Building faith in our future - the national picture

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Building faith in our future- the national
picture

• Janet Gough for Crossing the Threshold
  Conference, Hereford, 19 November 2009

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Church Buildings Division

• Keep Church Buildings in the vision of the CofE
  and Government
• Advocacy, Campaigning
• Share best practice and education
• Shrinking the Footprint

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Church Buildings Division

• Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric
  Commission
• 16 staff and draw upon further expertise e.g.
  conservation committees (grants)
• Encourage development of church buildings
  Building Faith in our Future

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Building faith in our Future

• Strategic look at how to get best out of our
  church buildings
• 29 recommendations
• Funding
• Need better funding for repair and equal access
  to other funding.

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Building Faith in our Future five years on

• E-bulletin no 11 keeps people up to date with
  recent developments
• Churchcare website
• Pastoral (Amendment) Measure to enable leases in
  churches open for worship
• Churches and Faith Buildingsrealising the
  Potential, equal access to Govt funds

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Extended use of churches

• Social and community activities support for
  elderly, homeless, asylum seekers
• Education school visits, SureStart Centres,
  nurseries, adult education, after-school clubs,
  libraries
• Cultural tourism, exhibitions, theatre, concerts
• Post offices, doctors/dentists surgeries,
  health centres, gyms, community shops, cafes,
  farmers markets.

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Extended use consequences

• Huge amount of development activity
• Over 50 of churches have loos and kitchens
• Some issues
• Sue Rowes research on Millennium Commission
  funded churches positive impact on the church
  but issues e.g. in attracting and managing
  volunteers

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Partnership/working with other bodies

• Tourism Churches Tourism Association and working
  closely with local tourism boards and visitor
  attractions.
• Post Offices now about 25 outreach post offices
  in places of worship
• Future partnerships e.g. Campaign for Community
  Banking Services, community cinema.

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Working with other bodies

• English Heritage Inspired Campaign
• Historic Church Support Officers
• HELM course Places of worshipSharing Space
• Training in understanding and developing your
  church building
• Oxford University Department of Continuing
  Education, online course for clergy and
  churchwardens
• Rural Communities Buildings Network
• Village Halls Loan Fund has become Rural
  Communities Buildings Fund.

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Concluding remarks

• A vision of what can be achieved in churches.
• Some practical tools.
• Crossing the Threshold conference in Hereford to
  become a pilot for other dioceses?
• And finally, it all depends on what you in your
  local church can achieve hugely challenging but
  we hope exhilarating and enabling too.