In the original application for funding to CRT to purchase St Mark’s, we wrote that
“The move to larger, more centrally located premises will also enable the church to expand its range of community provision.” Being a church at the heart of a community and serving our local community were both key aims, as our name indicates.
Since moving into the building last year, we have certainly seen those aims fulfilled. The church has started a coffee morning on Saturday mornings which is well attended by local residents (and which keeps the market stall holders warm throughout winter by providing them with hot drinks!) We also run badminton evenings for adults, which are attended by both church members and those who don’t attend meetings regularly – all are welcome to enjoy some exercise and fellowship. These are new activities, in addition to the children’s and youth clubs run on Monday nights and the Parent & Toddler group held on Friday mornings which have formed the backbone of our community work for many years.
In addition to these church-led activities, the building is now starting to be hired by other groups, since its central location and excellent facilities are helpful to them as well. The local Alzheimer’s Society has launched a new dementia cafe at the church (called the Forget-Me-Not cafe), meeting on the first Wednesday of every month from 11.00 a.m. until 1.30 p.m. Anne Simmons, the Support Service Manager, comments that “Dementia cafes provide a relaxed meeting place for people who have memory problems, their carers and familieis. We are trying to reach out to more carers and people living with dementia and the new cafe will help us to accomplish this in the Dearne Valley area.”
Slimming World has also started holding sessions here on Thursdays (one starting at 5 p.m. and one at 7 p.m.) and a badminton club meet on Wednesday evenings, with children’s parties often being booked for Saturday afternoons.
We are thrilled to see the building used so much by local people and are excited to see our vision for being a benefit and help to the community being fulfilled.