Welcome Invitation from Mark Standen

”Over the last 40 years, St Margaret's has been on quite a journey, as has the village which we serve.

In the 1970's, there were few young families regularly attending Church, and the services were all of a fairly traditional nature. Due to the ministry of my predecessors, and my own, we have actively encouraged people of all ages to come to Church, and to experience the loving acceptance, guidance, power and hope that only Jesus brings. Congregations have grown, as has our village.

In the past decade, there have been 2 important developments in our church's life: In 2003, we established another congregation meeting at St Margaret's School under the leadership of our then Curate, Matthew Payne. God has protected, and is now blessing this initiative, and approximately 70 people attend services there every Sunday morning at 10.30. Do try them out, you'll find a warm welcome there.

In the parish church, we have made significant changes both to the eastern exterior of our Church, and the interior during the course of 2008/09. From the outside, we have made this aspect of the church (the one that faces the village) more attractive and inviting, with striking glazing and an entrance and welcome area that give the sort of welcome we believe Jesus would want people to receive.

Inside, you'll see a number of striking changes to the building. The old, uncomfortable pews have gone - replaced by comfortable seats, which can be moved to allow us to use the church in a number of different ways- midweek and on Sundays. The darkness has been cured by much better lighting; the coldness replaced by more effective underfloor heating. The poor sightlines, which meant that people often found it difficult to see what was going on have been addressed with a number of contemporary screens around the building.  Features that you'd expect in a Church (like a WC, kitchen, office space and a meeting room) have all now been provided.

We have tried to keep the best of the old, and introduce the best of the new in the building, and the reports we've recived so far have been overwhelmingly positive.

Why have we made these changes? It's because we wanted a church that helps us to present the timeless and glorious good news of Jesus to our community. The old building had many limitations for a church that wants to function 7 days a week, and we believe that we have created a building in which Christians can worship our God, and enquirers more effectively drawn to investigate the offer of Christ, which is nothing less than 'life in all its fullness'.

It's a wonderful time to join the Church family at St Margaret's- and we welcome all:

Maybe you are browsing the internet, thinking whether you might like to move in this direction? Come and join us! If you want a Christ-centred church, that's what we aim to be, by God's grace, and we'd love to have you with us. We have further plans for 2010 and beyond, and we'd love more people keen to come and help us achieve them.

Maybe you live locally, and would like to come back to Church, please feel most welcome to come. Although the last Sunday in September is nationally dubbed 'Back to Church Sunday', every Sunday is a fresh opportunity to reconnect with the God's Church, and you'll get a great welcome here.

Or maybe you live locally, and you've never been to Church much in the past, and you're not sure whether it has much relevance or attraction to you. Well, may I encourage you to 'Come and see' for yourself? That's what the early followers of Jesus said to their friends about Jesus. 'Come and see' what the life-changing, Spirit giving, hope restoring Christ can do for you.

Thank you for reading this, and I look forward to seeing you soon.”

Mark Standen
 

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