Our Vision

The protest singer Bob Dylan once sang that all he had was a ‘red guitar, three chords and the truth’. Centuries earlier a Christian Saint made his protest with a letter and three words; words he believed could lead us to the truth if only we could live them: Writing to a damaged and chaotic church, St Paul reduces everything to faith, hope and love.

Three small words which can change everything

As a church, these three words lie at the heart of what we preach and what we seek to practice

 
Faith in the God who is Love; unconditional, indiscriminate, reconciling

Hope in the Saviour Christ, who calls us to follow in his steps of sacrificial love into the life and future we were made for.

And the greatest of these…

Love through the Spirit of Peace; for God, for neighbour, for enemy; for the healing of self, society and all creation

Three small words, one huge commitment

That’s why we believe at St Andrew’s that a church must first be a safe place in which to explore and to fail; where questions are encouraged and everyone is welcome.
That’s our goal at least and our prayer for ourselves is…

‘Grant us clear eyes to see people as you see them,
sensitive feet to stand in their shoes,
warm smiles to welcome them in your name
and such generous hearts that our church becomes a foretaste of heaven where every soul you send us finds their loving home, in the community of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’

St Andrew’s Centre

There was once a time when a church was the centre of daily life; a place of gathering and commerce; of learning and sanctuary. It was in many ways the soul of a community.

Times have changed however and for most the church is now little more than a museum attraction or the venue for a Sunday-only leisure pursuit. In relegating the church to its margins many would say that society has lost something of the glue that holds it together, perhaps even its ‘soul’.

The vision for the St Andrew’s Centre is simple; to provide more and better space for the church’s growing activities (particularly with children and young people), and to re-establish that connection with the wider community. Our current hall is coming to the end of its shelf-life, and as a congregation we are outgrowing it. For over ten years, plans have existed to rebuild the hall and we have spent the last three asking God for his vision for this project.

We have come to believe that God is calling us to create a safe space devoted to wellbeing, wholeness and reconciliation. We aim to do this through prayer for healing of mind, body and spirit, through the teaching of meditation to find stillness and peace, through the promotion of healthy lifestyle and work/life balance, and through working with other agencies devoted to the wellbeing of individuals, communities and the planet.

It’s an enormous act of faith involving enormous amounts of money, but underpinning it is the sincere belief that as William Temple once said; ‘the Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members’ In other words, the Church is not a ghetto but an agent both of good news and good actions. Please pray for us. If you would like more information or would like to support this vision, please contact us.

 

For further information view St Andrews Centre

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