Annexe Update
So, the excitement of seeing the advert for our Cafe Manager… what does that actually mean? On one hand, it means that we believe the finish is in sight. The long-awaited fulfilment of the vision to provide a safe, supportive, inclusive space for all that meets the changing needs of our community. Whilst COVID has taught us that we are adaptable and flexible, we can learn new skills, we are resilient and resourceful as individuals, communities and businesses it has also surely impressed on us that we are at our best when we are able to relate to one another in a meaningful way.
Post-Covid life is different – many will continue to work from home as businesses reflect and resource themselves differently going forward; there is a need for community spaces with wi-fi, good hospitality and welcome where individuals can experience a different change of space, be creative and productive. Next Door Hextable was always envisioned as a meeting place where great hospitality and welcome was known and experienced, where celebrations could be shared, families and singles alike could gather and get to know each other so that we might be even more of a community that cares and reaches out. As the building progresses towards completion internally, as furniture is ordered, kitchen equipment sourced, paint colours identified, excitement about the realisation of the potential grows.
As a church we are committed to the mission, to make Jesus known; our mission statement is ‘loving God, growing family, increasing hope’; Next Door Hextable is core to this. Making Jesus known is not just in our Sunday services; it’s also about everyday kindness and refuge, an opportunity for a listening ear or to gather just not be alone, to eat and drink great food at a price that is affordable and accessible to all. Whether it’s a space for parents and carers to gather before or after school, for young parents with babies to meet together, share activities, stories, life; for single people to find company and purpose, for older folk to gather in warmth and safety, for executives, business or tradespeople to work quietly, confidentially and creatively – this is the vision that we have and the hope that takes us forward when the burden is great.
As I reflect on this last year, I am full of gratitude. I am grateful for those who have continued to give of their time and expertise on the Annex Development Team, I am grateful for Josh, the Coffee Shop and Hospitality Specialist whose love for God, enthusiasm for great food and coffee and patience with our inexperience and personal preferences, has seen us achieve multiple savings on equipment, a coherence about ‘Brews, bakes and bowls’, a draft menu and that job description for the Coffee Shop Manager referred to above. I am grateful for the ongoing generosity and sacrificial giving of the church family as seen back in March with £71k given during a gift day, the provision of a grant from a Christian Family Trust and the offer to match fund further giving by the church family. I will not forget that the maximum amount for the match funding was reached by the deadline! Praise God!
We have seen further favour and finance in answer to our prayers as patrons have come forward indicating their belief in, and commitment to, what we are seeking to be 132 to date; the moving of a logjam with the Diocese in a grant of £40k, a legacy of £35k, a further grant from a Trust even this week of £30k when the comment was made ‘I really don’t want to give you more than £25k’! We have had £381k of monies given this year in grants and gifts. We have three sources of loan totalling £375k that cover the current shortfall if needed. I am grateful for Theobalds the builders who are the right people in the right place at the right time.
Nearly, but not yet …. much has been achieved even this year against a backdrop of a worldwide pandemic. We are mindful of the timeliness of our Sunday preaching series as we learn to live in this post-pandemic world as Christians, as hope carriers, as people who are peaceful and not anxious, ordered, not overwhelmed, energised and not exhausted, rooted and not restless because of the character and trustworthiness of the God we love and serve and who consistently evidences time and again that He is faithful, able and our more than enough. At times it’s been like pushing a boulder up the hill with my little finger, at others there has been the profound sense of God’s presence going ahead, equipping and enabling. The Spirit of God is at work of that, there is no doubt. I look forward to the day when the annexe is opened and we can say ‘see what God has done!’.
As we look ahead to these final months before we see the Coffee Shop and annexe open, please pray …
Pray for the appointment of the right coffee shop manager who loves Jesus and has a heart for the mission as well as the skills and experience to run the coffee shop, making it a go-to place for all that is profitable.
Pray for the team of volunteers that will be needed to staff the coffee shop to ensure that there is great service and the hands and feet of the vision to provide welcome and refuge for all.
Pray for further grant funding that the monies we need to borrow reduce even further.
Pray for wisdom and discernment for the Annex Development Team, for Pete and I as we seek to work well with the contractors and architects, for time in my diary to do all that is needed to get this project over the line in addition to the demands of parish ministry.
Please pray for the founding Board of Directors and the governance structure going forward that in everything Jesus may be honoured
Please pray for all involved as I pray for you that you might continue to know your part – what is in your hand? What can you give in prayer, in time, in being present, in skillset?
So, so, thankful for you all and, above everything to our God for His provision of resources – of finance, of people of experience, of people of peace, of people of prayer and heart to serve and see His will done in this place for His glory and the extension of His kingdom.