Stories of Transformation
Church land and property are not just assets to manage - they are foundations for thriving lives and communities!
Once we see meeting housing need as an integral part of our mission, everything changes.
St Aldate’s Church, Gloucester
St Aldate’s is a Grade II listed church built in the 1960s; alongside it was a wooden church hall and large vicarage - neither of which were fit for purpose any more. What would the diocese do?
St Andrew’s Church, Portland
Seeing the opportunity to meet local need, rather than sell off their church hall, the PCC chose to raise funds and pay a local builder to convert it into two flats for young people…
Christ the Redeemer Church, Cambridge
A church in one of the most deprived areas of Cambridge wanted to step up their response to homelessness and teamed up with social enterprise Allia to create a community of six modular homes…
St Martin’s Parish Centre, Preston
After St Martin’s Parish Hall complex in Preston closed its doors in September 2019, they decided to build a new chapel and fit-for-purpose community space…
St Mary of Eton, Hackney Wick
A Victorian church and vicarage were in a state of disrepair, and an imaginative redevelopment scheme delivered 26 new homes, as well as a new vicarage and community hall - but the PCC weren’t able to provide any affordable housing on the site.
Kingsley Hall, Dagenham
Kingsley Hall Church and Community Centre (KHCCC) was in need of both physical and missional renewal. It has since been transformed into an integrated hub of housing, community provision, and worship.
St Stephen’s Gloucester
The large old St Stephen’s vicarage was no longer required, and the empty building was becoming an eyesore. A chance conversation paved the way for a new partnership to provide social homes.
Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford and Bishop for Housing