A church for people who don’t go to church
Building for the future
…for the community
...for the church
…for the city
…for Christ
…sustainability…growth…passivhaus…gospel…community…flexibility…
Building for the future…
Christ Church Central is an established and
growing church in the centre of Sheffield that
has outgrown its existing building.
A new building has been designed for us that is
suitable for our current site; Planning Permission
was obtained in January 2013.
We have raised £150,000 of funds from current
members to pay for the work so far.
We now need to raise a further £2.85m for
construction.
We need your help to make this a reality, whether
by sponsorship, gift, community award or prayer.
The new building will be:
• Contemporary – with a welcoming design true to our ethos as ‘A church for people who don’t go to church.’
• Spacious – providing the space required for our growing church
family to meet together.
• Sustainable – designed to achieve Passivhaus accreditation, with low running costs and environmentally stable for future generations.
• Community-focused – providing a hub
for community resources including our expanding playgroup and ministries to the surrounding neighbourhood.
• Durable – built to last, with quality materials and modern building techniques.
• Flexible – meeting the needs of diverse groups inside and outside
the church family.
Christ Church Central: Building for the Future
March 2013
Contents
1. Our Story
3
2. Our Mission, Vision and Values
4
3.Financials
5
4.
Objectives
6
4.1 Building and Design
4.2 Sustainability and Passivhaus
4.3 Durability and Flexibility
4.4 Neighbourhood and Community
5.
Facilities and Layout
5.1 Ground Floor
5.2 First Floor and Mezzanine
5.3 Second Floor
6. How You Can Help Us
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…sustainability…growth…passivhaus…gospel…community…flexibility…
Egerton Hall, our
current building
1.
Our Story
Christ Church Central was founded in October 2003 by a team of 52 adults. Over the last decade, our
church family has grown to its present size of more than 250 attendees every Sunday. We have also
recently sent 20 members to plant a new church in another part of Sheffield.
Our present building, Egerton Hall, was purchased at the outset and has served us well. Our steady
growth has, however, meant that we have held meetings in several city-centre venues during the
lifetime of the church. Following several years of research, consideration and prayer by church leaders
and members alike, we therefore made the decision to construct a new building on the existing site.
We have always believed that the building is an asset of the church family and have therefore involved
them throughout the design and planning process. Observation days, small group discussions and
consultations have led to the design of a building that will meet the needs of the church for the long
term.
In July 2011 Architype was appointed to work as architect for the project. Alongside the other objectives
for the building, they were tasked with providing an energy-efficient, low-maintenance solution. To
achieve this, the building has been designed to meet the Passivhaus standard – a ground-breaking step
for a church building in the UK.
The design phase was completed in autumn 2012 and planning permission was granted in January 2013.
We are now seeking support to raise the finance needed to convert our plans into the finished building
and we would like your help to enable us to achieve this.
Our goals are to raise £2.85m and to commence construction in early 2014.
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2.
Our Mission, Vision and Values
Our mission is to take the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ to people in Sheffield who don’t
yet know him – to be a church for people who
don’t go to church.
Our vision is to see 10% of Sheffield as active
members of ‘Bible learning’ churches.
Our values arise out of our desire to receive,
live and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord:
• Faithful Bible teaching.
• Personal and corporate commitment to evangelism.
• Christian friendship, prayer, serving and giving.
Our ethos is reformed, evangelical, protestant and Anglican, and so we seek to remain faithful to the
ancient creeds of Christianity and to the Church of England’s 39 Articles.
We aim to make orthodox Christianity accessible, understandable, relevant and available to everyone.
We are traditional in our beliefs, but not always in our practices.
We work with those who live and network in
Sheffield city centre. This includes the residents of
the new apartments in town, the networks of our
church membership, students (both international
and British) and vulnerable persons.
Our demographic is best understood in terms
of the ministries the church undertakes, but is
characterised increasingly by young families and
youth, as well as 20-30 year olds, students and
those from an international background.
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3.Financials
To reach the planning permission stage alone, the church
family has raised £150,000 through personal giving and
sponsored events such as skydiving and marathon-running. New
initiatives are in place to encourage creative ways to give prayerfully.
We have identified many trusts and charitable organisations that are
willing to support projects like ours and we are applying to them through
the appropriate processes. To unlock these, we do need to identify other bodies
and individuals who are willing to contribute.
We are undertaking our fundraising in prayerful dependence on our God and trust
that, if it is His will, the financial means will be revealed.
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4.
Objectives
4.1 Building and Design
We identified the following key objectives for
the building:
With these objectives in mind, we
have two key principles that have been
expressed in the design:
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Redevelop our existing site
Create four times our existing space
Seating for 300 in the main hall
Full immersion baptistry
Flexible multi-purpose spaces
Kitchen/café hub at ground floor entrance
Ample storage
Secure administration area
Low running costs
Highly visible yet humble building
Welcoming, part of the community
Facilities to support our church-planting
vision
Identity: the building will say who we are and what we stand for. It will not therefore be a proud, egotistical icon, but a simple, humble and practical building serving God and his people.
Sustainability: the building needs to stand the test of time for generations to come, structurally, stylistically and environmentally. It will therefore use a blend of contemporary and traditional techniques, both reflecting the past and looking forward
to an exciting future.
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4.2 Sustainability and Passivhaus
As a church we understand that sustainability is important
and integral to serving God while also providing a legacy for
future generations. Therefore, the building is proposed to be
designed and built to the Passivhaus standard with full certification.
This will increase the capital outlay but immediate and substantial
savings will be made through reduced energy costs.
Passivhaus
Passivhaus is a design and construction standard
for buildings to provide the lowest practical
energy demand. In practice, this will require high
levels of insulation, triple glazing, a mechanical
ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR) and
high quality construction. The primary heating is
provided by passive heat sources such as the sun,
human occupants, appliances and extract air. The
heating system is very small when compared to a
conventional building of similar size and use.
Glazing is orientated and combined with shading
to control solar heat gain. The MVHR system
supplies fresh air and helps to control the
temperature in both summer and winter.
4.3 Durability and Flexibility
It is also crucial that the building has a long life. This is, in part, down to the quality of construction,
detailing and the materials specified, but key also is how the building functions, both internally and as
part of the city.
Flexibility has been an important element in the design, allowing a number of combinations and uses of
the spaces that might permit hitherto un-anticipated uses of the building.
We also want the building to be enjoyable for its users; its materiality, form, light and views both
internally and externally should be attractive, stimulating and promote a sense of wellbeing.
As a building in a changing part of central Sheffield, the design is intended to be contemporary but clear
and honest. It is key that the new building conveys the message of ‘A church for people who don’t go to
church’ by being welcoming, non-threatening and free from unnecessary religious paraphernalia.
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4.4 Neighbourhood and
Community
The church sees its location at the Egerton Hall site as key to
its city-centre identity, and we look to draw our congregation
from the surrounding community, many of whom are students and
young people. In this respect we are making a unique contribution
to the area, the impact of which will only be increased as we construct
a venue large enough to host our Sunday meetings rather than renting
alternative space elsewhere in the city centre. By increasing capacity and
providing a greater range of facilities, the church can establish itself as a long
term presence in the mixed and lively area that constitutes the Devonshire Quarter.
Sheffield City Council has developed a Local Development Plan that includes the ongoing redevelopment
of the Devonshire Quarter, aiming to retain its existing ‘urban village’ feel while encouraging commercial
and cultural development, particularly with high quality and contemporary architecture. These aims
mesh extremely well with the scope of our own building project.
Particular opportunities to serve our community include providing flexible spaces for local groups to use,
and increasing our existing playgroup provision, which has already received City Council recognition for
its work. Furthermore, the presence of the new church building on the site will enhance the security of
the area through creating more activity throughout the week and a busier street scene.
Location of Christ Church
Central’s proposed building
Development zoning for Sheffield City Centre, with Christ Church Central’s site indicated. Orange and
tan zones represent residential areas; blue represents retail and pink represents commercial.
© Sheffield City Council
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5
Facilities and Layout
At the heart of the building will be a main worship space
that can hold 300 people, providing a dedicated facility for
the church, available for external use where appropriate.
The floor area of the new church has been established in consultation
with the end users, with reference to current space standards and
legislation.
5.1 Ground Floor
The ground floor will be a focal point for welcoming people into the building. A fully equipped kitchen
will enable the church to cater for a wide variety of events and occasions. Flexible spaces will provide for
children’s and youth ministry work, small group meetings, and music ministry rehearsal. When opened
out there will be space for larger meetings and community use. The external façade will be reclaimed
brick.
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Ground Floor Plan
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Entrance
Welcome space
Flexible hall
Main kitchen
Toilets
Storage
Buggy park
Bicycle store
Disabled parking
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5.2 First Floor and Mezzanine
The main hall will seat up to 300. Primarily designed for
services, it will also be used for general meetings and other
events. There will be a full immersion baptistry to the front of
the space. Tiered seating along the back wall will complement the
flexible seating of the main space. Two balcony spaces on the
mezzanine floor above will provide additional seating, one of which
will have access to the external terrace and be capable of being screened
off to provide an additional meeting facility.
Good-quality audio-visual facilities and careful acoustic design will provide both, clear communication
and exciting music production. These will enhance our worship while retaining the warmth and
welcoming friendliness that is a characteristic of Christ Church Central.
The external façade will be Reglit glass.
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First Floor Plan
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Main meeting space
Informal meeting space
Private study & meeting
Small Kitchen
Toilets
Storage
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Void
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First Floor Mezzanine Plan
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Main meeting space gallery
Meeting room
External terrace
Media desk
Storage
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First Floor Mezzanine Plan
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Main meeting space gallery
Meeting room
External terrace
Media desk
Storage
Void
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5.3 Second Floor
The administration offices, private workspaces and further
flexible meeting spaces will be located on the second floor.
These will provide secure accommodation and privacy from
which to manage the church and provide support for church plants
launched by Christ Church Central, in line with our vision for spreading
the gospel in our city.
The external façade will be timber cladding and the roof will be maintenance
free metal which will be hidden from view.
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Second Floor Plan
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Meeting / study lounge
Administration
Private study & meeting
Small Kitchen
Toilets
Storage
Void
Plant
External balcony
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6.
How you can help us
We need your support. There are four ways you can help us achieve our goal:
1.Pray for wisdom, integrity and patience as we seek the funds needed.
2.Support the fundraising programmes that members of the church family initiate during the coming months.
3.Contribute to the project directly by giving.
4.Promote the project to others who may catch the vision for a gospel-driven, community-
focused, church at the heart of one of Britain’s largest cities.
If you have any questions or would like some more information please contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.christchurchcentral.co.uk
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
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