The church is medieval (the earliest parts are 900 years old) but is not a place that rests on its historic laurels. It wants to welcome people and “express the love of God”.
According to Roger Goodden, who is in charge of the fabric of the church, St Andrew’s “is simply wishing to link with and be a friend to the rest of the community and to spread the gospel.”
Oakington is a village in South Cambridgeshire, with a population of just 1,400 and St Andrew’s aims to share the presence of God with the rural community. As part of this call, the church hosts a summer garden party, a harvest and other concerts organised by the community, and performances from visiting choirs.
If you’re going to do these things, you need a good heating system, not just a missional heart. “The better the facilities, the more welcoming we are as a church”, says Roger.
Formerly, the church was heated by electric panels on the back of the pews. These dated back to the 1990s and had become notoriously unreliable.
“The whole system was subject to breakdowns,” says Roger, “and whole sections of pews could lose their heating….”
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— St Andrew’s Church, Oakington (@StAndrewsOaky) January 28, 2021
