We believe that we are all made equally in the image of God, loved equally by him and equally invited to join in with the life of his church. As a Christian community across two parishes, we are very aware that we are called to offer a welcoming and safe space - emotionally and physically - for everybody.
This means enabling people to get involved who otherwise might feel unwelcome or struggle to access the building or engage with our worship. Please be assured that whoever you are, whatever life is like for you, however you experience yourself and the world, whatever words you use to describe yourself and whatever experience you've had of Christians in the past; regardless of status, politics, money (or the lack of it), sexuality, whether you've been married or divorced or neither or any other facet of your life; we will try to enable you to feel welcome and comfortable in these sacred spaces.
Likewise, whatever physical challenges you might have, we will try to enable you to join in on an equal basis with everybody else. Our offering is not perfect, not least because our buildings hamper our ability to anticipate need and because we are not perfect but this page will, we hope, give you an idea of where we are on our journey towards truly representing and including our whole community before God. And we hope that it will encourage you to try us out.
Please don't hesitate to contact the office to let us know your needs. Even if you don't think we'l be able to meet them, it's really important for us to know what gaps we have in how we do things. We'll be very happy to meet you ahead of any service or event you're thinking of attending.
Accessing the Building
Both buildings have step-free access available from the road to the church entrance and, at Westerham, to the small hall entrance (the John Frith Room). Once inside either church, there is a single step up in both to the Chancel and one or two steps to the High Altar, both situated at the far end of the church from the entrance.
At Crockham Hill: Once inside the vestry, where there is a sink with drinking water and facilities for hot drinks, is accessed step-free. The carpeted coffee area on the left of the entrance has one step up. Once in the coffee area, a door behind the font leads to a small room and the toilet is reached via that room without navigating extra steps (but see 'Toilets', below). The rear door of the church, which serves as emergency exit during services, is also reached via that room and has a single step down.
For seating, the pews are fixed and to sit in them there is a step up across old heating pipes. If you are unable to navigate this, we can provide seats for you and any companions. If you are a wheelchair user who can't transfer to other seats, please contact us in advance so that we can plan a safe way for you to enjoy your time here.
At Westerham there is a wooden ramp inside the entrance, to floor level. Both the Resurrection Chapel and Catherine Chapel, where weekday services are held and where some activities for 2nd Sunday occur, are level access and have moveable furniture so can accommodate various designs of wheelchair; likewise the coffee area which is on the left as you enter the church. The tower area, where the bells are rung from and which gives access to the office, vestries and toilets, is two steps up from the floor of the church. It can also be accessed step free via a ramp down, using the West Door. Once in the tower area, all areas other than the main church and office are step free.
Seating in the nave, the main part of the church, is in fixed pews but there places at the front and back where you will be able to sit if you are a wheelchair user and unable to transfer to a pew. If you're able to sit in a pew, you may find the transfer easiest at the font of the church where there is more space.
Seating in the side chapels is in chairs which can be moved around to accommodate your needs.
Toilets
Our toilets are for all genders. Both churches have attempted to make them as accessible as possible within the constraints of the building.
At Crockham Hill: The is reached with a single step up onto the carpeted coffee area, then without further changes in level through the door behind the font and a further door. There are some adaptive rails inside but unfortunately, the font is too close to the doorway to enable standard adult wheelchair access.
At Westerham: There is an adapted toilet with rails and an alarm cord. There is space for a right-to-left wheelchair transfer but not left to right. The room was designed some time ago, and some thinking has changed since. The lock and some fittings do not meet modern accessibility standards and this is something we intend to rectify in the near future.
Access to the toilet is step-free from the street and the John Frith Room but not from the church. In order to access it step-free from the church we're sorry to say that at present it is necessary to go back outside, via the south or west door and to follow the path round to the right until you reach the entrance to the John Fryth Room.
During Worship
Hearing: Both churches have PA systems to amplify sound. At Westerham, there is a hearing aid loop in the nave and left side of the choir. We realise, however, that many modern hearing aids cannot access loops anymore, and there appears to be no standard alternative. If and when one becomes available, we aim to update our system. We recommend sitting near the front if you can, especially if lip reading is helpful.
Receiving Communion: We share communion at the front of the nave - the main part of the church where the seats are - so no steps need to be navigated. We are also very happy to bring the bread and wine to wherever you are sitting - please let the welcomers know if you would prefer that, when you arrive.
Gluten free wafers are available at every service. Although it is our practice to consecrate a few each time, please let the welcomers know if you need a gluten free wafer, just in case. Home Communion is available to anybody who cannot come to church.
Moving Around: Please feel free to get up and move around if you need to during a service. Toilets and kitchen areas with drinking water are open and available, and there are children's resources, too. We will also be introducing some sensory items.
Children: Are naturally restive and mobile. That is totally fine! We have children's activity sheets and other resources in both churches - please don't worry about your children being a nuisance, they are loved by God and welcome as part of his community.
Office
The Benefice Office is in the church in Westerham, through the door to the vestries which is at the back of the church on the right. That door requires two steps up from the floor of the church or can be reached step-free via the west door. It is kept locked for security reasons but there is an intercom and when the office is open, staff will be able to let you in or come down to meet you.
The office is upstairs and inaccessible for a wheelchair user but staff will come down if that is better for you. If you have an appointment, and we know of your mobility needs, we can provide a table and chairs downstairs to sit at.
Orders of Service
Orders of service for special times of the year (and all year round, at Crockham Hill) are printed on white paper in a sans serif font, usually 14 point. Larger print copies are usually available so please, if you are not offered one when you arrive, ask the welcomers to provide one.
If it would help you to have one printed on a particular colour paper, please let us know in advance of your visit. Overtime, we will be producing new service books for the whole Benefice and these will include some printed on yellow paper. At Westerham for some of the year we use official Church of England service books, and larger print copies are available.
At 2nd Sunday we don't usually use orders of service but project to a screen.