Tenders came back near the beginning of last month, and the good news is that they were, as hoped for, very competitive, and the best one, on analysis, stacked up as genuine. That means we’re in the good position of having a preferred contractor, and a period of time within which we need to sort out a few things before making a definite decision to go ahead.
The things that need sorting are basically to finalise a Business Plan which demonstrates how we expect the place to run successfully, and on the back of that to persuade the relevant bodies that it’s safe to release their money to us for the purposes for which they’re offered it – in other words to satisfy what the legal people call ‘due diligence’. So we hope, in the words of either Bob or Barack, to be able to say a resounding ‘Yes, we can!’
Prayer Pointer – pray for all the processes and people involved in the finalisation of the Business plan.
St Martin’s House – what will happen in there?
I’ve mentioned several of our possible ‘partners in mission’ in previous updates, alongside the work we aim to carry out more directly. There are still a lot of provisional conversations going on which makes it hard to be too definite at this stage, but we are clearer than ever that the mission and outreach of this place will be central to its life; that it will aim to reach some of the needier and more vulnerable sections of our society – groups such as vulnerable young people, asylum seekers and those in poverty, who are all likely in the next few years to be pushed even more to the margins, as the cost of global recession is paid by those least able to bear it.
Prayer Pointer – pray for all the possible partnerships, that the right ones come to fruition at the right times.
The Square and the Cathedral Reordering
Although these are different aspects of the overall Project, at the moment they’re travelling closely together. We now have two different firms of architects, engaged for their respective specialisms, dealing with the two strands, but working closely together – Pick Everards on the Square, and van Heyningen & Haward on Cathedral reordering. There are tight timelines if we’re to get overall schemes approved in time to meet funding deadlines, but everybody is working hard to that end. And as soon as we have plans available for wider comment we’ll let you know.
Prayer Pointer – pray for all the professionals working on both Square and Reordering proposals to produce compelling and practical designs that can be put forward to the relevant bodies with confidence.
Parish support and publicity
Existing reps and all parish clergy will shortly be receiving an invitation to help us again, as many did at the beginning of the year, with a consultation meeting on our developing mission thinking (see above!). I have recently written up the outcomes of the February-March consultation with the title ‘Our Centre – Our Mission’, showing how what was said has helped shape the development of the project to date. A copy of that report is being made available from the website for your interest. We’d also like to invite those parish reps who missed out on the chance to visit the building last July to come and have a look – watch out for a date soon!
Prayer Pointer – pray for the development of our mission and outreach plans, and for good quality engagement with these from parishes across the diocese
People
David Monteith, new Canon Chancellor, has just joined the Cathedral Square project group, bringing with him a wealth of prior experience and new linkages with the developing Cathedral vision and work.
We also have a new car park attendant, Alex van Roose, who like our other attendant, Danny English is also a musician in his spare time. So if you ever pass that caretaker’s office and hear strange sounds coming out…
Prayer Pointer – give thanks for what David will bring to the project, and ask that God will help us find the right people to advise us at the right times.
Last word?
We finished a recent Project meeting with a quick round up of what were different people’s immediate concerns at that moment. I won’t trouble you with what others said, by I found myself saying something like: “Keeping everybody happy”, which I know is impossible, but then rephrasing it “responding properly to the many and different voices that all have urgent things to say about this Project”. If I have a personal prayer request it’s that I can keep on doing just that – being neither too defensive nor too easily swayed by all the different perspectives and voices. In the end we have, together, to listen to one Voice, of course. It’s hearing it clearly that’s the challenge!
Pete Hobson – Project Director 3 October 2009