On Tuesday 23rd September, Revd. Marianne Foster and her churchwarden, David Finch, attended the Church Housing Networking Event at Lambeth Palace Library, hosted by the Church of England’s Housing Project.
The event brought together church leaders, housing practitioners, and legal experts to explore how parishes and dioceses can respond to the housing crisis, making creative use of church land and buildings to meet local needs.
Marianne and David were invited to share the exciting plans being developed in their parish, which seek to bring new life to St Luke’s, Stanmore, through a redevelopment that combines affordable housing with a new church and community hub. Rooted in the parish’s values of worship, love, service, and welcome, the vision reflects the Church of England’s commitment to being a voice for housing justice and to living out the gospel in practical, transformative ways.
The afternoon closed with time for networking and reflection, as dioceses and parishes explored how they might work together to address one of the most urgent social issues of our time.
Speaking after the event, Marianne said, “It was inspiring to see the creativity and courage of dioceses and parishes across the country. We came away encouraged that our plans here in Winchester are part of a much bigger movement of the Church responding to the housing crisis with hope and practical action.”
