Dear Friend,
The Friends of the Church in Great Notley is a registered charity and fund raising organisation assisting with the erection and future maintenance of a new church building at the heart of the village to provide a spiritual and community hub for the benefit of the whole of the parish.

(The church is multi-denominational church made up of the Church of England, Baptist Union, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church, all worshiping together as one, and in partnership with the Roman Catholic Church).

The plans for a new church building are well under way. Building should start fairly soon, as more than two thirds of the funds required have already been raised. The church site (kindly donated by Countryside) is at Panners Bridge, near the school and opposite the new shops being constructed at present.

The church building will be a visual and practical expression of the open and welcoming ethos which is at the heart of the local Christian community. It will be modern, bright and multi-functional on an attractive site.

In order to maximize use by the church and wider community, the building is divided into three zones:

1. The church's main space will be permanently set up for worship, concerts and other meetings, lectures, talks etc. with comfortable seating, good sound system and projection facilities; a space for speaking, singing and praying and a valuable asset for church and community. It will be a new community space to complement the way in which the Community Centre is used.
2. A place to drop in for a cup of coffee, or a luncheon club with small rooms freely or cheaply available for small church and community groups such as parent & toddler groups, coffee mornings, youth meetings etc.
3. A small hall for more active use such as mother & toddler groups etc.

We do hope you will want to become a friend of the church to help us provide this wonderful new facility. For an annual membership fee you will receive a regular newsletter and invitations to various events and fun evenings to help us raise the funds for the church building. Membership also means you receive an annual report and invitation to attend and vote at our annual meeting each spring.
A membership form is enclosed with this letter.

We look forward to your support, to enable us to support our community.