Community
Friends of St Luke Farnworth
Over the past few weeks. we have been pleased to see the work carried out on improving access to the church, the stone boxes being installed, and work progressing on floodlighting our tower. We have also seen new gates fitted to both the new access and each end of the church.
School groups have visited the churchyard to plant seeds and to do some related project work, and we wait for further path work to be carried out in due course. Because of the amount of work involved in this renovation project, the committee has not been able to organise further fundraising events beyond the Ball. If you feel you can organise an event to raise money for the Friends then please get in touch.
Many people have commented on the improved appearance of the churchyard over these past few weeks and we are extremely grateful for the hours of work put in by a number of people - especially those on Community Service who have worked very hard to cut down the brambles!
It has, however, been very disheartening to see that the churchyard continues to be affected by anti-social behaviour. We are working closely with the Police and Community Support Officers to prevent further vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the churchyard. If you see anyone causing vandalism in the churchyard at any time, please do report it to the Police on 0845 -458 -0000.
Nothing is new...
The PCC has devoted a number of meetings recently to the question of attendance at Sunday worship. It is encouraging when a council can move away from considering the church roof (as important as it is)to thinking of the people who assemble beneath it.
As a first step we seek to gather information. What are people's attitudes towards the Church in our Parish? Why do some come to worship and others stay away? This exercise in self examination might help to remove some of the barriers within the Church itself which orevent people from joining in its life and worship.
Proposal for a Community Centre in Farnworth
As many of you know the Parish Church Council are exploring the possibility of building a Community Centre on part of the land currently designated as the Vicarage Garden. We believe there is a need for such a facility as it would broaden the opportunities for individuals in the local community, enhancing their lives and the life of the community in general.
The Parish Church Council has submitted a feasibility study report to the Liverpool Diocese for their consideration on how part of the Vicarage Garden might be utilised for a Community Centre. A meeting is being arranged for July 2009 between the Diocesan Estates Department and the Community Steering Group to progress the project.
The input of the community is vital to the long term success of this project and we value your comments.
If you need any further information on the project, or wish to contribute or be involved in any way, please contact Philip Lacey on 07710-030973 or email your comments to farnworthcommunitycentre@yahoo.com