We are always looking to improve and enhance the way the church buildings can be used for worship and by the community.
Redevelopment of St Peter & St Paul:
“A building that celebrates the past, lives in the present and embraces the future.”
The aim of the redevelopment project is to create a building that cherishes the past, lives in the present and embraces the future. The Grade One listed building is the historic heart of the town and is as well as being a place of worship is also a centre for civic events, concerts and fairs. In 2017 we began a process of discernment to see how we could ensure the building was fit for purpose as a place of worship and as an asset to the community that built it. We identified four guidelines for the project:
- To ensure the building retains its beauty and sense of space and speaks of the transcendent.
- To provide a place of prayer and a place of meeting, hospitality and social interaction.
- A building that provides a welcoming, comfortable and accessible setting for worship and the flexibility needed to hold a variety of community events.
- A venue which is the first choice for concerts and where history and heritage can be seen and appreciated.
A firm of architects, JBKS were engaged to draw up plans for reordering the nave and the estimated cost was one million pounds. The project has been divided into three phases to assist with fundraising and cash flow:
- Phase one: Replacement of the existing toilet and servery with three toilets, one of which will be accessible. Relocation of the servery to a purpose-built enclosure under the west window. Refurbishment of the south porch.
- Phase two: removal of pews and pew platforms and laying a new, level floor. Renewal of the heating and lighting in the nave and new seating.
- Phase three: Reconfiguring the sanctuary and providing ramped access to the dais.
The challenge of reordering the church has called the PCC and congregation to focus on who we are and our place in the community. The process of transforming the building goes hand-in-hand with the transforming of ourselves into the people God would have us be. We believe that we have the team and the support of the congregation and community and that now is the right time to pursue this project. We aspire to be to be a community that is outward looking, that is welcoming, and good stewards of a building that is open and accessible to all. Over the past four years we have held open days and public consultations on the project and have been struck by the number of people in Newport Pagnell who had never previously been into the building but who, once inside, were enthusiastic and curious about the building, its history and its purpose.
By encouraging people to come in and out of the building, to see it as part of their heritage we make it possible to have those conversations about the purpose of the church and ultimately about the purposes of God.
The Parish have also joined with Welcome Directory as a place that will welcome ex-offenders and we have had the privilege of having several ex-offenders as part of the congregation. To have a setting that is welcoming and comfortable is a great help in making strangers feel comfortable and enabling conversation and the forming of relationships.