Our Church is in the heart of Canterbury. We can stand on the road and see the spires of the Cathedral. On first glance it is not a beautiful place, but looks are deceiving and we have one of the most wonderful places in Canterbury to worship in.
The church was built in the 1840s to Garrison the Royal Buffs. The soldiers were stationed here from the time of the Crimean War- they would have marched in threes through the West Door and filled the Church- which also had a mezzanine filled with pews at at that time. The army sold the church to the diocese in the 1970s, the Garrison left it deconsecrated. In in true 1970s style the whole inside was ripped out and reordered. We are so grateful for this as the space is flexible. The church was divided into a Church Hall and a Worship area. It was recommissioned in 1976 and the mission of All Saints Church then was to be a “Worship Centre”. The founder members were ambitious and wanted the church to be “not just for Church services but a place where those who have gifts to offer to the Glory of God, in Art, Music, or Drama, should be able to do so”.
We have an amazing Church - both physically and spiritually. The building is used every day of the year by community groups, church groups, art groups and churches of other denominations. We have a community larder, Food Bank, occasional night shelter and Community Hub.
This blog is to share the next part of our journey- we are developing as an Eco Church and we have a big Church building project to do. We want to do this at the same time as continuing the other work we do as a Church. We are a Church with a mission to Love God, Love Our Community and Be Disciples. I hope you will join us on the way. Bee
