When refurbishing Hazlemere Church, after the building roof had failed 8 years ago and damage caused by damp needed repairing, the church used the opportunity to think about how they could create a more missional space with the building.
The construction of the Trinity Centre was completed at the beginning of September 2021. The space serves as a community hub for the local area incorporating office rooms, counselling space, and the Atrium Cafe in the main glass-fronted entrance.
Generous donations from the congregation of more than three quarters of the £2.1m cost, supported the refurbishment and Trinity Centre construction, along with grant support from the Wycombe Local Council, the All Churches Trust, Laing Family Trust and HS2.
Since opening at the end of September, the Atrium Cafe has become a hive of activity. Open four days a week and staffed by a team of almost 20 volunteers from the church, the space is used by many from the church, but the majority of visitors are non-churchgoers who live in the area. The cafe is also used by the NHS for social prescribing, walking clubs, and dementia groups, as well as offering a safe and relaxing space for parents and carers to bring their toddlers to play and socialise.
The Revd Mark Meardon, Vicar of Hazlemere Church, shared how the project developed and the response from the community:
“The Atrium Cafe wasn’t part of our original plan but has now become the busiest part of the building! When we first started thinking about how we could use the building effectively to be serve God’s mission and be more community focused, a good amount of time was spent researching and planning how spaces can determine how people interact with one another and how we could therefore use the space to foster new relationships between the church and community.
“We envisaged a space where people would feel less like they were walking into a church and more like a welcoming home. Since opening the Atrium Cafe, there has been a gradual increase in the number of people coming through the door who haven’t engaged with church before, new parents are coming along to the toddler group, and we have even had a few people joining our Alpha Course.
“It’s created a real positive perception of the church among the community, residents are encouraging each other to visit via the local Facebook groups without us even having to ask! It’s really encouraging to see the beginnings of new relationships emerging, and the opportunities to explore and share faith with people.”
Has this inspired you to think about how your church could develop a community space?
The Church Buildings Team is able to offer advice and support when you need to carry out works to your church or churchyard. Find out more and get in touch.