Grand reopening of Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church after £768,000 improvements
Members of the public are invited as Bishop's Stortford Methodist Church opens its doors to reveal its role as a community hub in the heart of the town as well as a place of worship.
An open day will be held on Saturday (April 30) following completion of nine-month building works to carry out £768,000 of improvements. The event runs from 10am to 4pm with refreshments, stalls and music throughout the day.
The church, which has been on its current site in South Street since 1903, will be officially reopened by the Rev Dr David Chapman, chair of the Beds, Essex and Herts Methodist District. Hertford and Stortford MP Julie Marson, town mayor Cllr Keith Warnell and other dignitaries will be there.
The work, to make the church accessible to all, has involved raising floors, opening up doorways, building an entrance ramp and relocating toilets and kitchen facilities. Fire alarm systems, electrics and drainage have been upgraded.
As there was no Changing Places facility for profoundly disabled adults at that end of the town centre, one has been included in the church.
The work has been paid for through fundraising events and grants from East Herts Council, the town council and the Brazier and Benefact trusts.
The church is home to Bishop's Stortford Food Bank. Pre-Covid and the start of building works last May, it was also in regular use by organisations ranging from the NHS and the National Trust to Bishop's Stortford Chess Club and the Bulgarian Fellowship Church.
It has also played host to choral and orchestral concerts, charity fundraising coffee mornings and been used as a polling station, not only for local elections but also in Bulgarian elections for the eastern European country's local community.
Church administrator Lynn Graseman said: "Since an article in the Indie [last November] where we requested that community groups contact us about use of our premises, Isabel Hospice are now in regular use of one of our halls for a support group and plan to hold a weekly coffee morning from Wednesday May 4. We are in talks with various local charities and community groups about using our premises.
"We'd like to provide a space where Ukrainian refugee hosts and their guests can meet up to socialise and give support to each other."
The church is finalising its weekly timetable of events. Although it aims to be open during the day from Mondays to Saturdays, it will start in May with Tuesday to Thursday opening only, while it recruits volunteers.
Lynn said: "We're in the process of training to ensure that all volunteers on site are able to provide a warm welcome in a safe environment and are able to signpost people to get any additional help they may need."
On Thursday May 12, Brian Goodwin, from Pegasus Health and Safety Training, will provide free training on how to save a life using CPR and a defibrillator.
Minister the Rev Gill Hulme said: "The church has been open for services all the way through the building work – when we weren't in lockdown, of course – but the halls and kitchen have been out of use and our regular coffee mornings and a number of projects have been on hold.
"Building work started in earnest in May 2021, but because of Covid and hitting some hidden snags it has taken quite a bit longer than we had hoped to complete, but now we are overjoyed to be opening up to the community on Saturday.
"We believe the transformation will be of huge benefit to the community and all the groups who used to use our premises before the build started and new groups who have already come forward."
