The Old Testament book of Nehemiah is essential reading for all church project managers. Inspired by God, Nehemiah leads the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He starts with prayer, confession and repentance, seeking God’s will. This inspires King Artaxerxes, his boss, to give him time-off to re-build Jerusalem, with an army to protect Nehemiah as he does so!
Nehemiah engages the whole of the Jewish nation, with different groups taking direct responsibility for re-building sections of the wall. A long list of families return to Jerusalem when the re-building is complete, his work is not just about bricks and mortar, he is re-building the Jewish nation.
St Nicholas church is not derelict, but it does need repair. A lot of prayer has gone into the preparation of our plans for the repair and refurbishment of St Nicholas; we have the support of the relevant authorities and at least 50% of the church family have contributed towards the cost; we are getting close to the point where we can commit to a contractor and start work.
By the time you read this, we should have received costed proposals from 3-4 contractors. These will be very detailed and include a time plan as well as costs. A small team will analyse the proposals and meet with the architect to make a recommendation to PCC of how to proceed. This should be complete by the end of May; work will then start as soon as possible, depending on the cost, availability of funds and the contractor.
Please continue to pray, that the church will have enough resources available for work to start as soon as the selected contractor is available. As with Nehemiah when rebuilding Jerusalem, the refurbishment of St Nicholas is an investment for future generations. If you have not yet made a financial commitment to support the work, please prayerfully consider doing so. Forms to make a gift are at the back of church or simply speak to Don Cooper or myself, Anthony Taylor.