A Cambridge God Adventure* 53) A step forward

(*please skip if you have not been following this story).  May 15th 1984 proved to be a momentous evening.  There was no hiding heads in sand, pushing controversy under the carpet.  The spirit of faith that eventually emerged cannot possibly be explained without the presence of our Easter Lord.
Though some dissented, a positive resolution was passed by a majority:
Following the miraculous response at Easter 1984 we believe that it is the will of God that we proceed with a substantial development and improvement of our premises in response to the vision that God gives us.

Of course we were still a long way off committing to a contract and we had little idea how many hurdles lay ahead (- you're telling me!)  It was only one step forward. Many wanted to work on the practicalities of our mission.  Of all the people passing us on the main street who would be our priority? We set aside Saturday June 30th. for a day conference in our Upper Hall when we would work hard to gain consensus about what our key priorities might be. Where would we be committed personally?  In the end the priorities seemed to include a very wide range indeed!
1. People who work in the city
2. Students and young people
3. Unemployed, lonely and people with special needs.

All this thinking impacted upon the future of our premises - not only did we need a large lounge/coffee bar area with kitchen and adjacent rooms but ideally required a permanent warden/counsellor with a team of helpers.  A new Development Committee was established to work through these details (and more) with the architects.  Already there was a list of deficiencies to be addressed and these fresh ideas gave new momentum. But I am not sure momentum is the word. It is difficult to describe the frustrating process that lay ahead without making readers frustrated!