The Spurriergate Centre, based in the former St Michael’s Spurriergate Parish Church, in the centre of York, on 1st November is celebrating 25 years of service to the community of York, its many visitors, and York’s church family.
An evening of celebration will be held on Saturday 1st November, with special guest, Bishop Graham Cray former Bishop of Maidstone and Leader of Fresh Expressions. The evening will include a service of thanksgiving followed by a reception and buffet supper. A warm invitation has been extended to all friends, supporters and former staff – with reservation tickets available, free, from the Centre.
In association with the Silver Jubilee celebrations, the Centre is hosting an art exhibition, with the theme, “Windows into the Kingdom”. This exhibition, which is open daily Monday to Saturday, runs until the 15th 0f November, and has been facilitated by local artist, Anna Tash, and a group of York based Christian artists.
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Richard Staples, says: "We are celebrating 25 years of Spurriergate changing people's lives one coffee at a time through the support of it's much needed counselling service. Demand is still growing. We look forward to a continuing offering of hospitality and fairly traded produce for many years to come augmenting the help we give to those in need."
The founding vision for the Centre was shaped by the then Vicar of St Michael le Belfrey Parish Church, the Revd Graham Cray, to offer “a window into the life of the Kingdom of God on the high street”. The development of the Centre was facilitated by the former Archdeacon of York, the Venerable Leslie Stanbridge, and through the support of the Diocese of York which still continues.
The Centre was opened in 1989 by the former Lord Mayor of York, Jack Archer.
The Centre continues to extend hospitality; promote justice in trading, including Fair Trade; provide counselling through a dedicated and professional counselling service; and offer daily prayer in response to requests for prayer from many of its guests.