Barry Parish Church:

Planning for our Future              June 2021

Dear Members,

Our church was built over 120 years ago and, together with the separate hall, met the needs of the local population in Barry and the west end of Carnoustie at that time.  However, life has changed a lot since then and nowadays many churches are looking to support their communities much more in a range of different ways.  In common with many other charities, our financial situation has suffered in recent times and meeting all of our expenses is very challenging.  As a church member and local resident, how do you see our  future role in Barry and how we can demonstrate our support for our community?

We also want to share some proposals for our future development that we have been working on in recent Session meetings.

Our worship, pastoral care, mission and members activities will, of course, continue without question.

Background                                                                                             

As with many churches, our church can be used more frequently and more widely by people living locally if we can provide opportunities to use the building in different and new ways. The proposed changes would allow us to offer:

• Easier access to all seating spaces and arrangement as fits the occasion

• Increased adaptability in use – for worship, local group activities, cafes and fund-raising events etc.

• Additional space for activities using both the sanctuary and hall separately

• Improved quality of facilities

• Potential to continue operating safely if special circumstances require it; and

• A way to secure the financial future of Barry Parish Church

Our Proposals:                                                                                                   

In the Sanctuary where worship takes place, we:

Remove the pews and replace with fabric-covered stacking chairs;

buy more tables;

lift the carpet (not around the Communion Table and organ) and upgrade the floor;                                                                                        

Upgrade the sound system and hearing loop and re-install Wi-fi so that we can stream live services and some events.                    

In addition, we enlarge the kitchen by moving it to the south transept of the sanctuary, with partition walls and Upgrade the Toilets by putting female toilets in the current kitchen space and using the current single toilet as a male and accessible toilet.

An illustration of the floor plan will be available in the near future.

How are we going to fund this work?

To cover the main costs, we are applying for funding through ‘Adapt and Thrive’ which seeks to support charities whose income has been affected by Covid restrictions and who are looking to adapt for the future to provide community support and secure their financial position.  We are waiting to hear if we have been successful.       

How can members help?

At this stage, when we are waiting to hear if our application has been successful, we would like to ask you about your thoughts on the proposals described here and on other things we might be able to do to safeguard our future in Barry.

You can do this by

•          using the form provided and leaving your responses in the box located at the rear entrance to the church.

•          email to sessionclerk.barry@virginmedia.com .  You can download a copy of the form from the Barry Parish Church website here

What will happen next?                                                                       

Once we have heard if we will receive funding, all viewpoints and suggestions offered will be considered and we will keep members informed of progress.

Thank you for your support.