A facility to be able to serve refreshments to visitors is often an important requirement of a church reordering project. It’s a requirement that needs exceptionally careful consideration. The space needs to be highly functional, but also discreet so that it does not disturb the sacred silence of the church when it is not in use.
At St Mary Magdalene Church in Tanworth-in-Arden the servery facility is housed in two pieces of bespoke oak furniture. When open, they provide everything that’s needed to serve food and drink to visitors. When closed, they don’t detract from the peace or beauty of the church.
The unit can be opened in minutes – Phil Terry, one of the Church Wardens at St Mary’s reports: “We can open up the kitchen and be filling the teapot in the time it takes the choir to walk back down the aisle.”
It is also equipped to do much more than simply serve tea and coffee when needed. It includes pull-up electric sockets, a cooker and an induction hob, a dishwasher, an instant hot water unit, a sink and storage space for crockery, cutlery and cooking equipment.
Its functionality means it has been used to cook and serve a three course lunch for more than 40 people.
In St Andrew’s Church in Herefordshire, limited internal space and budget, meant we needed to reduce the build requirements to an absolute minimum, compressing all new architecture into a simple cube and heated floor.
The cube, which is clad in local Herefordshire oak, opens out to provide a kitchen facility and meeting spaces. It also houses a universally accessible toilet and the ground source heat pump. The delight of the design is that the cube can be opened up to create a food production space but can then be closed to restore the sacred space of the church. On a practical level, the solution provides security for the valuable electronic and IT equipment the church stores.
The reordering of St Michael & All Angels in Kingstone in Herefordshire is a perfect illustration of how serving facilities lead to a stronger, more close-knit and resilient community.
On Sundays, people are able to stay and chat after the service. Because the space is more accessible and more flexible in its layout, holding big events such as weddings and funerals, is much easier.
The church is now much more frequently used in the week too. Perhaps the highlight is Take a Pew, a tea room, which is held every Thursday afternoon. Jude, a member of the re-ordering committee said: “It’s been a lifeline for some people. They feel able to sit and have a chat and feel part of the community.”
At St Matthias Church in Wellswood in Torquay a kitchen and small café area with comfortable seating has been created at the back of the church to accommodate small gatherings and facilitate socialising.
The kitchen is used throughout the week as well as after services, helping to welcome new people into the congregation. Paul Stannard, Churchwarden at St Matthias said: “Before we had the work done, we used to have coffee in the hall next door. But people on the fringes of the congregation would leave and not go to the hall. Now, it’s much more obvious you can stay, and people are doing so much more often.”
In each of these examples, new serving facilities have revolutionised the way the church can serve and welcome its community.
