In October 2019 Church Growth Trust launched its latest resource and due to the initial popularity of this an additional print run was needed in December 2019. Following the many encouraging responses we have received from those who have received this booklet we have updated and added a couple more guidance subjects to the booklet ‘Your Guide to Running Church Premises’.
This updated booklet has four new and relevant subjects to be of practical help for you as you look after your church property.
We all look forward to the arrival of Spring, with the longer days, warmer weather and the emerging first flowers in the garden.
If you have responsibility for the upkeep of your church property, it might also be a good time to think about checking whether the annual gas safety check and the five-yearly Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) are in date.
The guidance in the Health and Safety Executive Approved
Code of Practice advise that effective maintenance should include as a minimum
the following:
Examination of the physical condition and safe
functioning of appliances, installation pipework, ventilation and any flue, for
deterioration.
Carrying out performance tests.
Taking remedial action as necessary.
All checks must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer; please visit www.gassaferegister.co.uk for a list of Gas Safe registered engineers and check that the engineer you choose is registered for non-domestic work as church properties would fall into this category.
Church Growth Trust would always recommend that gas safety
checks are carried out on gas appliances, their flues and supply pipework every
12 months.
Electrical installations and equipment may deteriorate over
time or may have been damaged or not maintained correctly leading to the risk
of:
Electrical shock
Electrical fire
Electrical burns
An Electric Installation Condition Report (EICR) will establish the overall condition and safety of all the electrics in your church property and whether it is satisfactory for continued use and should be carried out by a National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) approved contractor. The NICEIC recommend that an EICR is carried out at least once every five years. Please visit www.niceic.com for a list of local NICEIC approved contractors and check that the contractor you choose is approved to undertake work on non-domestic properties. For further information about these tests, please visit the Church Growth Trust briefing paper on Electrical and Gas Checks for Church Buildings
Work at Redhill is now complete. The church are delighted with the new stair that replaces a dilapidated external stair and the rearrangements to provide an accessible toilet and shower for the work that Renewed Hope Trust do in the building with homeless people.
Here you can see that the completed structure that now incorporates the stair within the building
New staircase
Staircase before improvements
The new accessible toilet and shower room that wraps under the stairs
And now that access to the first floor is safe, the meeting room has been refurbished to be used for Foodbank storage and office space.
Our previous news articles have covered the work in progress and can be viewed by clicking on the links below.
Church Growth Trust are looking forward attending and exhibiting at the Connect Conference on 21st – 23rd February in Daventry.
With the visit of Dietrich Schindler, Executive Director of Church Planting Evangelical Free Church of Germany, we are set for an amazing gathering, enjoying great times of worship, teaching and time to connect with each other.
Bookings are still open for you to attend this gathering, just click here to sign up.
If you have already booked to attend this event, please do come and hello to either Giles or Garryl who will be on our exhibition stand.
Richard
Naylor was one of two trustees that were also trustees of Stewardship, when
Church Growth Trust was set up by Stewardship in 2010. He has faithfully served on the Board for the
last 10 years and has also played a significant role behind the scenes on
various Committees and in writing material for the Foundations magazine, tips
of the month and video productions. He
has also used his immense architectural experience in reviewing plans for
altering and improving Church Growth Trust’s buildings.
It seemed fitting for Richard to be presented with an abstract painting, produced by CGT’s architect Gill Pedler, of Miracle House, Wickford, which he was heavily involved with when it was built six years ago.
Richard will
be greatly missed as he retires from the Board and all at CGT wish him the
Lord’s blessings in the next stage of his ministry.
Richard Naylor with painting of Miracle House, Wickford
In many property tenancies there will be a clause along the lines of “…the tenant will not play or use or cause permit or suffer to be played or used on the Premises and musical instrument audio or other equipment or apparatus producing a sound which would cause a nuisance or disturbance to the owner or occupier of any land or premises in the vicinity of the Premises…” This clause is about being a good neighbour.
If you and your landlord receive a Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 telling you that a complaint has been made about loud music including amongst other possibilities a very loud PA system then you have a problem. If a Statutory Noise Nuisance is then witnessed by an Authorised Officer of the Authority you can be served with an Abatement Notice. It is better by far to control the amplification of the music by a competent person who can also monitor the event overall.
If your neighbour does complain, thank them for coming to you. Talk with your neighbour about the issue and try to resolve the issue amicably. You should be aware that even if you have double glazing sound can still travel through other openings and the roof. In short, be alert to the potential for noise nuisance from your building and be a good neighbour. In this way you commend the gospel.
Tooting Gospel Hall is a small Victorian church building set within a row of terraced houses in the middle of Tooting. The building had a small lean-to structure behind the main hall that housed a small toilet facility. To access the room you had to step down into the room and this did not accommodate less able people, or wheelchair users.
In order to comply with current Building Regulations and the Equality Act 2010 churches should have an accessible toilet so that everyone can use the building equally. Church Growth Trust helped the church to work out where best to locate a new compliant toilet and helped them with he project through to completion.
Emmanuel Chapel, Woking is a purpose built place of worship that was constructed in the 1960’s. The accommodation was very good, but the building did not have an accessible toilet facility and therefore did not comply with building regulations or with the equality act 2010.
There is often confusion between leases and licences and churches can get themselves in a pickle about this. This can be caused by a church innocently allowing a group to use a room for storage and then finding that they have actually been given a lease and it is difficult to get them to move.
A church that does not have its own building may wish to lease someone else’s building, but does not know what things to consider with a lease. Church Growth Trust’s latest briefing paper is designed to help churches think through these issues and is now available in CGT’s website.
In the last few months Church Growth Trust has taken on two new properties. Although they are both church properties, they are very different. The first is literally down the road from Everton Football Club’s grounds and is in an area of high deprivation in Walton, Liverpool. This is Spellow Lane Church (or “Church in the Middle”) and is a decorative brick structure built in the 19th century for a Welsh Calvinistic congregation.
It is in need of major refurbishment, not only to deal with a roof that continues to cause problems, but also to modernise the building to make it suitable for modern church use and reaching the local community with the Gospel. Church Growth Trust has already commissioned a feasibility study from a local architect and has agreed with the occupying church plans for changing the layout of the building. This will make the building more open and welcoming, fully accessible for people with disabilities, multi-functional for worship and community activities, and cost and energy efficient. The church is delighted with Church Growth Trust’s proactive approach and are already looking at ways of raising funds for the work.
The second property is Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, which is near the city centre in Chester, surrounded by businesses and expensive flats.
The building is modern, with the majority built in the 1960s and extensions added and refurbishments carried out within the last 15 years. It is in good condition and already very suitable for modern church use. The church is also delighted that Church Growth Trust will be involved with the property, giving guidance on building and compliance issues.
Whereas Spellow Lane Church was gifted to Church Growth Trust from local trustees, Ebenezer Baptist Chapel has had to be a sole trusteeship, as there is an ultimate beneficiary to the property Trust. FIEC Limited were the previous trustee, but, as with other properties, they are asking Church Growth Trust to take on the management of the property, because CGT has the expertise to do so.
