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Save St John's Church
IDEAS & FUNDING WHEN WE GET ST JOHN'S RE-OPENED WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT? AND HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT? Our critics say that we have not thought about these things. On the contrary we have put a lot of thought into sustainability and use. St John's Parish is the largest parish in Dudley, and contains one of the wealthiest areas in Dudley, Oakham, and one of the poorest, Kates Hill. This makes it a strange hybrid of a parish but opens up lots of opportunities for funding and different activities. We do not for one moment expect to keep St John's open simply for two hours worship on a Sunday. Nor do we expect a small congregation to pay for it. On the contrary,we have lots of ideas to raise money and we want to turn the clock back to when St John's really was the hub of the community, and in fact even improve on what went before. We have looked at other churches which have been changed to allow for worship and community use and we continue with this research. There is still a lot to learn from other churches where imagination and creativity have created some wonderful places, without destroying the fundamental historic nature of the building. We certainly haven’t had time to visit them all yet and we still welcome suggestions of churches we should visit.LOGISTICS A few rows of pews may have to be taken out at the back to create a larger community space at the rear, particularly for cafe, gift shop, Fairtrade stall and meeting/classroom area. Partition wall to separate the main part of the church from the community area at the rear. This means the church will be available for private prayer and meditation even if community activities are taking place. (St Leonard’s, Bilston, St Anne’s, Bewdley) Make the remaining pews moveable (Worcester Cathedral, the pews are on carpet strips and can be moved to different angles or even removed). There would be no difference in the appearance of the pews but the floor would have to be made smoother. This can be done by matching to existing flooring as far as possible. Create toilets and kitchen area. There is are blocked up doorways which can be looked at with a view to being re-opened to create different access to the community area should there be a church event eg a wedding taking place. Upstairs some adaptation possibly to take place – we need to survey this area and have it tested for strength. There is a large unused space underneath the floor at St John’s and we would like to explore bringing this into use as a room and installing proper access. Our sister church St James has a vault area which is used for events. Please bear in mind that we have not been allowed access to the building so these proposals can only be in general terms at present. SOME OF THE IDEAS WHICH HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR ST JOHN’S CHURCH AS A COMBINED RELIGIOUS/COMMUNITY FACILITY General Ideas to keep people visiting the church on a regular basis Post Office Credit Union Library/Book Club Cafe Gift Shop (including St John’s memorabilia, publications and mementoes) Local History Displays particularly of local heroes and characters Family research information available on disc Internet access CLUBS AND GROUPSSenior Choir Junior Choir Bingo club (no money prizes, as per St Leonard’s, Bilston) Support groups for other charities, McMillan, Air Ambulance, RNLI etc Cycling – children, adults and seniors Running – children, adults and seniors Yoga – children, adults and seniors Cancer Club Quit Smoking Alcoholics Anonymous Weightwatchers Exercise class Party Plan venue Flower arranging Birdwatching Tree Club Football team COMMUNITY ACTIVITIESLitter picks Church springcleans and maintenance Flowers in the church Volunteer work with church and church based groups TOURISMGuides to be hand for both the historic church and the grounds which are a goldmine of local history Information areas to be set up for key local figures – William Perry, Mary Ann Mason, James Whale, Percy Shakespeare, William Masefield, Julia Hanson, Marion Richardson Be part of Dudley Tourist Trail SCHOOLS AND TRIPSAn ideal venue for trips with interesting local and national history followed by refreshments Hotbed of curriculum possibilities for school and college trips YOUNG PEOPLE Tiny Tots (as used to run before) Links with local schools and colleges (Young Supporters 6-17 years, already set up) Young Supporters Club Young Christians EDUCATIONSinging lessons Guitar, piano, keyboard and organ lessons Family History Research Local History Architecture DRAMA, ART, MUSICDrama groups for children and adults Mary Ann Mason story Tipton Slasher story Julia Hanson – showing what women could do even in the Victorian era Marion Richardson St John’s through the ages – Victorian onwards including both World Wars, plus others including Crimean. Poverty, changes in society 50’s onwards. Sing a longs – Beatles, Abba, Sound of Music, Grease, Queen, War Songs, Rat Pack, Elvis Story telling (for adults and children) Musical Activity Classes (for the very young) – JoJingles Art classes and art exhibitions Photography and photography competition Create our own band Reading group Poetry and creative writing Comedy Club EVENTS AND SHOWSRemembrance Day St Georges Day Anniversaries relating to famous people buried at St John’s – William Perry, Mary Ann Mason, Marion Richardson Fun Anniversary events eg First recorded sighting Lochness Monster, 21 years since Dirty Dancing, many more ideas on history websites Victorian Days (link with Black Country Museum) and sister church Dudley Church Trail (Top Church, St James, sister church, Historic St Edmunds) Kates Hill Run Dudley Castle v. St John’s – annual event from the two hilltops Tipton Slasher re-enactments (to take place in Tipton) James Whale film showings Speed Dating by Candlelight (as done in Coventry Cathedral) Abseiling down the tower (as done at St Leonards, Bridgnorth) Wedding Show – what better place to show off wedding dresses! ‘An Evening With ‘ – celebrities national and local Spiritual Awareness Fayre Valuation Days Auctions Re-unions – such as all the couples who got married at SJC in a certain year eg the 150th anniversary 1990 Concerts and shows Exhibitions SOCIAL NEEDSDomestic Abuse – support group Health talks – varicose veins, arthritis, asthma, menopause etc etc RELIGIOUSDifferent styles of service to suit different worship styles Services at time other than Sundays Prayer Groups Link with other groups eg Hope08, The Net Back to Church Sunday – National Church of England initiative Local gospel groups Bring on our own readers to support the local ministry Healing Service (as per Top Church, Rev Tony Attwood) 12th Night after Christmas feast Dudley Inter Faith Group Knowledge of other Faiths Alpha Course Christian discussion groups Churches Together in Dudley – create support network History of Hymns Lance Pierson ‘Bringing the Bible to Life’ Visiting charismatic preachers INSIDE THE CHURCHBe able to go in for private prayer Be able to light candles for loved ones Be able to leave prayer requests and requests to be visited Be able to talk to someone about what it means to be a Christian and what is involved with coming to church Noticeboard with how to contact Vicar re weddings etc. Flower festivals Carol concert TRAINING AND ADVICE AVAILABLE‘Leading Your Church Into Growth’ – Charitable Training Organisation Training in Coffee Shop Facilitation – Mission Department, Diocese of Worcester Diocese of Worcester Association of Readers Child Protection Training – Diocese of Worcester Child Protection Training Team The Department for Children, Youth and Education – Diocese of Worcester Media Training – Communications Officer, Diocese of Worcester Maintenance and Care of Church Buildings – Diocese of Worcester CAWS (Church Action within Society) – Knowing your place (explore locality and community), Teenage Pregnancy, Criminal Justice, Racial Justice, Domestic Abuse Teardrop Fund research’ Churchgoing in the UK’ BTCV, training division Age Concern Dudley DCVS, Dudley Churchcare website OTHER OPPORTUNITIESGovernment wish children to take part in cultural activities Government initiatives to improve race relations Links with other local fundraisers, Rotary, Masons, Soroptimists, TW Guild, TA,Lions etc. OTHER CONSIDERATIONSEnergy efficiency (enquiries already made about woodburner) Disabled access (lift may be needed) Deaf Loop Music licences
FUNDING We estimate that it will cost around £750,000 to fully restore, modernise and re-open St John’s Church and then around £1000 per week to keep it open. These figures are achievable with a combination of funding bids, local fundraising, private donations, legacies and most importantly bringing the church back into use so that it can make money through activities. Our plan is that St John’s Church Preservation Group will eventually become a Charitable Building Trust which is the most tax efficient way of handling income and is a requirement of some of the funding bodies. For the restoration of the building funding application targets will depend on whether or not we obtain listed status. We have been obstructed in our application for listing by the refusal to allow us to photograph and inspect the inside of the church or to give access to any parish records. However, we believe that with help from goodhearted people who have provided photographs, and information we have put together from other sources, we have made a reasonable attempt to persuade English Heritage to recommend the building for listed status to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The final decision rests with the Minister the Rt Hon Margaret Hodge. Top Church, St Edmunds and St James are all listed. Therefore we believe that St John’s should also be listed. To obtain funding from English Heritage requires grade 2* listing or above and we are not likely to achieve that grade. There are many different funds apart from English Heritage to look at depending on whether or not we obtain listed status. There are too many funds for us to be able to list them all here. We don’t pretend it will be easy to get the money together, listed or unlisted, but we do know that there are many funds we can apply to, both here and abroad. Of course there is no point applying for any funding yet – we are not allowed access to the building, there is no schedule of works and we have not been given permission to carry out the restoration. But we are ready for when those things happen.
And of course, you never know, the Church of England might chip in some money towards restoring what is after all a building under their custodianship, however much they may have neglected it. Having caused these problems by ‘lack of routine maintenance’ (source, English Heritage), and putting the wrong roof on (source, English Heritage, roof tiles 30-50% too heavy) there is a strong argument that they should help to put it right. For examples of UK funds we can look at go to: Funds for Historic Buildings
Heritage Funding Directory
Grants : Research & Conservation : English Heritage
Grants : Research & Conservation : English Heritage
About The NHMF - National Heritage Memorial Fund
Funding sources for Church restoration
FUNDING SOURCES FOR CHURCH RESTORATION
National Churches Trust. Welcome.
EPS, A Better View, Property Consultancy Services, UK
There are many more. These sites are a straight lift from a publically accessible source, there are other ways of seeking funding through official bodies who have even more information.
WE WELCOME YOUR FURTHER CHURCH USE IDEAS AND FUNDING IDEAS. THIS PAGE IS UPDATED REGULARLY AS NEW INFORMATION AND IDEAS ARRIVE. |