Historic Announcement for All Saints Church
After 11 years in the planning, the All Saints Parochial Church Council are delighted to have appointed contractors to undertake the Rock project refurbishment works.
They will be preparing during October 2023 and commencing operations at All Saints on 6th November 2023 for approximately 8 months.
On Monday 02 October (anniversary of Tom Yacomeni’s induction as Rector), the PCC voted to sign a contract with the builders, Ellis & Co for the works associated with Phases 1 & 1B (and a little bit of Phase 2) of the ROCK Project. The first meeting of the ROCK team took place 11 years ago so it has been a long journey. It is a ‘once-in-a-century moment’. Most of the medieval All Saints Church was demolished in 1830 and replaced with a new larger church. In 1892, that church was extended at the far end and on the dais (stage area). Now 130 years later, we are embarking on, what we hope will be, the first stages of our ambitious project to reimagine and transform the church for the kingdom of God.
What work is being done?
Essentially we are overhauling and updating the main interior of the church and the present choir vestry/toilet area.
When we come back into the church in July 2024, we will see a new hardwood floor which is level throughout the church until you come to the dais (stage area) in the chancel area. The pews will have gone and been replaced by chairs (almost certainly one of the chairs currently on display at the back of church). The church will be freshly painted and there will be a complete new lighting scheme. But there are many more items to be done both seen and unseen.
Please click here to see the full schedule of items.
Who is doing the work?
After a very thorough process, Ellis & Co (based in Shepton Mallett) have been appointed as the main contractors, This firm are specialists with extensive experience of working on historic churches and buildings.
What is the timetable?
The contractor is now in planning and preparation mode and will be visiting the site over the next four weeks. Physical work will start on Monday 6 November. But the last Sunday services in church are this coming Sunday - 8 October.
The very last service in church will be the Thanksgiving Service for the life and witness of Jenny Lewis on Thursday 12 October. The work is expected to be finished at the end of June 2024.
We are hoping to have a service of dedication and thanksgiving on Sunday 13 October 2024! (Put the date in your diaries and calendars!)
What are the arrangements whilst the church is closed?
Sunday services will take place in the All Church Centre and Tuesday Services will take place at the Hub.
(NB When the church was demolished in 1830, the church met in what was then the only school in the village ie the current ‘Scout Hall’ in the High Street. So as the hymn says: ‘Brothers we are treading, where the saints have trod’ before.)
For a detailed list of all the temporary arrangements including: car-parking, access, communications with neighbours, Sunday children’s groups, chairs, church clearance and pews and other matters please click HERE
NB Do not forget that our first Sunday in the Centre also coincides with the Bath Half Marathon (which is nothing compared to the very long marathon we have been on!)
How much will all this cost and do we have the money?
The total remaining expenditure is around £1,786,000. This includes: the main construction, consultants and planning fees, furniture and equipment, VAT, finance charges and the first year’s loan repayment. And yes we do have the money to finance this very large undertaking! A huge amount of work has been done by a lot of people to see that the funding is in place and to ensure that we have a robust system for paying out and getting the funds in. And of course none of this could have been attempted without the generous, faithful and prolonged giving of church members.
If you want to see more of a breakdown of the costs and how we are meeting those costs, click HERE
Do remember, however that we anticipate having to borrow from church members £60,000 and from the Methodist Bank around £350,000 i.e. this equates to the approximate value of 19 Chandler Close. (It would, of course, be truly wonderful and a matter for huge rejoicing if we did not need to borrow any money externally.)
Finally...
We give thanks that:
'Thus far the Lord has helped us’ (1 Samuel 7:12).
We remain mindful that ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the work of the builders is wasted’ (Psalm 127:1).
We pray that throughout this time of transition and change, we will be a church of ‘living stones being built into a spiritual house’ (1 Peter 2:5)