Photo by Emily Featherston.
Cranmer House
Cathedral Church of the Advent’s satellite location, called Cranmer House, hosts Bible studies and other events from its building on Linden Avenue in downtown Homewood.
Cranmer House is making itself at home after moving to 2814 Linden Ave.
Rev. Andrew Pearson, dean of Cathedral Church of the Advent, said the move of the church’s satellite location “went really well,” and the new space has already received positive feedback from those who use it.
“It was sad to leave Mountain Brook Village, but we’re very glad to be in Homewood,” Pearson said.
Cranmer House is primarily used to host Bible studies and events that take place in the early morning or evening. The church has also discussed moving its 5 p.m. Sunday worship service to the space, but Pearson said that discussion is still ongoing.
Pearson said the new building more comfortably fits the needs of the programs and events Cranmer House is used for. Unlike the Mountain Brook location, the new building allows multiple events can take place at the same time. The location houses a large, multi-purpose meeting space as well as smaller rooms and offices used by the church’s youth program and other groups.
The new, renovated space can seat around 125 people for large events, and this increase in size and the central location were things Pearson said greatly motivated the move.
“We put a lot of work into it,” Pearson said.
While he said the space is still in its beginning stages, groups are already making use of the new location.
Bill Wortman, who leads a weekly 7 a.m. men’s bible study at Cranmer House, said he is happy with the move.
“I think the Homewood community is more diverse and is a little more central, and I see it as a great positive for Advent,” Wortman said.
Both Pearson and Wortman said they think that Cranmer House and the people it attracts to the area will benefit the surrounding businesses.
“It’s a place of convenience, but I hope that those people from the Advent that are coming to Cranmer House will take advantage of the community in a positive way,” Pearson said.
He said he has already seen many of the groups finish their activities at Cranmer House and walk to Octane Coffee or Steel City Pops.
“We’re really glad to be in that neighborhood,” he said.
Pearson has also been in communication with the Homewood Chamber of Commerce about offering the space for community use.
During the process of getting the property rezoned, the church faced opposition from nearby businesses over parking in the area.
Because most of the events take place in the early morning and late evening, Pearson said that so far there have not been any issues with parking, and that the Advent has worked to ensure that their neighbors will not be negatively impacted.
“Frankly, we had a harder time parking in Mountain Brook Village than we have had since we moved to our Homewood location,” Pearson said.
Both Pearson and Wortman said they think that Cranmer House’s new location will further the Advent’s mission to engage the community in a non-traditional way.
“Some people are intimidated by walking into a church, but not necessarily intimidated by walking into a building that looks any other building in that area,” Pearson said. “It’s not as imposing.”
He said the church plans to have events in the coming months that he hopes will bring more awareness to Cranmer House. Upcoming events include a visit from a Rwandan bishop who will describe his experience during the genocide, and a functional art gallery to showcase local artists.
For more information about Cathedral Church of the Advent and the events it plans to host at Cranmer House, visit adventbirmingham.com.