Design considerations

What statement should our new church building make?

On Sunday the 16th Jan. 2011, 28 participants from the community gathered to address the question “What statement should our new church make?” A remarkable and perhaps even inspired process took place where we were able to put together the following summary statement. As you see we tried to imagine the new building from four points of view – Spirit, Soul, Life and Body – in an attempt to take into account the different levels of experience that we could have with a built space.
In many ways this statement has remained as our inner compass whilst we have moved from one design phase to the next over the past months.

Spirit
  • I am not afraid
  • I am here
  • I am here for you
  • I am a sacred space
  • I am a place of spiritual development
  • Uplifting – Upwards – Awakening
  • Changes happen here
  • Shine out
  • Place of Individual and Community
  • Place of deepest humanity

Soul
  • Inviting
  • Welcoming
  • Openness
  • Warmth
  • Beauty
  • Interest
  • Motherly
  • Family
  • Social and cultural aura and activity
  • Mood and atmosphere

Life
  • Flow through
  • Flow in
  • harmony between outer and inner
  • Rhythm
  • Conscious of thresholds
  • Guiding Flow through the spaces
  • Directing Flow
  • Accompanying the way
  • Do come in
  • Tamed elemental beings
  • Metamorphosis

Body
  • Green / Environmental
  • Honesty
  • Energy
  • wise
  • Fitting in to the environment / local context
  • Materials and forms true to themselves
  • Cotswold stone? Not out of tradition but…
  • Objective rather than sentimental