Latest information on BUC Church HQ fire

BUC OFFICE RELOCATION LATEST (19 December 2008).

While many are covering pine trees in lights and baubles, the former Headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland is now covered in scaffolding, tarpaulins and a corrugated iron roof. "The aim of covering the building is to allow it to dry out, protect the brickwork from frost damage, and to allow a proper assessment of how much needs to be done in terms of reconstruction," states BUC Treasurer, Victor Pilmoor. Together with architects, he is working with the Administration and Trustees to rebuild a representative and spacious office for the needs of the church in the twenty-first century. "We hope to have the ADC (Adventist Discovery Centre) and the ABC book shop up and running again within three to four months," Mr Pilmoor says. These were in the largely undamaged end (new wing) of the building.

 

 

This week the office family has been busy relocating to new, temporary offices in Frogmore, just under five miles from the Stanborough Park headquarters. For around the next 18 months the staff will work in offices situated in a light industrial area. Infrastructure is still coming into place but the first staff meeting at the Park Lane Industrial Estate premises took place on Tuesday, 16 December.

Pastor Alan Hodges led the staff in a short period of worship, giving thanks that no one was hurt or injured in the fire and drawing lessons from the experience. "Over the last few weeks we have been scattered as an office family," he said. "I use the term family because I believe we are like a family. We have got used to working together and it has saddened all of us as we have lost our office home, but we are together again this afternoon for the first time in our new temporary home." Although there has been a lot of inconvenience due to the fire, and a lot of effort will go into the reconstruction, Pastor Hodges reminded staff that, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." [Philippians 4:13]

 

 

While email, fax and internet services are now fully functional, the new phone system will only be installed in the second week in January. We will update you with the new phone number in due course.  Mail should still be addressed to the normal Stanborough Park Address.

 

 

With constant communication with insurance companies, architects, planners, IT support, phone, gas, electric companies and more, the work of restoring the British Union Conference office, headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland continues apace.

On Monday, 1 December a contract was signed for temporary accommodation in a light industrial unit at Frogmore, just under five miles from Stanborough Park. This is now being fitted out and it is hoped to move in on the week starting 15 December.

 

 

The whole BUC team are grateful to the many individuals and organisations that have shown their support. Many touching messages have been received, including one from Audrey Ogilvie, the first President's secretary to work in the BUC office when it was completed back in 1961. She wrote that the "BUC office news was very sad for me. I was the first President's secretary to work in the new building, for Pastor John McMillan. I remember how thrilled we all were to have this state-of-the-art HQ after the limited accommodation in the old VOP office. You will all have the prayers of many former BUC office residents."

 

 

Next week is filled with year end committees which will convene, in the main, at the Stanborough Centre. Preparing for those meetings from his home, turned office (the case for most staff), Pastor Don McFarlane, BUC President, states, "Despite the upheaval caused by the fire, staff members are positive and are carrying on with the business of the church. A building committee has been instituted and there is now a general plan to restore/rebuild the office. Those of you who are familiar with the office will know that we added a new section to the original building in the late eighties. This section housed the Adventist Discovery Centre (VOP), Media Centre and the ABC shop. This part of the building has not been badly damaged and it is estimated that within three months it can be operational again. The middle section of the building (where the departmental offices were) can be restored and there are plans to do so. The foyer and administrative section of the building, which bore the brunt of the fire, will most likely be demolished. Should that prove to be the case, we are planning at this stage to extend that part of the building in order to provide certain facilities that current legislation now requires or that are necessary for the smooth operation of what we do in the building. We expect the restoration and rebuilding process to take between fifteen and eighteen months."

Pastor McFarlane has also taken time to answer some of the many questions coming from church members and well-wishers. "I have been asked on a number of occasions whether there was adequate insurance on the property. I can inform you that the property is insured with Adventist Risk Management, who have been very helpful in the short-term."

 

 

Members have also enquired regarding important documents that were in the office. Pastor McFarlane has good news. "We a solid fire and water resistant strong room on the ground floor. This houses copies of wills, property deeds, etc., and I am happy to tell you that none of these important documents have been destroyed. We have lost some archival material but most of what was considered essential had been previously sent to Newbold College. My particular concern when I first heard about the fire was the photographs kept in my office that provide a pictorial history of the British Union over many decades. I breathed a sigh of relief when they were retrieved intact. In future they will be kept in the strong room!"

 

 

What about the cause of the fire? Pastor McFarlane states, "After every major fire there is usually a lot of speculation as to how the fire started. Be assured that it was not a malicious member or worker who set fire to the building! It was the result of a freak accident during maintenance work on the building. The Fire Authority accepts that as the case and no further investigation is to be carried out on the cause of the fire."

 

 

Questions are often asked about 'the hand of God' in events like these. Asked, "What do you think God is saying to us by the destruction of the BUC office by fire?" Pastor McFarlane responded, "Nothing. However, God can use this tragedy as a blessing to His church. We are already seeing that blessing. An unprecedented number of people from the surrounding community have been on the Park since the fire, 'more than those who have attended all our evangelistic campaigns at the church,' someone said."  Despite the difficult circumstances the work at Church HQ is continuing.

 

 

Following the fire at the British Union Conference office on Sunday, 16 November the staff have been urgently looking for alternative temporary accommodation. After considering a range of options from fully serviced offices through to Portakabins the Administration hopes to sign a contract early next week for an office in a light industrial area approximately five miles from Stanborough Park.

With a 75% loss on the main part of the building staff are relieved to have been able to retrieve some major items including wills and deeds which were secure in the fire-proof strong room. The contents of many filing cabinets have also been saved. Much electronic data was backed up on the server and has been retrieved and some computers have been sent to a specialist firm to recover the hard disks.

 

 

The week has been very busy with visits from loss adjustors, architects, the removal of filing cabinets and materials to safe storage and arranging for appropriate support for staff members so that work can go on. The ADRA-UK office has remained a central hub for staff who stop by to collect their post, have a hot drink, or hold impromptu meetings in the very crowded Director's office. The South England Conference continues to provide both office space for some staff members and phone support. Staff have also worked at Stanborough Secondary school. The BUC number is now redirected to a very efficient answering service with voice mail going directly to staff member email accounts.

 

 

Following an emergency Executive Committee on Sunday, 23 November, the administration is now looking to restore the far end of the building that houses the ABC Bookshop, the Adventist Discovery Centre (ADC) and the Media Centre. It is hoped to have this section operating again within the next four months. Plans are being developed for the main section of the building with the aim being to provide for the needs of a twenty-first century office environment. It is planned to increase the floor space and ensure that departments have the facilities to work effectively in the mission of the church. It is anticipated that the whole redevelopment project will be completed within eighteen months.

While temporary relocation will cause some headaches during the intervening period, BUC Treasurer Victor Pilmoor believes "that we can be housed comfortably for the next year to 18 months." In the somewhat smaller office he says, "Look forward to being comfortable with your neighbour." What is certain is that BUC staff are determined that the mission of the church will continue.

 

 

A major fire at the Headquarters office of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the UK & Ireland has gutted the building. The fire appears to have started during maintenance work that was taking place on Sunday, 16 November 2008 and quickly spread through the roof to engulf a major part of the building.

 

 

Fire services were called to the scene at approximately 2.10 pm and ten fire tenders battled the blaze throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Initial assessments indicate that 75 percent of the building was destroyed. Much of the contents were either fire or water damaged. There were no casualties or injuries. Fire crews continued on the scene through the night and were still damping down parts of the building until late afternoon on Monday.

 

 

Mrs Frances Brooks works in the ABC Bookshop located at the far end of the building and was the only person inside at the time. She evacuated the building on hearing the fire alarm and was shocked to see smoke pouring out of the roof above the board room.

 

 

"This will obviously prove a major disruption to our work," stated Communication director, Victor Hulbert. "However, we are relieved that nobody was hurt and we are already making plans as to how best to deal with the aftermath."

 

 

On Monday morning staff met for prayer and to develop contingency plans. Under the supervision of the fire brigade they were also able to move equipment from the downstairs offices. The first floor remains inaccessible. The far end of the building containing the ABC Book Shop, the Adventist Discovery Centre and the BUC Media Centre remains largely undamaged though stock and contents have been damaged by water and smoke. Despite the setbacks staff are in a positive spirit and have made a commitment to restore a normal service as soon as possible and so ensure that the work and mission of the church can continue to move forward as smoothly as possible.

 

 

Pastor Don McFarlane, President of the Adventist Church in the UK and Ireland has made the following statement:  "The fire at our church headquarters has surely affected operations. However, it is a comfort to know that the work of the church is not primarily done in an office building but by our many thousands of members throughout the UK and Ireland in towns, villages and cities where they live.  "We will salvage what we can from the ruins of the building and seek to have a replacement as soon as the attendant factors allow. The sorry state of this building, which for nearly 50 years has stood proudly on Stanborough Park reminds us that there is no real security in anything that is fashioned by the hand of men. Our security is in God and His plans for the human family."

 

 

Hundreds of messages of sympathy and support have poured in from across the country and around the world. Pastor Duncan Mumbo, President of the Kenya Lake Field, Kenya wrote, "We are putting you in our prayers throughout our territory. The Sabbath of 22 November has been set apart for specials prayers for the BUC." Pastor John Surridge, President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wales wrote from Montenegro where church leaders from across the Trans-European region of the church are meeting. He says, "We all recognise the enormity of this event and the work that lies ahead. We wish you all God's blessings." Billy Odumuzor, a local church leader, writes, "May I express my sympathies to all Adventist members in view of the fire which has destroyed part of our BUC Office. Let us join in thanking God that nobody was injured as a result."

 

 

The office will be closed until further notice and the phone system is not working. Email was restored on Wednesday 19 November and is the preferred method to contact BUC staff.

Photos of the tragedy can be seen on the BUC Picture Gallery.

 

 

 

 

BUC staff were cheered up Monday morning by the sight of three bottles of fresh milk on the doorstep of their gutted office. The picture, now transmitted around the world, brought a moment of brightness as staff were faced with the daunting task of rearranging plans and schedules and seeking ways to restore working normality.  It also emphasised that in the midst of disaster, life must go on. For BUC staff that means keeping focused on mission.

 

 

The IT department was relieved to find that the brand new server, only recently installed in the building, was untouched by fire or water damage. ADRA-UK, whose office is just next door in the Stanborough Park Lodge, graciously offered 'disaster relief' by providing a new location for the server. By Wednesday new IP addresses had been assigned and email was restored. ADRA also provided a focal point for hot drinks, mail delivery, and a friendly chat. The South England Conference office and the Stanborough Centre have also provided working space and SEC reception has relayed phone messages helping the BUC to stay in contact. The Treasury department worked hard, using the Treasurer's living room as a temporary office, in order to ensure that payroll rolls out next week.

Following staff meetings and discussions with the loss adjuster, the administration is seeking temporary accommodation so that the functions of the BUC can continue. The options will be discussed by an emergency Executive Committee to be held this Sunday, 23 November.

As far as possible, the programmes and functions of the BUC will continue. Pastor Eglan Brooks and his team have been working hard to pull together the final details for the Lay Bible Workers Retreat at Staverton Park this weekend. Women's Ministries and the Youth department are retrieving data and making plans for their events at the beginning of December. Directors are keeping their preaching appointments this weekend and plans for year end meetings are still in place. "It's business as usual," states Pastor Don McFarlane ? even while dressed in casual clothes rather than a smart suit as, with the rest of the team, he works to salvage what he can from the scorched building.

 

 

The Communication department has continued to function providing news to both church members and the external community. News reports have appeared in numerous newspapers and in Adventist publications around the world. Messages of support have been received and responded to from around the world and locally. Among the most moving are those of local people in the Watford area. For instance, the leader of a local Methodist congregation writes, "I'm confident that I can speak for our church in offering our prayers of support at what must be a difficult and challenging time, and of course we thank God that no-one was hurt, as well as praising the emergency crews who worked tirelessly to control the blaze." The reports in the Watford Observer Online Newspaper generated the highest number of hits they had ever had in one day as over 30,000 people visited the site on Monday, 17 November. Discussion on their message board kept the hit rate high all week. A photo gallery and discussions on Facebook also kept the Adventist community world-wide informed and allowed for light-hearted banter and serious support.