Skip to main content

Baildon enFolds the community

The eco-built Fold at Baildon Methodist Church was on show on Saturdays in February. 51 visitors from throughout Yorkshire were given tours by skilled guides. There was delight in the warm, quiet experience in this, the first building on church premises in Britain to be built to standards similar to those of a Passivhaus. The Fold has never been heated: yet everyone felt warm. There is no thermostat; the air is completely changed when the CO2 monitor reaches 1000 parts per million. Energetic Scouts can bounce on the floor of the Upper Fold: the floor insulation is so thick that those underneath can meditate in silence. Baildon Preschool now meets daily in the Lower Fold. From March, the Home Farm Trust will meet on each weekday in the Upper Fold.

The Fold showing the car charging points 

The tours were much appreciated. They began with a presentation showing how Baildon Church, a triple-certificated Eco-Congregation, erected this building as part of a new evangelism, demonstrating how the Methodist Church is not just wringing its hands over global heating: it is acting to preserve the beautiful and necessary diversity of God’s creation.

Pre-school interior view

Several participants on the tours were intending to build their own Passivhaus. One person said she was very sensitive to buildings: she reiterated how very happy she felt in the Fold. If any group would like a tour, just contact John A.

Baildon Methodist Church celebrates its distinguished history since 1746. It plans, exulting, for its future.

John D A, Baildon

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual Worship - Easter Sunday 12 April 2020

Today’s the day - everything is changed. Death’s cave is empty, save linen cloth as calling card for Love. That life has won, and hope’s made whole, thank God! Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Holy and risen Lord, we come to worship you on this special Easter Day. We thank you for all you have done for us. We lift our eyes to honour you, living Lord Jesus. You have overcome death; fill us with your joy and new life. Amen You might like to read, sing or listen to an Easter hymn. Perhaps  Christ the Lord is risen today, or Low in the grave he lay (H&P 193/202, StF 298/305). This is perhaps the strangest Easter Sunday we have experienced in most of our lifetimes. Not able to gather as God’s people on this holiest of days. Not able to spend time with family and friends. Not able to visit dale or coast. Yet even as restrictions bite, we affirm God’s love in Christ Jesus, and seek to help each other hear the Easter message. We gather in ...

Rock Solid

Rock Solid is the new youth club for 9-13 year olds at Wilsden Trinity Church . It aims to provide a group for older children to follow on from Wilsden Trinity’s other youth club, Friends and Heroes. Every Tuesday we meet for games, Bible stories, sweets, crafts and chats. Highlights so far include wrapping people up as mummies, making ice cream sundaes, playing Zip Zap Boing (which is as confusing as it sounds), building Easter gardens and making lava lamps. We set aside a good amount of time just for chatting, and each week we have a “Millstone, Milestone” section – each person can say if they’ve had a difficult week (millstone) or a brilliant week (milestone) and why. This has been a platform for many entertaining anecdotes and tales that the group has shared together. Rock Solid started in March 2017, and so far numbers are low. Our small group has fun, but we would love to welcome some new members! All children and young people between the ages of 9-13 can join. It is £2 on the ...

News from Thornton Methodist Church

Like everyone else, we are all trying to get on with life but at times it is not easy and not meeting with all our Church family can be difficult and lonely. Just before Christmas we were having services twice a month but not all people were able to attend which was very sad but we all kept in touch by text/phone it is not quite the same but it is good to talk. During Advent we put a display in the porch window of the Christmas story, adding different characters each week until all figures were assembled around the baby for the community of Thornton to see. All our children in Sunday School received an Advent calendar to let them know we were all thinking of them. We also had a Christingle service but this was very different from previous years. Masks were worn, tables set out at the required social distance and hand sanitizers available in lots of areas. People made their own Christingles from packs but instead of using fruits, wrapped fruit lollipops did the job just fine. Rev. Chris...