4 minute read
If you build it, they will come
David Powe, along with his son Thomas, shares how he has transformed a rundown empty chapel in Little Sodbury into a vibrant community hub
“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.”
(Isaiah 25:1)
The village of Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire punches well above its weight when it comes to Gospel fame. William Tyndale began translating the Bible at a local manor house and the local Baptist Association built the chapel here in 1910. David Powe, a retired vicar who spent twenty-five years as a prison chaplain, leased the building from CGT in June 2023. Along with his son Thomas, they have transformed the rundown empty chapel into a vibrant community hub. David takes up the story.
“I spent years working with men in prisons who knew absolutely nothing about Jesus or the Bible. I had a vision of building a place where they could come to hear the Gospel, but which wasn’t a church. I started to build a shepherd’s hut, but it wasn’t sustainable. I sold it and banked the profit. I’d been driving past the old Tyndale Baptist Chapel on Sodbury Common for years and one day my wife said to me, ‘Why are you trying to build a hut when there’s one right in front of you?’ CGT were amazingly helpful and we leased the building to build a small Christian Trust to spread the Good News.”
God released gifts of time and talent from the local community to get the chapel modernised and up and running.
“Thomas mentioned the project to some builder friends and they donated paint, fixed the lights, plumbed and tiled the outside loo and worked with us to transform the old building. Someone even donated an entire kitchen! We repurposed so much that would have been wasted.”
It was not long before the Shepherd’s Hut was completely decorated, with an accessible toilet and a welcoming interior, full of comfortable chairs, more like a tearoom than a chapel. Since September 2023, people who may never have visited a conventional church building have been coming to meet and several have given their lives to Christ. Not content with this, David and Thomas turned their attention to the grounds outside the Shepherd’s Hut.
“We are creating a Prayer and Reflection Garden. We have received generous donations of plants mentioned in the Bible and we are constructing a fountain, seating and putting Bible verses up around the garden. One of our visitors said ‘I feel so peaceful up here. This is a place I love and I feel so much better in.’ Our vision is that the whole community can come here, sitting peacefully in our garden, contemplating life and faith. It was a small grass field, originally to be used as a car park, but now growing weeds. It is being transformed into a beautiful reflective space.”
During the work on the chapel, David realised that there are few places for people to sit quietly locally since there is so much building work going on and several busy roads. This community garden, being restored with the help of many generous donations, will be wonderfully sustainable. Wildlife such as bees, butterflies and wild birds will be drawn to the fountain, foliage and rewilded space and it is all being achieved through radical generosity.
“God told me: ‘You do it David and I will bless it.’ Our community has supported us so wonderfully, as has CGT. I can’t thank John Duffield and the team enough. They have been a key part of our ministry here at the Shepherd’s Hut.”
The ministry has not been without its challenges. Early in the project, some people thought it was a traditional church, but they were reassured it was not. In addition, some were nervous about what would be done on the land, but now that they can see that David and Thomas have left the structure intact and improved the interior out of all recognition and support for the beautiful prayer garden is pouring in. Would David encourage other churches to do the same?
“Certainly. If the Lord tells you to do something, do it. He will be faithful. The Shepherd’s Hut and the Prayer and Reflection Garden are living proof of that.”
By Ruth Leigh
Ruth is a freelance writer who works with a number of Christian charities.
