Over the last few months a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to raise funds for the ‘S. Barnabas’ Community project’ -a vision to transform our tired hall into a thriving provision for the whole community. The plans, which have been granted planning permission, detail a new kitchen and community cafe, a health clinic, office space, counseling rooms, pre-school toilets and cloakroom, a wonderful new entrance, extra storage, disabled access and lift and a multi-purpose meeting room.
The completion of this project will dramatically improve the lives of local people and place a building of real purpose at the bottom of Camden Road. Meaning that people will have direct access to an NHS baby clinic, drug and alcohol services, adult education, youth provision, counseling services and, of course, the preschool. The flood of people entering this new facility, will then aid the economy of Camden, ensuring that re-generation becomes possible as money is spent within the impoverished locality. Finally this provision will allow the church to remain open, acting as a springboard to faith, as many people are ushered to our doorstep.
Thus far an initial build phase has seen the construction of an enclosed playground for the preschool, formation of a car parking area and new doors and windows for the hall. Incredibly the £100k required for this phase (coupled with the design of the building) was raised without a single form being filled, all rather wonderful and an answer to prayer. HOWEVER….we are not there yet, because there is still the small matter of raising half a million pounds (in the current economic climate!!) in order to guide the project to completion.
Which is why Andy Cressall, a member of our congregation, has been spending one day a week filling out applications to external grant making bodies. Unless you have ever done such work you will have no idea how much work this entails. Forms tend to be inches thick and require information tailored to specific needs. The ‘Children in Need’ form alone took Andy and I four and a half hours to complete and left our heads reeling!
This week though the first reply came back and (drumroll please) thanks to the Garfield Weston Foundation we are now £10,000 closer to our target!! Fantastic news which will bolster the community and encourage other grant making bodies to follow suit. It is a small step but a vital one. I would ask every reader to add our project to your prayers. May God help us raise the necessary funds to overturn a Century of neglect in this pocket of poverty which exists in this town of such wealth. Then we can really reach out to the community whom we have been called to serve.
NB: seems a problem with the comments, am looking into it!
How wonderful Fr. Ed. If our experience is anything to go by it will have a transforming effect both on St Barnabas and on the community. If you feed them, they will come.
Fingers crossed Pageant master