It’s summertime and some of us are on holiday, others have returned home after their year of study in Lille. Not everyone can enjoy a summer break, we know, and Christ Church Lille doesn’t stop, we are here every Sunday morning for a 10:30 am service.
It can seem a bit frustrating that we can’t get back into the church yet, and we totally understand. A peaceful and familiar setting is such a joy and such a welcoming and safe space.
But as we know, the church is not the building, it is the people and it is great to see that our community continues – the numbers may go up and down, the building may not be the same, but we are here!
Church Building
We are fortunate to have the use of the church building, which belongs to the city of Lille. We are in constant touch with the Town Hall, who are doing everything they can to organise the huge amount of work needed following the fire, but at the moment, we are some way from getting back into our familiar space.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has already contributed towards the restoration work; your generosity is much appreciated and will help fill the gap left after costs covered by the Town Hall or our own insurance.
The building means both the church itself and the hall downstairs: both are out of bounds for now. All buildings which are open to the public, whoever they belong to, are subject to stringent controls and safety regulations, which is of course a good thing. The Town Hall and Church Council take safety very seriously.
For the moment, our grateful thanks go to the Diocese of Lille: they have welcomed us in the aumônerie opposite but we may have to look again at this once their students return. The Protestant church has also extended a warm welcome, and our good relations with all the Christian churches in Lille is a wonderful support.
This autumn
A word about our usual September activities.
Braderie weekend
We have been unable to organise anything for this year. We need some creative thinking for next year’s Braderie weekend, so let us know your ideas.
Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days)
Sadly we can’t participate this year, but next year … We’ve been opening the church to visitors for many years now and we are all disappointed not to be able to do so this year. Let’s plan a splendid re-opening!
Future plans
As soon as we can get back into the building, we’ll be looking at future events. This does not affect Sunday morning services, of course, so no worries, we will be here every Sunday whatever happens!