Work is now complete on St Faith’s Centre, a brand-new church and community centre in the Springfield and Ringlestone area of Maidstone.
On Saturday 30 September, the site held an official opening event, offering a chance to thank those involved in the project.
Revd Canon Arthur Houston is the vicar for St Faith's, and managed the project. Speaking at the opening, he said: "This was a building where the teamwork was great, we all worked together really well, and it was a great joy to be a part of it.
"We've got two goals: it's to serve the local community and to grow the church.
"We want to be a big congregation that serves the community and brings the good news of our faith."
Councillor Ian Chittenden from Kent County Council unveiled a plaque to open the site, whilst the Mayor of Maidstone, Councillor Gordon Newton, cut the ribbon for the new nursery housed in the Centre.
Church services are held each Sunday in the main hall, and the Centre also has a café, meeting rooms and a quiet space.
Building work was carried out with the environment in mind, including features such as triple glazing.
Richard Hawkes was the architect for the Centre. Talking about this project, he said: “By using local materials from the vicinity, it will inherently help give the building a strong sense of place, that it belongs.
“All the insulation is made from recycled newspapers; it’s like a big ski jacket around the building to help reduce the energy consumption.
“We actually took the old building, crushed it, and it’s formed the bedding of the base underneath the new building, so effectively the new St Faith’s Centre is sitting on the foundations of the old building.”
These measures have contributed to its energy efficiency rating of A, meaning that it is very energy efficient, and as such, has lower running costs.
Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin attended the Centre at the end of July, giving a Prayer of Dedication to mark the gathering of worship in the new building.