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ONE OF THE PARTICULAR JOYS here in St Michael & All Angels Bramhall has been the willingness of the leadership teams to work with me, over the past five years, to create together a gently evolving best use of our beautiful building. Light and space have been keywords in hearts and minds. And the removal of as many “fences” (as Dean Richard Giles famously calls them) as possible. We’ve worked with Chloe Granger and John Prichard, a couple of the best architects in the business. We’ve prayed and experimented. We’ve decluttered and then decluttered some more. We’ve welcomed Cheshire Sinfonia to a new home, and (gloriously noisy and creative) Messy Church is comfortable here too. A new puppet ministry is on the horizon … reaching young and not so young alike – going out into schools, elderly persons residences, hospitals, bereavement ministries and so on. We look to prayerful liturgy – with plenty of silence, together with a warm welcome for every child, woman and man who could ever imagine wanting to come – as probably the most important thing we do.

We keep the church open long enough and often enough to be able to delight in daily “passing prayer”. Restoration works in the Tower space in time for last year’s Centenary celebration have given us an acoustically gorgeous home for one of our choirs, and space for suspended art installations, currently Angels (for said Centenary celebration) but shortly to house, all being well, Wendy Rudd’s stunning wind sails. Christmas here is a joy to behold. Light and space. Light and space. “Wow! Isn’t it fabulous?” is the response of most newcomers. “And gorgeously quiet”. 32 people gathered in a circle around the altar for (monthly) silent Meditation together on Monday evening last. Light and space. Light and space. Our “House for the Church” is teaching us, again and again, to make room for Light and space. Not to fill every blessed corner of our lives with clutter. And in the Light and space we’re finding God, or as a visitor said today, “truly finding Sanctuary”. Thank God for visionary shared leadership. Thank God for Light and space!

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