Community floored by new worship space!

Experimenting with ways to set out the newly restored worship space

The restoration of the main church floor, which has been in the pipeline for more than three years, was worth the wait!

It was due to be finished by 20th August following the removal of the pews, but the work took longer than expected, and as it was better to have it right than have it rushed, we took the extra time to do a great job!

This meant a last minute change of venue for the talk plus Q&A with Revd Sarah Jones, the first vicar in the Church of England to be ordained following gender transition. Thanks to our neighbouring parish of St Margaret of Antioch on Princes Road for gifting us their space at short notice so the show could go on! You can hear Sarah's interview with BBC Radio Merseyside here.

In the last few weeks we have put felt on the feet of the new (to us) wooden chairs, kindly donated by another neighbour, Liverpool Cathedral, so they don’t scratch the newly polished and sealed floor. The red seat covers match the new carpet on the sanctuary below the high altar too.

We also experimented with different layouts (see above) so we can use the new space in creative, progressive and inclusive ways. Cate Jacobs, our new worship leader intern, was so delighted to see the new space that she danced across it in her socks!

On Sunday 23rd September, our Team Rector Miranda Threlfall-Holmes will lead a celebration of Baptism and our first Sunday morning service in the new St Bride’s worship space.

This is a happy coincidence, as this week marks the third anniversary of our day of reflection called Re-Imagining St Bride’s: Creating Our Future Together. This process of Appreciative Inquiry led us to renew our intention to regenerate the St Bride’s church building for the 21st century as a hub of community life as well as celebrating our unique heritage. Read more here.

So while we didn’t get the Heritage Lottery funding we had hoped for this year, we’re still working hard to create our vision of the church for the 21st Century!