old building, Old roof, new hope
Old Building
One of the many things that make our church building precious is its age. Though relatively young when compared to some of the older churches in London, St Stephen’s has been home to worshippers for quite a long time. Her age is our link to those Jesus lovers who gathered within to worship through the many changes that our local area has seen. St Stephen’s has been a consistent presence from the times when shepherds paused on their way into London, through the sirens of the world wars, through the swelling of the city that now continuously engulfs us. Our church nurtured worshipers through the Spanish flu and now Covid-19. We have a strong connection to the past and now are curating an inheritance for the Jesus lovers of the future.
Old Roof
Time affects us all. As the years have passed, the slates that make up the roof have aged. The nails that held the slates in place have also succumbed to rust. With the seasons passing, slates have periodically been dislodged by the winds, and rainwater inevitably began seeping through to the church interior (gratitude here for those volunteers who, season by season, knew just the right places to plump the buckets when the rain was heavy). Over time there have been some repairs made to damaged parts of the roof but unfortunately, the replacing of any dislodged or damaged slates actually weakened those surrounding it: the patching up was always only going to be a temporary measure.
New Hope
After years of planning and fundraising, an initial phase of work begun this year. As you read this, the slates on the North and South Nave and Aisle roofs are being replaced with some fortification and waterproofing work also underway. Keen passers-by would have noticed the extensive scaffolding that now covers the church. This work would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of St Stephen’s folks and the generosity of many both near and far. Thanks to you, a guaranteed long-term future for St Stephen’s is just within reach.
Follow the progress here
Your part in the story
The road to £12,000
With all the hard work that has gone before, we can see the nearing endpoint but have one last hurdle to overcome. The extension of the Listed Place of Worship Grant Scheme means we are able to claim back V.A.T on all costs incurred during the project. This means that in principle, we will have reached our fundraising target of £263,000. Hurray!!!
However, the funds made available via this scheme require us to have already fulfilled invoices and relevant costs which leaves us with a cash-in-hand hurdle to overcome over the next two months. Our fundraising target of £12000 gets us over the hurdle and guarantees that works can go as planned. Your generosity has got us this far, help us now get over the line.
Ps: All the money received back as well as any surpluses at the end of the project will be spent on the restorative work on the church’s interior. Help us get St Stephen’s ready for the road ahead
a couple of ways to immediately help
Our online shop has a couple of things you could purchase as gifts to the church, why not check them out?
If you’d like to get on and donate towards the project then click the link below for a way to do so securely.
get involved
Who said giving had to be dull? Here are a few ways you can get involved in the long journey, having fun with others along the way.
Bubble Film Nights!
Bubble film nights
Saturday evenings from the 4th of June - 11th September 2021
There those folks you just miss hanging out with. Here is a chance to get that much-needed together time, eating freshly made pizza while watching a film on the big screen.
Sofas and rugs in the Parish Hall every Saturday for 15 weeks from the 4th of June 2021.
This is not to be missed.
Dates are available now!! Book here!
To volunteer to be part of the team, get in touch.
Dinner in the tower
Saturday evenings from the 4th of June - 11th September 2021
Some locations are just unique. Very few people have been in the bell tower at St Stephen’s. The spiral staircase magically reveals a small, quaint room lit by fairy lights: the ideal spot for a catch-up meal with a friend/loved one away from the noise.
Dates are available now!!!! Book here!
Ps: You will need to be able to safely ascend and descend the spiral staircase. Please come in for a test run on Sunday morning if needed.
The Pilgrimage
Sunday the 18th of July 2021
It takes approximately 3 hrs to walk from St Stephen’s to St Paul’s Cathedral. Wouldn’t it be great to take this sponsored walk together?
It would give us a chance to share our story with those we know, spend some much-needed time with one another, and get some steps on our counters post-lockdown.
You can sponsor our walk by purchasing steps here or donating directly here.
Church VS School
Monday the 19th July 2021
1:30 - 8:30 p.m.
This event gave us a chance to gather, eat together, have fun and raise money for both the Restoration project as well as for St Stephen’s School.
If you would like to help out on the day or are just keen, get in touch.