Smith Construction, Warley Hill, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex

The Christ Church Centre Vision

The Christ Church Centre will enable the Parish Church in Warley to provide a new meeting place for the community during the week.

Their hope is that the Centre will be a place where those who wish to step aside from the pressures of everyday life can find peace, companionship and refreshment. Existing groups such as Carers and Toddlers, Guides, Brownies, Boys Brigade. Mothers Union, Chattabox and the Monthly Lunch Club will be starting up again in the new improved facilities designed to support local families.

The Centre will be open each day for anyone who wishes to find some personal peace and quiet, or to talk over something which is on their mind, people will be there to listen and, if they wish, to pray for them.

New Entrance Porch New Entrance Porch New Entrance Porch New Entrance Porch New Entrance Porch New Entrance Porch Interior

The origins of the Christ Church Centre lie more than three years ago. 

In one amazing month of February last year, over £150,000 was given by members of Christ Church. This was on top of more than £70,000 available from their reserves thanks to the generosity of past generations. It was clear that the vision for the Christ Church Centre was capturing everyone's imagination.

The Reverend Chris Goldsmith decided that he wanted the centre to be welcoming, and relevant to the needs of people in Warley. He could see that facilities, apart from the church itself, needed improvement. Many people commented favourably about the main church once they had come in, but the entrance was cramped, dark and draughty. They were also short of suitable space for a growing number of mid-week activities and the toilets and kitchen needed upgrading.

Rev Goldsmith asked his architect to design the Christ Church Centre and the estimate came back that it would cost £400,000 to do the job properly, which was a huge figure to find. On top of that, he needed to gain the support and approval of the whole Christ Church family and a range of county, local and Diocesan authorities. 

The decision was taken to go ahead and they soon found themselves on a faith-building journey which resulted in the opening of the new Centre. This was only possible due to very generous donations from The Boys Brigade, Garfield Weston Foundation, Essex Environment Trust, Beatrice Laing Trust, The Rank Foundation, Fowler Smith & Jones Charitable Trusts and Allchurches Trust.

In another Gift Day, the contribution from the current Christ Church family rose to well over £200,000, more than half the total raised. What an incredibly generous response! 

We have been fortunate to work with a talented and hard working group of professionals, Gerald Barrett the architect, Ian Hawkridge the quantity surveyor, and Laurence Smith the principal contractor.

It was a pleasure for us to help Rev Goldsmith and the Christ Church family achieve their dream in providing somewhere to suit their needs, and offer a place for the residents of Warley to meet.