Newbold Church Opening

Binfield, Berkshire

14 September 2002

NEWBOLD CHURCH OPENING - A DREAM COME TRUE - from Velda Cox <veldac@newbold.ac.uk>

"I cannot deny that I used to dream of this new church and it is as good as my dreams," said Dr Derek Beardsell, former Principal of Newbold College, and first to preach in the new church on Saturday 14 September 2002. It was indeed a day for rejoicing, with people coming from near and far to attend the official opening ceremony that took place on Sabbath afternoon at 3.00 pm.

Among those taking part were Trans-European Division President Dr Bertil Wiklander, British Union Conference President Pastor Cecil Perry, South England Conference President Pastor Don McFarlane, Newbold church pastor, Pastor Ian Sleeman, Newbold Principal Dr David Penner, and former Newbold Principal Dr Andrea Luxton who returned from Canada especially for the occasion.

Special guests included the Mayor, Councillor Dorothy Hayes, local councillors, the local Anglican vicar and architect Simon Roden, who was responsible for the design of the building. Also present were Newbold church members, college students, alumni and friends of Newbold, and many others who, in one way or another, felt some affinity with the Newbold community.

The new church is a spacious contemporary building that integrates with the landscape. To ensure that the view of Moor Close remains unrestricted, the church has been built into the contours of the gently sloping land, with the largest elements towards the boundaries of the site. Once inside the building there is a feeling of openness and transparency and the semi-circular seating arrangement ensures that the congregation can feel involved with the activities on the platform. One of the most innovative features is the green turf-covered flat roof over single storey spaces.

The building includes a number of meeting rooms, alcoves and other spaces where people can interact. It also houses a café area emphasising its role of serving both church and community. Commenting on the building Pastor Don McFarlane said that the new church "is built with both the church members and the community in mind... It is an outstanding addition to the South England Conference stock of buildings." President of the Newbold Student Association Stian Keyn said, "It's a great relief to have something so modern in a traditional Adventist setting. I like the grass on the roof - very Norwegian in style."

Plans for a church building for Newbold College go back as far as thirty years and it has taken a huge effort from a wide number of people and organisations to bring the project to completion. During the church opening service, Dr Wiklander said, "This church is a remarkable result of different entities working together in harmony and unity. The Seventh-day Adventist Church world-wide made its contribution, the Trans-European Division too. So did alumni and friends of the College, as well as the local Adventist congregation here in Binfield. The South England Conference made a significant contribution, as well as the British Union, who provided the land in one of the most prestigious areas in Britain. The local community authorities kindly granted planning permission. We are grateful to God and to all of these for such co-operation."

Speaking at a meeting of alumni and friends of Newbold that was held after the church opening service, Newbold Advancement director, Velda Cox highlighted the significant contribution made by alumni and friends who had helped to bring the project to a successful conclusion. "It was the gifts made by individuals, some of whom are present here today, that gave us hope and courage and the determination to continue with the project. This support and passion for the church, which came from many parts of the world, helped to re-generate the vision for the church," she said. Velda went on to explain how early donations from Audrey and Jud Wilcox, who came from the USA especially for the event, and McKee Foods, had provided concrete evidence on which to base hopes that the dream might indeed become a reality. "Then donations started coming in from all over the world," she said.

The end result of all the efforts put in by countless individuals was summarised simply by Pastor Cecil Perry. "Once this was a vacant piece of land, but now there is a church raised to heaven."

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