Property

 

April 2021

Welcome to the April edition of Property Matters with a

focus on updates on guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic.        

If you have any feedback, please email the Property Support Team.

Covid-19 Updates 

The government has updated the Safe Use of Places of Worship to include details of how restrictions will be lifted for churches in England.  Updates for Step 2 on 12 April 2021 include:

  • Funerals are limited to 30 people
  • Weddings & civil partnership ceremonies, wakes and wedding receptions are limited to 15 people
  • Children and youth activities are allowed

 

Further information can be found on Coronavirus Guidance for Property.  Please note that this is only for England.  

  • Please follow the links for specific local regulations and guidance for the Isle of Man and Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey).

Property and Mission Roadshow

A series of online roadshows to introduce the new Strategic Guidance for the Use of Property in Mission are to take place over the coming months. The roadshows are planned on a regional basis, to address issues at a  local level and build on the work already started by the Connexional Property Strategy 2018-2020.  Full details and registration can be found here.

Methodist Insurance Update

Safeguarding

Making sure that children and vulnerable adults are adequately protected is important for all churches. To support this, robust safeguarding arrangements are key.

The way safeguarding is managed will vary depending on the individual church but effective safeguarding is usually achieved through a number of key factors including strong leadership, professional support, policy and procedures, information and training, empowered employees and careful recruitment etc.  Find out more

      

Building Work Reminder

It’s important to maintain a safe environment while undergoing any building works at your church.  Use our guidance to understand your responsibilities and help manage the risks.  Find out more

                

Safe Bicycle Storage Home Insurance for Church Officials

Bicycles can be easy targets for thieves. Methodist home contents cover automatically includes bicycles, as long as you have taken some precautions.

Find out more

         

Methodist Church Kitchen Produces over 10,000 meals through Covid-10

Allchurches’ Methodist Grants Programme funding has helped to refurbish Stamford Methodist’s kitchen so that it can support its community through COVID-19 and beyond. Second Helpings – the brainchild of a member of the Methodist church - collects surplus food from shops, far.ms, restaurants and hotels and uses it to cook food for those who need it most.  Find out more

HSE Updates

HSE have produced some updates as restrictions began to lift.  Some useful topics include:

   

 

Caring for Cumbria's Churches Conference

The Churches Trust of Cumbria invite you to join this free event via Zoom on Friday, 30 April 2021, 9:30am - 12:30pm.  Join us to hear and discuss the value of church buildings and their role as places of worship, hubs of the community and as heritage assets.  As well as practical advice on assessing their sustainability for the future.  

To register, click here.

 

Agenda:

  • The House of Good Report – Lord Inglewood – National Churches Trust Q&A.
  • “The Long View” – Trevor Cooper – Historic Religious Buildings Alliance
  • Caring for Cumbria’s Churches Project – Jayne Potts – Churches Trust for Cumbria
  • Statements of significance - Marion Barter – Historic Buildings Advisor
  • Ecclesiastical Insurance – Heather Ford, Church Insurance Consultant Q&A
  • ‘Going Forward’ - A conversation with Richard Teal – Methodist President
  • Peter Aiers - CEO Churches Conservation Trust

Churches Count on Nature

Churches Count on Nature is a joint initiative promoted by Caring for God’s Acre, A Rocha UK, the Church of England and the Church in Wales. During a week in June, it brings local people together to discover the wildlife in their local church yard, recording the species they find, combining their results with others which will be collated on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN), a nationwide database of wildlife in the UK.  For more information, click here.  

New Beginnings for Driffield Church

 

Driffield Methodist Church in East Yorkshire was a very large Victorian building that was unsuited to current needs and costly to maintain.  In 2011, the decision was made to demolish and erect a modern user-friendly as well as eco-friendly building.  Some updates included:  

  • solar panels on the roof,
  • new central heating boiler and controls,
  • a newly fitted kitchen,
  • renovated toilets, with water-free urinals,
  • energy efficient windows, and
  • new hygienic flooring.

 

The church opened in September 2020 after a decade of planning and fundraising.  Click here to read the full story.  

 

Resources for a Green Church

 

Join JPIT Yorkshire’s local group on Saturday, 12 June, 9:30am - 3:00pm for an online day conference on the Climate Emergency.  You will hear inspiring keynote speakers to stimulate your imagination, develop your understanding of the Bible and reinvigorate your worship life.

Click here to register here.

Next Steps Booklet


A new booklet from the Evangelism and Growth team provides an overview of some of the key programmes and resources to help churches, circuits, districts, and leaders take an intentional step into action.  Paper copies will be distributed widely in the post in May, but you can download an online version here.  

Graffiti on Historic Buildings

This booklet produced by Historic England describes the types of graffiti and historic materials affected, the legal context for reporting and prosecuting graffiti crime, general advice on removing graffiti, best technical practice expected of specialist graffiti-removal contractors, and prevention measures. It also addresses wider cultural developments, notably the increased public recognition and acceptance of ‘street art’, and the consequent need to define the boundaries between street art and unwanted graffiti.  Click here to download a copy.  

Managing Trustees Training Session

Following the workshop “Methodist Property: how to streamline transactions and improve efficiency” which took place on Thursday 4th February 2021, the PowerPoint presentation slides and a recording of the presentation are now available.  Click here to learn more.

Listed Building Advisory Committee

Meeting dates:  

  • 13 July - Deadline for papers - 14 June 2021
  • 19 October - Deadline for paper - 20 September 2021

 

Property Matters is a monthly newsletter focused on giving updates on property related guidance and legalisation as well as providing information and links to related subjects.  We cannot know about everything that’s going on, so please do email us if you have any feedback or ideas for items to include.

Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR 020 7486 5502 

methodist.org.uk

 

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