ST ANDREW’S Church in Goldsworth Park has fixed its leaking roof windows with aid from two community funds.

“After 36 years the bespoke glass roof ‘lantern’ that lets in light also began to let in the rain,” explained its vicar, the Rev Kate Wyles.

“Now the building is watertight again, thanks to the work of Addison Glass, and the scaffolding will be coming down.

“We also owe a big thank you to Allchurches Trust for a grant of £1,500 and to Cllr Colin Kemp, who donated £2,500 from his Surrey County Council community fund.”

Cllr Kemp said: “At the heart of any community is its church and Goldsworth Park is no different, with St Andrews supporting so many residents and vulnerable groups in our community. I was more than happy to donate to these works.”

The total cost was more £20,000 including scaffolding hire. Costs in excess of the grants were funded by gifts from church members that were given over many years.

Kate reflected on the Bible story of a lame man who was lowered through a roof to reach Jesus.

“Jesus forgives his sins, and then tells him to pick up his mat and walk. Much to the amazement of the crowd he does so – praising God as he goes.

“Thankfully, you don’t have to make a hole in the church roof to receive the life-changing love of Jesus at St Andrew’s, even during this pandemic.

“We’ve discovered new ways of sharing God’s love outside our building, such as livestreaming or Zooming services on Sundays.

“Many of our community groups have gone online, and volunteers in Andy’s, our community café, have been distributing meals to those who are finding life challenging in a partnership with FoodWise.

“Please email our community worker at [email protected] to find out more or to ask for help.

“Our next project is to improve accessibility to the building by fitting doors that open automatically and wide access ways, so there should never be a need to make a hole in the roof to get in!”

St Andrew’s has applied to Your Fund Surrey for a grant towards the cost of these works, and is encouraging people to “like” the project by visiting https://bit.ly/30GDJgA.

FOR details of St Andrew’s Church and its live streamed and Zoom services, visit www.standrewsgwp.org.