THE GREATEST
STORY EVER
BUILT.

A MESSAGE FROM NATHAN WARD

Dear friends,

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing some of our plans for Christmas at St Margaret’s Church, including our hope to create a rather special LEGO exhibition telling the Christmas story.

It’s been lovely to see the excitement and enthusiasm from so many people, but I’ve also seen some questions and concerns, particularly about the £10,000 cost of the project. I thought it might be helpful to explain a little more about what we’re hoping to achieve, why we’re doing it, and what it means for our community.

Firstly, we love Rainham!

One of my hopes for St Margaret’s is that we can play our part in making Rainham an even more special place to live, work and visit. There are some wonderful things happening across Medway, but many of the larger events and attractions tend to be centred around Rochester and Chatham. Not everyone can easily travel to those places, and I believe that people in Rainham deserve exciting and inspiring experiences on their own doorstep too.

We’re proud of Rainham, and we want others to discover what makes it special. This isn’t just about Christmas 2026. It’s part of a much longer-term vision to help make Rainham a place where wonderful things happen, where people come together and where our local community can flourish.

So why LEGO?

At the heart of Christmas is an extraordinary story. A story of hope, love, vulnerability and God coming into our world in the most unexpected way. As a church, we want to share that story in ways that are engaging, accessible and meaningful to people of all ages.

We believe LEGO offers a wonderful opportunity to do just that. It’s something that crosses generations. Children love it, parents recognise it, and grandparents have often spent hours building with it. It sparks imagination, creativity and curiosity. Our plan is to create The Stations of the Nativity, a series of unique, professionally designed and built LEGO artworks that will take visitors on a journey through the Christmas story.

These won’t be ordinary LEGO sets bought from a shop. They will be bespoke creations, designed especially for this exhibition and our beautiful historic church. We hope they’ll capture people’s imaginations, encourage conversations and perhaps help people see a familiar story in a completely new way. And because the exhibition will be something unique, we hope it will attract visitors from across Medway, Kent and beyond. That would be wonderful not only for the church but also for Rainham’s shops, cafés and other local businesses.

Now, let’s talk about the £10,000.

I completely understand that this sounds like an enormous amount of money to spend on LEGO, especially when so many people are facing financial pressures. It’s a lot of money to us too.

But I think it’s important to explain what that figure actually represents. The £10,000 is the overall project budget. It includes the professional design and development of the exhibition, purchasing the LEGO bricks, the construction and assembly of the installations, delivery and installation in the church. It’s also worth remembering that £2,000 of that figure is VAT. And importantly, we will own the exhibition.

We’re not spending £10,000 on something that will be enjoyed for a few weeks and then disappear. The installations are being designed so that they can be stored, reused and enjoyed again in future years. We see this as an investment in something that can bring joy to our community for many Christmases to come.

Why have we asked the community to help fund it?

Originally, this was a project we were fundraising for within the church. We then decided to share our plans more widely because we wanted people to know what we were hoping to create for Rainham this Christmas. We also knew there would be people beyond our regular church congregation who would love the idea and might want to be part of making it happen.

But I want to be absolutely clear about something. We do not expect the wider community to raise £10,000 for us. This began as a church project, and we have never expected others to pay for it. We simply wanted to give people the opportunity to contribute if they wished.

To everyone who has already made a donation, however large or small, thank you. Your generosity really does mean a great deal. And to those who can’t contribute, or would simply prefer not to, that’s absolutely fine too. You are just as welcome to come and enjoy what we’re creating.

But surely there are more important things to spend money on?

I understand that question, and I think it’s a fair one. We live in uncertain times. Many people are worried about money, the future and the pressures of everyday life. As a church, we take those concerns seriously. Caring for people, supporting those who are struggling and serving our community remain central to who we are.

But I also believe that particularly in difficult times, people need moments of beauty, joy and hope. We need things that bring us together, that make children smile, that create happy memories and remind us that life is about more than simply getting through another day. Art, music, creativity and shared experiences have always had an important place in our communities. They lift our spirits, help us connect with one another and sometimes give us a fresh perspective on life.

I don’t believe that caring for those in need and creating something beautiful are competing priorities. Both matter. And if we can create something that brings a little wonder and hope into people’s lives this Christmas, I think that’s something worth working towards.

So what can you expect this Christmas?

Well, you might have guessed that LEGO is going to feature rather heavily in our Christmas communications and activities this year! We’re hoping to build a whole Christmas experience around the theme, with the exhibition at its heart. Most importantly, we want St Margaret’s to be a place where everyone feels welcome.

Whether you come to church every week, haven’t been for years, belong to another faith or have no religious beliefs at all, we would love you to come and experience it. You don’t need to believe what we believe to enjoy something beautiful, to be curious about the Christmas story or to feel that you belong.

Finally, thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged us, supported us, donated or simply taken an interest. And thank you to those who have raised questions and challenged us too. It’s right that we should be thoughtful about how money is spent, particularly when times are difficult.

My hope is that, over the coming years, St Margaret’s will continue to be a church that not only serves Rainham but helps make Rainham an even more wonderful place to be. We’re an ancient church, with over 800 years of history, but I believe some of our most exciting chapters are still waiting to be written.

Perhaps this Christmas, one of those chapters will be written in LEGO bricks!

With every blessing,

Nathan

Revd Nathan Ward

Vicar of St Margaret’s Church, Rainham