St Andrew's Community Church (StACC), Foxhill
Led by our Associate Minister for Foxhill, Catherine Vaughan, a twice-monthly, morning service takes place in the community centre. There is currently a congregation of 30-40 adults and 10-15 children. These are all people who either live in Foxhill or have a heart to reach out to the people in that community and most are members of htcd. There is a wide cross-section of people; most ages except teenagers and twenties; families, widowed and single; employed and unemployed; people who have lived there 20+ years and people who have recently moved there.
Our mission is to work with God to build a community of hope in Foxhill based upon our values of GRACE (Generosity, Relationship, Acceptance, Character and Every member ministry).
The services are very informal, café style and welcoming to those who are not used to attending church, and once a month are followed by a simple lunch. As well as those who attend the services there are others who come to some of the outreach activities who think of StACC as their church. This service will move into the new building when finished and it is hoped that it will then become a weekly service. Services currently take place on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.
Mid-Week
Regular activities are currently held in the Community Centre, building on our GRACE values:
| Messy Mondays | An hour of songs, stories and crafts for parents/carers and their pre-school children with a low-key Christian input. |
| Tuesday Toddlers | A toddler group with thriving numbers where parents/carers stay with their children. People know it is run by the church but there is no explicit Christian input. |
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Wednesday Focus
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A drop-in on for anyone to come to for a chat, to meet friends, to use Credit Union. Hot drinks, home-made cakes and hot lunches are available for a donation. There is a real sense of community in this group and a sense of this being church for them. |
| Home Groups | We have 3 small groups that meet weekly together. |
There is also a lot of 1:1 support and relationship building done by many within the community
We participate in regular outreach events such as Carol Singing at the local shops, joining in the community Fun Day, Social Action.
We have good links with other agencies working in the area such as the local police, community association, residents groups, etc.
History
The original St Andrew’s was built as a Mission Chapel in 1957 on the then small estate of Foxhill as part of the Parish. The estate gradually grew and there were regular services and activities held in the church. In Spring 2005 there was a fire in the building and significant damage done. The PCC agreed to have the building demolished and a new one rebuilt that would be more flexible in its use by the community. In Spring 2006 the old church was demolished and planning permission for the new building was finally granted in November 2009. Work on St Andrew’s is due to start in Spring 2011 and it is hoped that it will be finished within a year.