Heart of the City Project

Introduction

Following a year of preparation, the PCC expressed its unanimous support on 19th September 2016 for an exciting but costly set of plans for our buildings, which we believe are necessary for the future of St Thomas’ Church. You can see the detailed plans here: Heart of the City plans. If this project is to happen, it will need the involvement and sacrificial generosity of the whole church. We have now submitted our plans to the council, and are waiting for planning approval. We hope that building work can commence at the beginning of next year. With this in mind, our 2018 focus is on fundraising in the community.

BREAKING NEWS

We are delighted to announce that our planning permission has been approved by Lancaster City Council at their planning meeting on 23rd July. One Councillor said that they wanted to applaud the work that we do as a church. Our Heart of the City project is fast becoming a reality.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support leading up to this meeting.

COULD YOU HELP PLEASE?

We are seeking some market research support for our Heart of the City project over the summer and into the autumn. If you have a few hours available to help us gather some data, please e-mail Tim Parsons at bfm@st.tees.org.uk. The work can be completed from home during hours that suit you, provided you have access to a computer and the internet.

The work has the potential to be paid work depending on the hours that can be given.

FUNDRAISER OF THE MONTH

Well done to our vicar Jon, and his son Jamie, who have successfully walked the 70-mile Cumbrian Way, to raise money for our Heart of the City project.

The total raised so far is over £1,200! A fantastic effort by them both! It's not too late to support them - you can donate at:

https://www.give.net/scammanheartofthecityfund

Heart of the City Project - our 2018 vision

At the start of 2018, Jon Scamman, our vicar, set out his vision for our Heart of the City Project.

He is encouraging every member of the congregation to get involved in at least one fundraising initiative in 2018, and to put the "fun" back into "fundraising".

Read about his 2018 vision here: Heart of the City.

Presentation from our Architect, Dan Brown

On 14th March, Dan Brown and Jon Scamman shared the revised plans for the church centre, which have now been submitted for planning permission. To read that presentation, please click here.

Interested in starting your own fundraising initiative?

You can download several templates for your fun fundraising event including:

A poster to advertise your event
Invitation cards
"Money raised for" information cards
Sponsorship forms

Use these templates to advertise your event and to help raise funds.

Want to let your donors give money online?

We have set up a Heart of the City account on www.give.net. You can set up a personal giving page on www.give.net by following the instructions in this link: Instructions for setting up a giving page. Why not have a look at the Scamman family's give.net page, to see how your own page might look?

Stuck for Ideas?

Here are some of the creative ideas discussed at our Fundraising evening. With so many ideas to choose from we have decided to focus on a few key events to begin with, such as a themed cinema afternoon and a vintage tea party... but there is nothing to stop you from getting going straight away and organising your own small (or large) event in the community.

Please do share your ideas with us, and let us know if you are running an event and would like help advertising that. Have you checked out our Facebook page yet? This is where we will be sharing photos and write-ups of any fundraising events that have already taken place and we will also advertise future events here. You can also message us directly via the Facebook page if you have any questions about fund-raising.

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Karen and Mark were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and suggested to their guests that they might like to donate money towards our Heart of the City project instead of buying them a gift. They were overwhelmed by the generosity of family and friends who donated £200, and would like to pass on their thanks to all who contributed to this cause.

Please continue to pray for this project and give thanks for those who are giving their time and effort to fundraising in the community.

Progress updates for the Heart of the City Project

Newsletter - Heart of the City Update July 2018

Download the July update here

Newsletter - Heart of the City Update May 2018

Download the May update here

Newsletter - Heart of the City Update March 2018
Download the March update here

Heart of the City Giving Pledges

Pledges are welcomed at any time throughout this project.

►To download a copy of the pledge form, click here

Thanks so much for your interest in our building plans, and we are grateful for your support and prayers.