PROJECT Gateway blog - APRIL & MAY 2025
stripping out the old
April, the first month of work, saw the church being stripped out ready for development, and in May, the ‘first fix’ began. We’ll be replacing and upgrading pretty much everything from electrical and plumbing systems, to expanding our space with new meeting rooms.
Find out more below…
The stripping out process
Take a look at the photos below to see how the church looks now its being stripped out…
All the existing mechanical and electrical services within the church have been isolated and disconnected.
Every room has been stripped of it’s carpet or flooring.
Toilets, cubicles, sinks, tiling are all gone.
Kitchens are completely stripped of equipment, counters, shelving etc.
The lift has been removed.
The dais in the Nave has been stripped back.
What’s happening next in the building?
‘First fix’ for mechanical and electrical systems will be continuing.
The new drainage system will be fitted.
The openings for the big new café windows will be created.
Here’s a reminder of what our new Cafe will look like on the outside when it’s finished in autumn 2025. The decisions on the internal finish are yet to be completed, so this is an indicative image.
Finance update
We have raised around £4.5m in gifts, pledges, grants and interest, and we are around £750k short of our target. We have had approval for up to £600k mortgage on 4 Orchard Drive (the house we own), and we will have a Gift Day in October 2025 to raise as much of the final £750k as we can so that any mortgage we take out will be as small as possible.
We have been very blessed with the generosity of our congregation and other funders. Although we know we still have a significant final amount of fundraising still to do this year, overall we are very optimistic about our financial situation.
New fundraising campaign
Now that construction work we are doing is very visible in Jubilee Square, we will be taking the opportunity to reach out to the Woking community to raise additional funding for the construction of the Youth and Community Centre (YCC). The campaign will focus on the YCC’s aim to serve as a hub and dedicated space for youth and vulnerable groups, particularly as Woking town centre does not currently have a dedicated youth workspace. The YCC is estimated to cost £1.35m; we have already raised £900k in grants, we are seeking a further £450k in donations to support the building of a new extension to the existing building, a kitchen, a disabled accessible toilet, and breakout rooms.
The campaign will use Stewardship and crowdfunding websites. Watch this space for how you can help spread the word to friends, neighbours, colleagues and the wider community in Woking.
Contract matters
We have extended our period of detailed contract negotiation, assisted by our project management partner Ridge. The final technical tweaks and hence finalising the contract sum are very close to completion, meaning we should be exactly within our planned budget.
Where is church happening now?
You can find all the information you need on where to find Offsite Church by clicking this link and on our FAQs page.
Find out more
If you want more information about the project, or to find out how you can support it financially, take a look at our Gateway pages on ChristChurch’s website, or you can chat to any of the members of the team: Adrian Beavis (Vicar), Steve Roberts (Project Leader), Walter Coxon (Finance), Mike Pearce (Technical), Peter Wichmann (CCW building knowledge and expertise), Rachael Purvis (Project Coordinator). If you’d like to email us with a specific query you can do so at this email address: gateway@ccwoking.org.