all of this is behind us but doubtless there will be other issues before the team can take a sabbatical in the Bahamas (please God if you are reading this!)
There is a bit more clarity coming through now and a less fuzzy timeline is coming into view.
On 19th April we have our church visit to site. This is important because we have a full leaders meeting the next week along with what may well be a penultimate site meeting with architect and builders on the 20th April at which time I have requested a final bill to be presented. This will enable the leaders to decide what to do with any surplus - we still have a kitchen and floor covering to find and a decorating budget but I'm sure we will get there.
The AGM on the 28th by which time everyone will have seen the building, the leaders will be in a position to close expenditure and we can make plans to finish our bits in the building before we open. At this point that date is dependent on the builders and others finishing their work.
CB
Friday, 20 March 2009
God
You know how it is when you view a house you either take to it or you don't - it feels like home or it doesn't. Twice the team have been in the building and twice its felt like home. I'm sure when you come into the building you will feel the same, you will want to kick your shoes off and put your slippers on. It has that sort of feel. And to me thats the magic about what we are building its our home its where we belong. isn't that what being in a church is all about ? Being at home in a place where you are free to show your strengths and weaknesses and be accepted for them ? God loves you just the way you are (even the dodgy bits) and you are at home in his house - even if you aren't perfect !
Welcome home mat anyone (duck!)
CB
Welcome home mat anyone (duck!)
CB
On Site On Side
Another good meeting on site today, the electrical installation is looking good although naturally the complexity of this particular task requires the odd minor adjustment along the way but the bulk of the cable is in now.
The scale of the building is the thing that really impresses people when they go into the building compared to what we have been used to the new main hall is massive. The electrical supply and the gas will be online the week after Easter and we anticipate completion mid May although we will need to finish the internal decor, carpeting, kitchen and other works before we can open.
Finance is in place for the completion of the build although funds are limited for the final kitting out of the building - naturally we value your prayers and support on this matter because we want to be able to complete as much as we can before the building is open.
Hopefully soon we will be able to have a church visit to the site. Details to follow nearer the time.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
"When's the new church opening Chris?" (or Mike or Jim or John or Sue)
Like many I'm fielding questions from members of the public faces old and faces new about when the new building is opening. Yesterday I placed an order on behalf of the deacons for 170 new chairs for the building for delivery in May.
On Sunday we had NINETY people in church all told. And there were some regulars missing ! One of our deacons was actually forced to bring a chair in from the other room and sit by the entrance showing how full we actually were!
Have we ordered enough chairs I ask myself ?
Certainly in the opening weeks of the Church my gut feeling is we will fill it and the real work can commence. I'm in the process of collating expressions of interest from people in the congregation who want to work in new and existing ministries and there is very much a 'cradle to grave' spectrum of activities which will be taking place.
Praise God !
On Sunday we had NINETY people in church all told. And there were some regulars missing ! One of our deacons was actually forced to bring a chair in from the other room and sit by the entrance showing how full we actually were!
Have we ordered enough chairs I ask myself ?
Certainly in the opening weeks of the Church my gut feeling is we will fill it and the real work can commence. I'm in the process of collating expressions of interest from people in the congregation who want to work in new and existing ministries and there is very much a 'cradle to grave' spectrum of activities which will be taking place.
Praise God !
Bringing in our boys
We have a site meeting on Friday with the builders and we are drafting in two of our men - Gareth Walker and Dave Wilkin will be seconded to assess and finalise the electrical plan for the building - where the sockets go, how much umph the set up will have, where the switch box is going and all that sort of thing. By taking ownership of this part of the project we can determine the suitability of the installation for future development because we will all know how its wired up.
The roof is now 100% done and the facia boards yesterday received their first coat of varnish. Both John Street and Oak Street elevations are nearing completion of breeze block work ready for the windows to go in.
I will take some pictures on Friday and maybe put a slide show together for the blog.
CB
The roof is now 100% done and the facia boards yesterday received their first coat of varnish. Both John Street and Oak Street elevations are nearing completion of breeze block work ready for the windows to go in.
I will take some pictures on Friday and maybe put a slide show together for the blog.
CB
Saturday, 14 March 2009
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Friday, 13 March 2009
Building Update
The roof tiling should be finished today. The builders have worked really hard over the last two weeks to tile what is a very large area of roof as well as the tricky Apex. Internally the electrical installation is starting to take shape and the dividing walls are starting to be erected.
The bulk of the heavy work is now behind us and we are moving into the fitting out stage. I will have a clearer idea of how long it will be before we get the keys next Friday when the building team meet with the architect and the builder on site. I will also take some photos for the blog whilst we are there.
Anyone who is a parent will know that the final months of a pregnancy seem to drag on and on and to me this is where we are right now but it will all be worth it when the building comes to life and we can use it for its intended purpose.
A number of exciting opportunities are presenting themselves and people are starting now to come up with ministries that they would like to explore. Also a number of gifts have been offered to the church of which more later but God's hand is clearly present as we bring the project to its end.
CB
The bulk of the heavy work is now behind us and we are moving into the fitting out stage. I will have a clearer idea of how long it will be before we get the keys next Friday when the building team meet with the architect and the builder on site. I will also take some photos for the blog whilst we are there.
Anyone who is a parent will know that the final months of a pregnancy seem to drag on and on and to me this is where we are right now but it will all be worth it when the building comes to life and we can use it for its intended purpose.
A number of exciting opportunities are presenting themselves and people are starting now to come up with ministries that they would like to explore. Also a number of gifts have been offered to the church of which more later but God's hand is clearly present as we bring the project to its end.
CB
Friday, 6 March 2009
One good turn.....
I received a wonderful email this afternoon from one of the deacons at Bethesda Chapel in Blackburn. You may recall in an earlier post I was building a website for them.
I made it clear that this was a personal gift to the church and that I would pay for the domain hosting and so on.
The leaders have spoken and they now want to make a small gift to our building fund. Praise God.
These people know that God is using me in my church and want to give a gift to support that.
This project is packed full of stories, prophesies, hopes, dreams and miracles and mine is just one of a whole encyclopedia of minor victories which make the church what it is - a living example of God's love for us. Praise God !
I made it clear that this was a personal gift to the church and that I would pay for the domain hosting and so on.
The leaders have spoken and they now want to make a small gift to our building fund. Praise God.
These people know that God is using me in my church and want to give a gift to support that.
This project is packed full of stories, prophesies, hopes, dreams and miracles and mine is just one of a whole encyclopedia of minor victories which make the church what it is - a living example of God's love for us. Praise God !
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Roof-us Back-side (do you see what I did there ?)
For those of you scratching your heads and wondering if Ive lost the plot entirely I will elaborate on the title of this post.
Rufus Garside are our resident youth band - so I thought cunningly that I would call this post roofus backside :-)
You can tell the pressure of the building is doing strange things to my sense of humour
The image above shows the roof today. The rate they are going it will be finished by the weekend and then its on to the front.
CB
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Uuuugggghhhhhh SNOW !
I really don't like snow ! Yet again the weather has played up just when excellent progress was being made on the roof. Apparently this winter has been the coldest for a couple of decades which is no use to us.
Work on slating the roof as at last night had been progressing remarkably swiftly - the back is 75% complete which is far more than I had anticipated it being.
Feedback from a number of people new to the church has been very positive. God really is starting to plant people into the fold now. Mainly families. It was funny on Sunday seeing all of the children to perch themselves on the benches at the front of the church - they looked like sardines ! Allegedly I raised one of them to tears when I suggested someone would have to 'change the loo roll' in the new church. I hasten to add these were tears of laughter.
But on a serious note I have had a couple of expressions of interest in cleaning and I am going to start shortly to put together a team to manage this important area of church work.
Change is often extremely difficult to manage - we as a church are inevitably going to have to change but the response to changes proposed and implemented thus far have largely been positive. There is more change to come - there has to be. We are going to have a big responsibility on our hands with the new building and the new church. I have seen churches fail because they have failed to prepare and failed to manage change. Sometimes and new building and new people cause irreversible damage to the makeup of a church. With good communication between all in the church and good communication with our community we will not fail.
CB
Work on slating the roof as at last night had been progressing remarkably swiftly - the back is 75% complete which is far more than I had anticipated it being.
Feedback from a number of people new to the church has been very positive. God really is starting to plant people into the fold now. Mainly families. It was funny on Sunday seeing all of the children to perch themselves on the benches at the front of the church - they looked like sardines ! Allegedly I raised one of them to tears when I suggested someone would have to 'change the loo roll' in the new church. I hasten to add these were tears of laughter.
But on a serious note I have had a couple of expressions of interest in cleaning and I am going to start shortly to put together a team to manage this important area of church work.
Change is often extremely difficult to manage - we as a church are inevitably going to have to change but the response to changes proposed and implemented thus far have largely been positive. There is more change to come - there has to be. We are going to have a big responsibility on our hands with the new building and the new church. I have seen churches fail because they have failed to prepare and failed to manage change. Sometimes and new building and new people cause irreversible damage to the makeup of a church. With good communication between all in the church and good communication with our community we will not fail.
CB
Sunday, 1 March 2009
1093218
The Charity Commission website has now been update with our new details.
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/ContactAndTrustees.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1093218&SubsidiaryNumber=0
Over the next few weeks the process of completing the name change with the bank, solicitors and so on will take place.
CB
http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ShowCharity/RegisterOfCharities/ContactAndTrustees.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1093218&SubsidiaryNumber=0
Over the next few weeks the process of completing the name change with the bank, solicitors and so on will take place.
CB
Full House
The church was full this morning which was wonderful to see. The capacity of the existing place is really starting to become an issue now. The projector desk moved forwards again today to facilitate another 10 or so chairs behind us.
It was great to see some familiar faces from the churches past back with us.
I gave a presentation entitled 'Day One' the idea was that with our new name being formally approved yesterday today was day one for our new church. I encouraged people to get involved in church jobs and the response has been brilliant. People are really motivated and want to get involved.
Exciting times.
It was great to see some familiar faces from the churches past back with us.
I gave a presentation entitled 'Day One' the idea was that with our new name being formally approved yesterday today was day one for our new church. I encouraged people to get involved in church jobs and the response has been brilliant. People are really motivated and want to get involved.
Exciting times.
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