Stones Church is working on a mission project and to develop the building
We have two teams, one for Mission and one for the Church Development.
The Mission team have set up the monthly coffee mornings and two keep fit classes. There have been one off services for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, World Day of Prayer, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and an Eggstravaganza.
The Development Group have been working on the plans and costings and looking for grants.
We are grateful to those who are supporting either individually or as an organisation. To say thank you to all organisations who have supported us we have created a new page to tell you about them. Click here to find out more.
The Mission team have set up the monthly coffee mornings and two keep fit classes. There have been one off services for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, World Day of Prayer, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and an Eggstravaganza.
The Development Group have been working on the plans and costings and looking for grants.
We are grateful to those who are supporting either individually or as an organisation. To say thank you to all organisations who have supported us we have created a new page to tell you about them. Click here to find out more.
Development Update - September 2024
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It's been a very busy few weeks for everyone involved. Thanks to the Lloyd and Smith team for the progress both inside and outside the Stones building.
Since our last update, we've had a massive boost because The National Lottery Heritage Fund have granted up to £118,000 for solar panels, battery storage, secondary glazing and chairs. This is "amazing" and will allow us to complete everything we set out to do! So a massive thanks to them and their supporters for enabling us to finish the task.. Building works highlights: - the roof is 99% complete - the work to the walls inside is complete - the heating system has been installed - the solar panels are going up on the roof, a few more each day - the kitchen is being fitted - the chairs are chosen and ordered (Thanks to everyone involved in making the decision, good to have had a high level of feedback and choices expressed by the Stones congregation) - secondary glazing has been commissioned and install is awaited We are on track to reopen by December in time for a busy time of Advent and Christmas services - in line with deadlines set and agreed many months ago. Thanks to everyone who has helped in any way to ensure we have remained on schedule. Our priority, once the building works are completed, will be to engage further with the community and reenergise our outreach work. |
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The National Lottery Heritage Fund
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The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Stones Methodist Church Refurbishment Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to complete everything we set out to do with the Heritage Fund grant allowing us to install solar panels on the roof including battery storage, install secondary glazing in the church to make the building even more energy efficient and purchase new chairs. |
Development Update. June 2024
June has been another busy month for the Development Project. Here are the highlights:
Building Work:
Building Work:
- General Progress: 12 weeks of work completed with significant activity.
- Scaffolding: External scaffolding completed. High-level inspections revealed severe roof and chimney damage. The chimney was dismantled for safety due to its dangerous condition.
- North Gable: Coping stones removed for damp proof course preparation.
- Heating System: Old boilers and pipework removed.
- Material Removal: Scrap metal and pews sold.
- West Elevation: Damp proof course and repointing started.
- Interior Work: Scaffold erected inside the church; electrical and heating work commenced.
- Community Use: Great cooperation from the builders Lloyd and Smith allowed the Luncheon Club to meet and the church to serve as a Polling Station for the General Election on July 4th.
- Funding Submissions: Developing applications to the District Advance Fund and Benefact Trust for a Children and Young Families Lay Worker.
- Open Day: Planning an Open Day post-renovation to address community curiosity.
- Heritage Lottery Fund: Awarded over £100,000, allowing completion of the project, including green elements like secondary glazing, solar panels, and battery storage.
- Pledge Administration: Converting pledges into funds; showcasing funders' logos on the project website.
- Publicity: Featured in the Yorkshire Post and Halifax Courier, providing positive exposure and highlighting the church's beautiful setting. National Churches Trust issued a press release which brought a photographer from the Yorkshire Post to Stones. Dave was brave enough to go up onto the scaffold with the photographer and Bryan Smith but Sue bailed on rung 2 of the rather steep ladder! Click here to see the Halifax Courier article.
- Raise the Roof Appeal: Raised nearly £1,500, ongoing until August 31st.
- Sale of Pew and Scrap Metal: Generated £977. Thanks to all who assisted.
Photos. June 2024
Development Update. June 2024
Our church building project is progressing well. Five weeks into the 31-week contract, there's activity on all fronts:
Issues and Adjustments
Communication and Operations
Mission and Community
Future Plans
Gratitude
Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers as we navigate these exciting but challenging times.
- Scaffolding: Nearly complete.
- Internal Protection: Organ console, pipes, equipment, and furnishings protected.
- Pew Removal: Underway. Contact Treasurer David Normanton if you wish to buy a pew, which needs to be removed in the next few weeks.
- Heating System: Old heating pipework and equipment removal to start soon.
Issues and Adjustments
- Chimney Stack: Found to be in worse condition than expected and needs partial demolition.
- West Wall: Damp proof course installation has begun.
Communication and Operations
- Signage: Lloyd and Smith have put up signs indicating the church is open during the restoration.
- Services and Activities: Efforts are ongoing to keep services and community activities running smoothly, including recent use as a Polling Station.
Mission and Community
- Ongoing Activities: Friday Get Togethers, Luncheon Clubs, 'Open the Book' link with St John’s Junior School, ladies keep fit classes, and Guitar club continue to thrive.
- Book Club: New group with 10 members, meeting successfully.
- Paused Activity: Saturday Community Coffee mornings will resume after refurbishment.
Future Plans
- Family and Children's Worker: Mission team is working on job specifications and funding.
- Fundraising: Efforts to collect pledged funds and manage administrative tasks are ongoing.
Gratitude
Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers as we navigate these exciting but challenging times.
Annual General Meeting - Mission and Development Project
This is the second and hopefully last “project report” for an Annual General Meeting; that’s because we hope the project will be completed by the end of this year and then the project team will step back.
I could go into great detail about the project, but I think there are bigger things we should think about.
The Project
The project has had its ups and downs, mostly ‘ups’. Its amazing we raised around £580K in a relatively short time, and with a potential loan of around £30K we can afford to do all the “essential work” we set out to do. We’ve also made a good start on Mission and Development and this must become the most important legacy of the project.
• The fundraising stage is almost over.
• Re the building works it’s all about delivering to specification, time and budget, and hopefully we won’t get too many ‘surprises’ that affect costs or timescales.
• Re Mission and Development, after a great start (e.g. coffee mornings, keep fit, guitar club, bible study, book club), this will soon take on a new phase as I’ll describe below.It’s also essential I recognise the fantastic commitment and hard work that is being put in,almost “every day” in some cases to deliver the project. Without a few key people none of this would have happened. I also want to thank the Church Council and congregation for their overwhelming on-going support and to thank our ‘co-users’ for showing understanding during the disruption.
Bigger Things to Think About….(”It’s up to you”)
All projects come to an end. In six month’s time it won’t be any good if we have fixed the building ‘just for things stay the same’. We need more people to come to church (Mission) and we need more people to use the additional space (Mission and Development).
I was talking recently to one of the congregation who said they thought it was amazing that we’d got this far and that the project will help secure Stones future. I said “I’d need a rest after this”. He said “Yes, you’ve done your bit, it’s now up to the rest of the congregation to make sure we do our bit to make use of the building”. In a nutshell, that sums it up. The project ‘enables’ Stones future, but everyone needs to make it happen.
The project is already starting to ‘transition’ to business as usual. In particular, the Mission Work is starting to ‘coincide’ with the work of the property committee, particularly regarding the use of the extra usable ‘space’ created in the church and the need to look after other stakeholders (e.g. Hopscotch pre school, Miss Abbie’s school of dance, Baby and Toddlers). We need to increase dialogue to ensure things run smoothly, and property team members have been invited to project meetings so we all know what is going on to make sure we are ‘all singing from the same Hymn book’.
On the Mission side, the next phase is to focus on families and young people, ultimately to attract them into church. With this in mind a business case will be developed with the intention of attracting grant funding for a ‘person’ to be assigned to Stones for a period of time specifically to focus on this. But again, if this happens, we can’t just hope one person will make the difference it will need collective thinking and ‘actions’ to make this happen.
Lasting Legacy
The aim of the project has always been to help enable Stones to have a bright future and build on the fantastic work that is already in place. The goals of Mission and Development must go on once the “project” ends. Someone – possibly a new role – will need to report the on-going activities and goals regularly to Church Council (just like finance or property). It will also need a few people consciously and actively moving things forward with the backing of the whole church. So, this is what I hope you will think about. What can you do to help move things forward?
I could go into great detail about the project, but I think there are bigger things we should think about.
The Project
The project has had its ups and downs, mostly ‘ups’. Its amazing we raised around £580K in a relatively short time, and with a potential loan of around £30K we can afford to do all the “essential work” we set out to do. We’ve also made a good start on Mission and Development and this must become the most important legacy of the project.
• The fundraising stage is almost over.
• Re the building works it’s all about delivering to specification, time and budget, and hopefully we won’t get too many ‘surprises’ that affect costs or timescales.
• Re Mission and Development, after a great start (e.g. coffee mornings, keep fit, guitar club, bible study, book club), this will soon take on a new phase as I’ll describe below.It’s also essential I recognise the fantastic commitment and hard work that is being put in,almost “every day” in some cases to deliver the project. Without a few key people none of this would have happened. I also want to thank the Church Council and congregation for their overwhelming on-going support and to thank our ‘co-users’ for showing understanding during the disruption.
Bigger Things to Think About….(”It’s up to you”)
All projects come to an end. In six month’s time it won’t be any good if we have fixed the building ‘just for things stay the same’. We need more people to come to church (Mission) and we need more people to use the additional space (Mission and Development).
I was talking recently to one of the congregation who said they thought it was amazing that we’d got this far and that the project will help secure Stones future. I said “I’d need a rest after this”. He said “Yes, you’ve done your bit, it’s now up to the rest of the congregation to make sure we do our bit to make use of the building”. In a nutshell, that sums it up. The project ‘enables’ Stones future, but everyone needs to make it happen.
The project is already starting to ‘transition’ to business as usual. In particular, the Mission Work is starting to ‘coincide’ with the work of the property committee, particularly regarding the use of the extra usable ‘space’ created in the church and the need to look after other stakeholders (e.g. Hopscotch pre school, Miss Abbie’s school of dance, Baby and Toddlers). We need to increase dialogue to ensure things run smoothly, and property team members have been invited to project meetings so we all know what is going on to make sure we are ‘all singing from the same Hymn book’.
On the Mission side, the next phase is to focus on families and young people, ultimately to attract them into church. With this in mind a business case will be developed with the intention of attracting grant funding for a ‘person’ to be assigned to Stones for a period of time specifically to focus on this. But again, if this happens, we can’t just hope one person will make the difference it will need collective thinking and ‘actions’ to make this happen.
Lasting Legacy
The aim of the project has always been to help enable Stones to have a bright future and build on the fantastic work that is already in place. The goals of Mission and Development must go on once the “project” ends. Someone – possibly a new role – will need to report the on-going activities and goals regularly to Church Council (just like finance or property). It will also need a few people consciously and actively moving things forward with the backing of the whole church. So, this is what I hope you will think about. What can you do to help move things forward?
Development Update. March 2024
A Quick Update from Our Busy Team!
Mission:
Looking ahead, we plan to focus on engaging young families in 2025 and are seeking funding for a leader to guide this mission.
Building:
Funding:
Thank you to everyone at Stones. Here’s to a bright future!
Mission:
- Keep Fit Sessions: Running successfully with great attendance.
- Social Evening: Planned for early May.
- Coffee Mornings: Well-attended, offering a great chance to chat over coffee and cakes.
- Friday Get Togethers: Popular for informative talks and afternoon tea.
- Luncheon Club: Thriving and well-supported, especially for those who have difficulty getting out.
- Guitar Club: Meets twice a month, now with 8 members ranging from beginners to skilled players.
- Book Club: Started this week with 10 members, a mix of congregation and community.
Looking ahead, we plan to focus on engaging young families in 2025 and are seeking funding for a leader to guide this mission.
Building:
- Contract: Preparing to sign by the end of March.
- Timeline: Works to last about 30 weeks, influenced by environmental and weather factors.
- Funding: Major works funded; secondary glazing and solar panels planned for a future "Green Scheme."
- Minimizing Disruption: Working to ensure minimal disruption for building users and adjusting Sunday services downstairs temporarily.
Funding:
- Development Fund: Increased from £75,000 in June 2022 to £512,000 now, with £55,200 spent on fees.
- Grant Applications: Submitted to The Foyle Foundation and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
- Local Support: Received a grant from Staying Well for Luncheon Clubs in 2024.
Thank you to everyone at Stones. Here’s to a bright future!
Stones Methodist Church AGM 14/5/2023. Church Development Project.
Stones Methodist Church Report for AGM May 2023. Church Development Project.
1. In short....
Its almost 11 months since the project started in its current guise, building on solid foundations. We aim to fix the fabric, insulate the building, improve heating sources and create a more flexible and usable space in the main church worship area to enable more faith and community activity.
We have made significant progress in that time, and we are approaching crunch decision times on details of the final outcome (e.g. church layout, heating solutions). To reach this stage, members of the project team have worked incredibly hard on the churches behalf, but now the 'baton' needs to be passed on to other members of the congregation, especially on the mission work and raising church funds.
2. Key progress
A. Money - Fundraising. We can’t do anything without funding, and estimates in 2022 gave us a target of circa £500,000. We targeted roughly £170,000 each from Grant providers, Methodist church sources and from Stones church.
Current situation:-
Grants £ 135,000 (was zero last June)
Methodist sources £ 125,500 (was zero last June)
Stones church £ 80,600 (was £75,000 last June and there has been circa £6,000 expenditure)
Total to date £ 341,100
Overall fundraising is on track, in fact we've made astonishing progress. We must now commit to support our own fundraising events that are planned over the coming months especially the Gift Weekend in June in order to raise the funds to succeed.
B. Money - Costs. Costs have risen. We have just received updated costs (which are being scrutinised and challenged) to plot the best route forward and put a range of options to Church Council.
It's crucial to prudently reign in costs, because there are three critical factors we as a church need to balance:-
1. Final permission to proceed from District can only be requested once we've reached 80% of the estimate e.g. £400k for a £500k project; £480K for a £600K project. (Building tenders cannot be requested until this stage.)
2. Scope. We must maintain the main scope as that's what funders have 'bought into'.
3. Time. We can't afford to 'chase costs'. Costs almost always rise and projects which don't land in a sensible timeframe tend to fail. So we are aiming to complete the project in 2024.
C. Mission and Community
A key aim is to increase use of Stones for faith and community activities, with the hope that some initially engaged in community will also want to participate fully in the church. Again, building on a strong foundation the project team have introduced guitar group, community coffee mornings, canvassed community and church views on the way forward, hosted the Easter Eggstravaganza, and this month we saw the re-introduction of Keep Fit and the start of the Community Choir (Sing Along). In September we will support the Yorkshire Churches Trust Heritage Day.
All of this is encouraging, and whilst the project team has added impetus, it’s what we as a church should be doing anyway. So far, the project team hasn't only raised money, it’s organised most of the activities. We now need more people outside the project team to come forward and help run faith and community activities.
D. Building and Property
We've had bat and heating specialists contribute to the plan, and there has been a lot of activity with the architects to obtain updated costs and options. These will be presented to church council as soon as they are available.
3. Summary
1. In short....
Its almost 11 months since the project started in its current guise, building on solid foundations. We aim to fix the fabric, insulate the building, improve heating sources and create a more flexible and usable space in the main church worship area to enable more faith and community activity.
We have made significant progress in that time, and we are approaching crunch decision times on details of the final outcome (e.g. church layout, heating solutions). To reach this stage, members of the project team have worked incredibly hard on the churches behalf, but now the 'baton' needs to be passed on to other members of the congregation, especially on the mission work and raising church funds.
2. Key progress
A. Money - Fundraising. We can’t do anything without funding, and estimates in 2022 gave us a target of circa £500,000. We targeted roughly £170,000 each from Grant providers, Methodist church sources and from Stones church.
Current situation:-
Grants £ 135,000 (was zero last June)
Methodist sources £ 125,500 (was zero last June)
Stones church £ 80,600 (was £75,000 last June and there has been circa £6,000 expenditure)
Total to date £ 341,100
Overall fundraising is on track, in fact we've made astonishing progress. We must now commit to support our own fundraising events that are planned over the coming months especially the Gift Weekend in June in order to raise the funds to succeed.
B. Money - Costs. Costs have risen. We have just received updated costs (which are being scrutinised and challenged) to plot the best route forward and put a range of options to Church Council.
It's crucial to prudently reign in costs, because there are three critical factors we as a church need to balance:-
1. Final permission to proceed from District can only be requested once we've reached 80% of the estimate e.g. £400k for a £500k project; £480K for a £600K project. (Building tenders cannot be requested until this stage.)
2. Scope. We must maintain the main scope as that's what funders have 'bought into'.
3. Time. We can't afford to 'chase costs'. Costs almost always rise and projects which don't land in a sensible timeframe tend to fail. So we are aiming to complete the project in 2024.
C. Mission and Community
A key aim is to increase use of Stones for faith and community activities, with the hope that some initially engaged in community will also want to participate fully in the church. Again, building on a strong foundation the project team have introduced guitar group, community coffee mornings, canvassed community and church views on the way forward, hosted the Easter Eggstravaganza, and this month we saw the re-introduction of Keep Fit and the start of the Community Choir (Sing Along). In September we will support the Yorkshire Churches Trust Heritage Day.
All of this is encouraging, and whilst the project team has added impetus, it’s what we as a church should be doing anyway. So far, the project team hasn't only raised money, it’s organised most of the activities. We now need more people outside the project team to come forward and help run faith and community activities.
D. Building and Property
We've had bat and heating specialists contribute to the plan, and there has been a lot of activity with the architects to obtain updated costs and options. These will be presented to church council as soon as they are available.
3. Summary
- We've made excellent progress so far
- We need to finalise key decisions soon
- We need the wider church to actively run things once the project team sets activities up, and continue to help to raise the funds needed to proceed.