THE view from the top of St Stephen’s is grand as work to make the historic church watertight is completed.
The landmark building has a new waterproof roof and drains and guttering that do their job after renovation work costing some £300,000.
“Where we knew we had serious problems, these are now fixed, the building has its hat sorted and it’s raincoat on which means rainwater should go down the drains rather than down the walls,” said town centre chaplain and vicar of St Stephen’s Rev Paul Lawlor.
“We’ve also managed to do some stone repairs at the same time.”
The work has been paid for with grant money and cash saved by the diocese in Redditch over the years, and Rev Lawlor paid tribute to the work of church wardens Keith Abbott and Elaine Whitfield, and to the efforts of the contractors.
“They have been excellent and we are blessed that the building has behaved as well as it has,” he said.
“St Stephen’s is architecturally and spiritually important to the town, it is of the people and for the people.
“It moved from Bordesley up to the centre of Redditch for the people of this town, and I love that about it.
“The interesting point is how do we make it suitable to be the church people want now, how do we respond to the new rather than step back.
“There’s been some real creativity in the church in the last 15 months.
“Morning Prayer on Facebook? Services on YouTube? 18 months ago I would have said don’t be ridiculous – but necessity is the mother of invention.
“The last 15 months have caused us to take stock, how does the building need to function in the world we are living in today?
“So together we are having lots of thoughts around the way forward.”
