St Kenneth's has church buildings in Kennoway and Windygates, hall buildings in Kennoway and Windygates and a manse. Working in villages, we know how important it is to have activities as near to people as possible, and we're grateful to past generations for providing the buildings we enjoy now.
The Smart Hall in Kennoway has served the congregation well, but its life is limited. It was a second-hand building (moved from Dundee) when it was erected in Kennoway and it's reaching a stage where it wouldn't be good stewardship to spend large sums on it.
There are some events where the hall is hardly big enough - kirk lunches for example, or Chatterbox. The kitchen is not really adequate for the lunches or Open Door meals and there isn't space to expand. The toilets are in need of a major upgrade, and the disabled access isn't as good as we would like it to be. Above all, it doesn't have some of the space we think churches will need most in the future - informal meeting space, cafe area, flexible hall accommodation and a good meeting space.
Rather than aiming to upgrade a building which may already be nearing the end of its useful life, we're planning to create a new church centre within the bounds of Kennoway site. This will serve both the church and the local community. Plans are at an early stage but we have applied for and been granted permission to change the vehicle access and are considering design options with the assistance of Gibson Laing Architects.
To create the sort of church centre we're imagining will be a huge job, and setting out on the project will be a real leap of faith. There will be plenty more details as the plans develop. Meantime, there is already a St Kenneth's Development Fund for contributions specifically for this project.