St Albans church celebrates new look after �4m switch

A CHURCH in St Albans has literally turned itself around over the last 15 months in order to meet the needs of its community and make it more accessible.

St Paul’s Church on Hatfield Road has undergone extensive work to move the front of the church to the back and the back to the front, installing a new kitchen and increasing space for their youth and children’s work.

Where previously the church and hall were separated by a car park, the new work sees the two buildings fused together and a new kitchen equipped to cater for large functions installed.

A large and welcoming atrium now covers the space where the car park had been, but despite the modern adaptations, the original brick work and windows are still very much part of the church.

The entrance to the 100-year-old church is now through large glass doors where previously the altar lay, and what had previously been the back of the church is now the front.

The pews have been removed and replaced with chairs, enabling the space to adapt to suit the situation.

The work on the church involved raising �4 million, most of which came through fundraising efforts and the congregation. This included a tithe of 15 per cent to support local and international Christian projects.

A spokesperson for St Paul’s said: “Shifting the church around created a lot of discussion but now that the change has been made, so many members of the congregation have admitted they never expected it to look so beautiful.

“The vicar told the congregation that he always knew the back of the church was beautiful, which we now know to be true.”

The church held an open day last Saturday to welcome the community back to their church and invite them to see the changes for themselves.