Tim and Katrina at Counties UK

When Tim and Katrina Cracknell first responded to God's leading to plant a new Church in the Forest of Dean they didn't know what to expect. All they had was a dream to start a different kind of Church for those who don't go to Church. A dream of a place where everyone, including the hurting, the depressed, the frustrated and the confused could find love, acceptance, hope, help and encouragement.

Initially a small nucleus of 20 people started meeting together in an old Church building in Station Street, Cinderford in June 2005 and this was followed by 9 months of praying, planning and preparation for the official launch of the new Church. At the same time the core group doubled in size. The Forest of Dean Community Church held its very first service on 16th March 2006. It was clear God was at work and doing something special amongst us. Since that high profile launch the momentum has continued on. It seems that most weeks, new people come along and want to be a part of the growing Community Church. Each week people's lives are being touched and changed for the better.

Part of the preparation of the Church was for the building itself. A £110,000 refurbishment project was embarked upon. To think that only weeks before building work began only £400 was in the fund, yet in the following 10 months God provided £80,000 for the first two stages of the work. A truly remarkable achievement! As each stage of the project gets completed it enables more of the dream to become reality. In July 2006 a new larger main hall for Sunday services was opened complete with solid oak floor, atmospheric lighting and multimedia facilities. Also, new rooms for children in 'Kidzone'. Then a couple of months later 'The Coffee Lounge' was opened on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, providing a great setting for making friends over a drink and a snack with a chance to catch up on the latest news in the paper.

For people struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups 'Celebrate Recovery' began in October. This is one of half a dozen new projects started by Church members in the autumn of 2006 as the influence of the Church begins to spread across the Forest of Dean.

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Photos of the building work in progress. Click on the thumnails to enlarge. Click the 'Back' arrow to return here.