Renewal Project – huge programme of work

Our values are to be WELCOMING, LOVING, WORSHIPPING and GROWING and the Renewal Project has been all about enabling us to fulfil this more effectively, which has meant embarking on a major building / renovation project.

Over the last three years we have renewed the interior of the church, which is a magnificent Grade II* building, with many improvements – making it easier to use, more accessible and better equipped for a wide range of mid-week activities.

At the same time we have enlarged the car park and are improving the appearance of the church grounds with extensive new plantings.

Project update January 2023 

New Kitchen Opens!

In September 2022 we were delighted to open the kitchen hatches into the main church for the first time. The new kitchen has been a key part of the Renewal Project. It is fully equipped with four ovens, two large induction hobs and a commercial dish washer, to provide hospitality after the 9am and 10.45 services, as well as for a wide range of mid-week activities including Wednesday lunches (Pot Luck), and for larger scale catering eg Sunday lunches and other events.

The new kitchen is a key part of the renewal project.

The Renewal Project delivered the following: 

• New upholstered chairs
• New warm-air heater for the main church
• New central heating boiler for side rooms and chapel
• Internal redecorations of the entire main church, side rooms and chapel
• Restored brass memorials
• Upgraded lighting – including controllable spotlights (colour variable) for daytime and evening services / concerts and events
• Renewed flooring and carpet in the church
• Restoration of the West Tower entrance
• New kitchen in South Room with commercial dishwasher, 4 ovens, 2 hobs etc etc
• Restored side chapel  – redecorated, with thick pile carpet for children to be able to sit on and new lighting
• Raised and extended dais so same level as Chancel, together with ramp for wheelchair access to Chancel
• Complete rewiring of dais for worship team etc
• Moving the communion rail down one step to help those with mobility issues
• Moving Font from rear of church to north wall, to create a special focus, and also a larger area at the back for coffee and children’s activities
• Video streaming equipment with four cameras, allowing our online congregation of over 250 people to participate more easily
• 15 round tables for sunday lunches and events
• Many repairs to roof including galleys and drains
• Tree surgeons, restoring garden benches, and major gardening works to improve the external appearance of the church
• Enlarged car park, with over 100 square metres of new flower beds / landscaped area

The total cost of improvements and renewals above has been around £200,000, including a proportion we have committed to giving away to other ministries outside the church. We have only been able to deliver all the above at that relatively low cost thanks to huge amounts of time generously given by many people.

We now need to raise at least £30,000 for more improvements including we hope:

• Improving the sound system – as our congregation grows, it’s becoming even more important to make sure that the sound is really clear in all parts of the church, particularly at the back in the children’s play area
• New screen – our current projector and screen are no longer fit for purpose. The image is too small to be easily seen at the back, and the screen position blocks the view of the chancel.  We are exploring several options, including a completely clear glass screen suspended high in the chancel which becomes an opaque screen for a projector at the click of a switch.  A better projector and screen will also allow other activities such as outreach movie nights to take place more easily.
• Improving the video streaming equipment 

If you would like to help with funding, either financially or as a volunteer please speak to one of the church wardens or email: contact@stjohnsweymouth.co.uk

Progress on the renewal project.

St John’s Church from above