Christ Church Eccleston - Building for the Future

�Building for the Future� Update

Dear Friends and members of Christ Church,

Just a brief note to keep you informed of progress.

The work to �make safe� the top of the Spire has been completed and has cost some �15,000. We have been greatly encouraged by the support Church members and friends and also that of our Insurance Company who have paid for most of the work involved in making the top of the Spire �safe�.

However, just because the Spire is now looking vertical with a bright shiny weather vane on top, please do not be fooled into thinking that the remedial work on the Spire is complete. It isn�t! That was just Phase 1.

Phase 2 will be to replace the stonework which has cracked and broken away from the Spire, and the corroded metalwork within the Spire which caused it. This is expected to cost in the region of �20,000.

Phase 3 will be to replace the remainder of the corroded metalwork before it cracks the stonework. Our Architect and Steeplejack believe that this can be tackled from within the Spire. This is expected to cost in the region of �30,000.

Phase 4 will be to �point� where necessary. This will cost in the region of �20,000.

If you add all of these figures together you will note that they total �85,000 [much less than the �115,000 we first feared]. This is because the Steeplejack has proposed an alternative method of tackling the Spire problems and the Architect has approved what has been proposed.

We are thankful for this, but �70,000 is still a lot of money to raise for Phases 2, 3 and 4. The �Building for the Future� Fund currently stands at approximately �27,000 after paying for Phase 1. We are still awaiting the formal response of English Heritage, but we know already, from discussions with them that any help they offer will be small, if anything at all.

And, of course, we mustn�t forget that �Building for the Future� is about much more than the Spire! So, we are currently considering which Architect to appoint to carry forward the designs for the planned reordering of the Church building to make it suitable for the 21st Century and the growth for which we are planning and praying.

So, the challenge of giving and fundraising towards the creation of a �Building for the Future� continues.

People have asked me if we are having an Easter Gift Day, so the Church Council have agreed that we should hold one. �Building for the Future� envelopes are enclosed with the Church Magazine and are also available from Church, should you wish to make an �Easter offering�.

Finally, we want to say a big, �Thank You� to all who have, and continue to support the Lord's work here in Eccleston, through the �Building for the Future� project, and to the FUNdraising Team for all their efforts in organising events.

Bill Forster, on behalf of the Church Council.

Easter 2010

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