It was a time of celebration when the people of St Andrew's Dawson Street in Crook in Weardale were at last able to mark the completion of the refurbishment of their church buildings. Special events were held over the weekend of 4th & 5th April 2009 as a culmination of all the work that had been done since St Andrew's United Reformed Church and Dawson Street Methodist Church had come together for form a Local Ecumenical Partnership just over three years previously.
The sun shone brightly as members of the church family and friends came together tto give thansk for all that has been done, and to share their hopes and dreams for the future with the new opportunities that have been given. Half an hour before the service began a good crowd of people gathered at the new entrance at the back of the church, which allows level access to the whole building. Prayers were said and the ribbon cut, and people were led into church for the main celebration.
The congregation included the Chair of the new Durham Councy Council, Councillor Brian Myers and his wife Alice, and our own MP Hilary Armstrong. Representing the wider church were Ruth Gee, Chair of the Methodist District, and Rowena Francis, Moderator of the URC Synod.
For the thanksgiving service they were joined by former ministers Tom Wilkinson and Ruth Crofton who recounted how the two churches came together, and how decisions were taken to make the builings fit for purpose for the 21st century. Members of the congregation brought various signs and symbols of the varied programme of actitvities that takes place in the present, and then today's ministers Ann Shepherdson and John Durell helped the congregation to look towards the future - and express hopes and dreams of what it may mean to be a serving church, a learning church, and a community church
The service was followed, as is always the case on these occasions, with a tea in the sparkling new halls that would surely have fed at least three times the number there - and it had been a very good turn-out in a full church.
Then after a brief interval, friends gathered in church again for the evening programme - a concert by the Fishburn Band, with guest soprano soloist Margaret Williams. Part of the refurbishment plans had involved extending the platform to allow for just such events - and there is hope that the church may host more musical occasions in the future. But it is hard to imagine that any of them can better the treat that Fishburn Band provided.
The following day one of the congregation's retired ministers, John Bower, led a special act of worship for Palm Sunday, which was preceded by a word of thanks and presentation of flowers to the church Property Secretary Edna March, who has had so many responsibilities over the refurbishment period. Then, after the service, and to bring the whole weekend to a conclusion, some sixty or so people sat down together for a three course Sunday lunch.
For more pictures
and a link to Mike Amos's Northern Echo At your Service piece
go to the St Andrew's Dawson Street website