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The main part of phase 1 of the sound system has now been installed! As of 29 June 2014 there are still some further things to be done: replacing the colour of one speaker, remaking the sound desk and improving the loop. But the system is substantially now “there”! Over the next few days we will be experimenting and learning how to get the best use out of it! Many thanks to all those who made this possible.
Small (or large) donations are still welcome at this time, as the fund needs to build up a small ‘contingency’ allowance by the time the installation begins.
How to donate
How to give online: You can donate to our sound and multimedia system appeal online by clicking the box to the left. The Virgin Money Giving site is safe and secure and accepts credit and debit cards and Paypal. You can also Gift Aid your donation, which makes it worth 25% more to us.
How to give by cheque: download our full-colour leaflet or a simpler black-and-white form, both with instructions about donating to our appeal.
Our Vicar introduces the appeal
I am very pleased to write about this fund-raising appeal for a new sound and multimedia system for St Mary’s Church and hall. Our outgoing sound system, installed in the 1980s, served us well, but St Mary’s now needs a new sound system if it is to continue to serve the parish and the wider community to the best of its abilities. There has been an overwhelmingly supportive response from the congregation and local community, and we quickly reached our target for the new sound system. Thank you for all who have contributed already.
Given the success of the first phase of this project, St Mary’s has decided to extend its scope to include multimedia facilities.
As part of our plans, we have proposed video projection facilities. These could be used on a wide range of occasions, from children’s services, to illustrating sermons, to lectures and presentations. We would like to be a “best practice” church for full inclusion of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and our future plans incorporate technology to help congregation members lip-read or see sermons relayed in sign language. We will develop recording facilities so that that services and sermons can be listened to at home by the housebound. We are also investigating how we might provide additional events, such as hearing aid checks and maintenance, in our community. We want to make sure that all community events taking place in the hall are also fully accessible. We also intend to make orders of service available over Wi-Fi so that technology can make them more accessible for the partially-sighted. As you can see, we hope to use technology in a way that allows us to include fully everyone who wishes to attend St Mary’s. In order to make all this possible, we have extended the scope of the project and have set a new, higher target for the appeal. If this vision inspires you, I hope you will consider making a contribution.
Thank you for reading this far. Please do get in touch with me if you would like to find out more.
Yours sincerely,
Russell Dewhurst
Vicar of Ewell
Phone: 020 8393 1297
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The cost and how we plan to meet it
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- We have proposed a fully-featured and up-to-date sound system for St Mary’s (our phase 1) which will cost around £25,000 in total.
- This money was raised from church members and the local community in 2013.
- We have also planned a project ‘phase 2’ which includes multimedia facilities, with a particular emphasis on inclusion of all ages, the hard-of-hearing, and the partially-sighted.
- This will require an additional £22,000.
- This project will radically improve our church building’s facilities for community events, and allow the full inclusion of everyone who wishes to participate.
- We hope that many in our local community will be moved to support phase 2, as well as church members.
- You may wish to consider donating the cost of a particular item for the new multimedia system.
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National company supports Appeal by St Mary’s Ewell
St Mary’s Ewell has been presented with a Denon Professional CD Player for its new sound and multimedia system by Sea Otter Boats of Staveley, Derbyshire – the world’s finest builders of marine grade aluminium alloy narrowboats. Sea Otter are currently building a new boat for a member of the St Mary’s congregation and when they heard of the church’s Sound and Multimedia System Appeal they generously offered to donate an item of equipment. Within 48 hours the equipment had already been put to good use at St Mary’s playing requested musical items at a large funeral.Progress so far
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STOP PRESS Our fund-raising has been successful enough that we have enough money to begin phase 1. As explained in the main text to the left, we have extended the scope of the project to include multimedia developments, with an emphasis on including all ages, the hard-of-hearing, and the partially-sighted, and we continue to ask for donations towards phase 2.
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Support from our MP
“St Mary’s is a wonderful church with a vibrant congregation, and has always been an important centre for civic worship as well. Bringing its facilities up to date is a really important part of helping it continue to be a central part of our local community.”
The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP