Renovation of Boston’s Centenary Church celebrated

Celebrations have been held at Centenary Methodist Church in Boston, Lincolnshire to mark the completion of the building’s renovation.

Centenary is a busy, much-loved church and community hub at the heart of Boston. Worship is held in multiple languages and its twice weekly, free community meals attract over 80 guests. Other community services at Centenary include Boston's Wellbeing Hub and the Nightlight Cafe. However, the persistent damp, tired decor and an old fire safety system all required urgent renovation.  

Revd Dr Val Ogden, Superintendent Minister of Boston's Methodist churches, commented, “We were already bursting at the seams with community mission activity but we were concerned about facilities becoming outdated. It was Centenary's existing reputation in Boston as a Christian centre with a heart for all things community that brought about this opportunity. The challenge was to keep serving God effectively for the current age in an old building while attracting new people.” 

The project has also enabled the church to install new, state of the art digital AV equipment and improved toilets facilities for the conference and meeting rooms. 

The Centenary Methodist Church project manager, Martin Criddle, said, “Groups were coming to us almost before the paint had dried to enquire about using the space as there really is a demand for good quality space in Boston.” 

The project was made possible with a grant of £250,000 from the Boston Partnership Fund. Another grant of just over £13,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund also contributed to the improvements.  

Boston Borough Councillor Sandeep Ghosh said: "As the Cabinet Member with responsibility for grant funding at the Council, I am always heartened to see the difference that can be made to vital community assets like Centenary through funding.

"This investment has been transformed by the hard work of the team at Centenary into the impressive project that you see before you today and will benefit residents' access to skills, vital services and community and improve their experience at the church.

"It is, however, the team and their community volunteers who ultimately make these services happen and who make a difference to lives year after year. For that, I would like to pass my thanks on behalf of Boston Borough Council to Martin Criddle, Rev Dr Val Ogden and the team, both for delivering this project and for delivering warmly and tirelessly for our communities."

“It’s helping the church while embracing the community and providing better facilities for the people of Boston and the wider area,” says Martin. “This grant was about improving our community offer and I can put my hand on my heart to say that we’ve put the funding into that.” 

Members have been thrilled and consider the project an answer to their prayers, drawing the distinction between a heritage expressed purely out of nostalgia and loving the church building of today as God's holy space, reshaped for present mission.

Revd Dr Val Ogden says the work is vital to the mission of the church, “We see God In the joyful delight on the faces of those who access the premises. In the voices of those who say, 'I feel welcome and safe here'. Though income from hiring helps us be sustainable, these new avenues of hospitality mean we can offer groups  love and connectivity. It’s more than merely hiring space.