Introduction

This year St John s Anglican Church is 150 years old. To mark this special anniversary we are launching an appeal to raise 1,000 for each year of the church s life in order to sustain and further develop the ministry exercised here.

St John s church building

St John s is a prominent, Victorian building on the main A20 between New Cross and Lewisham in South East London. It is grade C listed with some fine stained glass windows. A favorite church for weddings, it is also a popular venue for special events and services. Its upstairs hall is used every day by a variety of local groups.

The need for refurbishment

It is 25 years since the last major refurbishment of the building. Although the congregation is a reasonable size (about 100 adults and 30 children) and people give generously, even sacrificially, the majority are on a low income and hard choices have had to be made on how money is spent. Preventative work on windows and stonework has kept slipping down the list of priorities and now the beautiful stained glass windows are deteriorating because of age and broken window guards. The interior of the church and the upstairs hall were last decorated the 1970s. The kitchen is badly in need of reordering. There is no disabled access to the hall and the downstairs toilet is not wheelchair accessible.

Does the current deterioration of the building affect those outside the church?

As a prominent public building the external appearance of the church affects the overall appearance of the neighbourhood. This is an inner city environment where any sign of neglect can contribute to neighbourhood decline. We want to enhance our surroundings rather than detract from them.

The building is used by various institutions, including a college of further education across the road from the church and three nearby primary schools. The local councillor holds his surgery here and every week Brownies, Alcoholics Anonymous, baby and toddler groups, a drama group for teenagers, a women s fitness class and a badminton club meet in the building. For all these groups the facilities offered by the church matter.

What kind of neighbourhood does the church serve?

The 2001 census showed that just over half the population in our parish is in the 20-44 age group, with a quarter being under the age of 19. We are multi racial and multi cultural and score high on a number of indices of social deprivation, including lone parents and numbers of those drawing on state benefits. A recent social audit carried out in our deanery also revealed a significant number of residents over 55 managing on a low income and experiencing a degree of social isolation.

Our vision for the building

We would like the exterior of the church to be restored, windows repaired and guards installed so that the building continues to be a landmark in which local people can take pride.

We want to improve the facilities inside for present users, but also further develop the space upstairs so that it can be used on a daily, daytime basis for work with children, parents and carers. We would like the programme to include creative arts. For this we need improved kitchen facilities and disabled access. We will be seeking to operate in partnership with our local healthcare trust, the council, local schools and the group of churches to which we belong. Lewisham Council has already given us a grant of 3,500 towards setting up an after school club.

St John s has a proven track record in this kind of initiative. In 1997 the church set up the Orchard Community project at Holy Trinity, the other church in its parish. This project has expanded and become an independent trust (the Quaggy Development Trust) serving residents on the Orchard, Coldbath and Lethbridge estates.

The money we need to raise:

What have we raised so far?

3,500 towards an after school club. 11,000 from fundraising and direct giving The church is adding 6,000 from general funds for Phase 1.