Mission Property Enabler

Say hello to our new District Missional Property Enabler – Tom Rattigan.

Tom joins the District team with a wealth of experience in the building trade as well as managing buildings and estates. Some of you will already know Tom from his other role as Buildings Manager at The Foundry, Sheffield which is the charity that manages and runs Victoria Hall and the Central Hall.

This is a new role of the District and entails trying to answer the question 'how can buildings enable mission?' as well as offering practical advice and support with maintaining churches.

Tom explains: "Buildings can both help and hinder the mission that Jesus gave to us all. Some buildings have become community centres, some have built cafes, soft plays or developed conference centres to generate income to support further work of the church. I really believe that getting behind a physical space, giving people a stake hold can give them an ability to engage on a deeper level with the work that could be done to both help people practically and also on a personal level.

"I would like communities to be a better version of themselves and I want the same for the building. What does that building look like to be fit for the mission of the church, the possible community around it and to serve them? What is the best-looking version of how the building could be? I want to be accessible to answer a quick question but also want to be as involved as I can be in planning how buildings could be used to their potential.

"I would like to help local churches work out what they want and need from a building and to be able to be a person that can solve some issues and answer some questions both big and small. I'd also like all our buildings to look great, keeping original purposes and features, while looking at what that means for future use of the building.

"I'd just like to serve where I can in a context that I can be effective to help further the work of the church, community and make people's lives better. I don't want people to feel like they're alone looking after some very big, old and beautifully complex buildings both structurally and politically. If you need some help or have a question, just get in touch."

You can contact Tom at mpe@sheffieldmethodist.org or on, 07483318823 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.