Our Building

Encouraging like Barnabas: Acts 4, 9, 11

Our church first worshipped in a wooden hall, and our current premises were built in the 1950s.  It has since undergone several transformations and we now have a modern, airy, flexible and welcoming space we use for worship, meetings and hosting the various organisations that use our facilities.

Our rooms are available for groups to hire on a long-term or short-term basis.  If you are interested in hiring a room, please contact us on 07906 814033.  We are sorry, but due to some issues we have encountered in the past, we do not tend to hire out our rooms for private functions, unless you have a connection to or are known to the church.

Welcome Area

The welcome area is the first space you come into when you enter our building, and all other areas lead from it.  It is a space where you can sit in comfort if you are waiting to collect someone from one of the groups using the building.  If you’re lucky and a church member is around, you may even be offered a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit.

Sanctuary

The heart of the building.

We are a worshipping community.  All that we do will flow into and out of worship, and this is where most of our worship activities take place.  It is also a quiet space for private prayer, or somewhere you can just sit and find peace.  If the Open for Prayer board is displayed outside, the sanctuary will be open, or can be opened, for you.

Hall

This is the main area used for non-worship activities.  With the recent addition of the new lighting and glazed partition, it is now light and airy, with a clear sightline to the welcome area and sanctuary so you can see who else may be in the building at all times.

Capacity:  50 seated, 75 standing.

Stoke

Named after Stoke Chapel URC, previously in Harefield Road, this is a smaller, cosier meeting room.  It is ideal for smaller groups, located off the main corridor and with access to all the facilities.

Capacity:  25 seated.

Kitchen

The kitchen was installed in 2020 and meets current hygiene and catering standards. It has two electric ovens, induction hob, dishwasher, fridge, stainless steel food preparation area and a closeable serving hatch to the hall.

It can be booked with the hall or Stoke. Access is via either the hall or the corridor, so the kitchen may be used independently of other groups in the building.

Car Park

It’s a car park!

Entered via Hocking Road, it is now floodlit, so you won’t be left in the dark at night.

Accessibility

A lot of work was carried out as part of our redevelopment work in 2020 to make the building accessible to all members of our community.  The building is fully wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilet and baby changing facilities.

We are aware there is still more that can be done, and we are looking into installing, amongst other improvements, self-opening doors and braille direction signs.