KICC Leafletting

[panmum]

Hello everyone

There are some worrying developments regarding the Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) and the continued battle between them and the community (and indeed council) of Upper Norwood since they bought the former Cinema in Church Road. Some of you may know the story , but for those of you who don't maybe you would be interested to read it. The reason for my post is that the church are planning to hold an event at the top of Crystal Palace Park on Sunday 21st May at 1 p.m. The Cinema for Crystal Palace Campaign have not as yet been made aware of any permission for this being granted by Bromley Council, could anyone that has had a leaflet put through their door please please let the campaign organisers know, you can PM me and I will pass on the info to them, or post here directly, or post over on Virtual Norwood. Thanking you in advance for your help.

Please view this thread. http://www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/topic/7500-cinema-in-the-area/page__st__2070

Also Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Picture-Palace-Campaign-return-a-cinema-to-Crystal-Palace

/169096823086?ref=ts

[panmum]

I have just found my thread after being told by another forum user that it has been moved here, I had thought it gone completely and have emailed the mods to ask why? East Dulwich is not that far from Crystal Palace, I would have thought that many people living in East Dulwich venture there to visit the excellent restuarants and shops, this event needs to be brought into public scrutiny and people need to be made aware of the facts. Whether they live 2 minutes away, or ten minutes by car.

[aspidistra]

Hi panmum,

On EDF, everything that is not ED goes in the lounge. Everything.

You can find some previous posts on EDF about KICC in the area here:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?27,469619,518496#msg-518496

Plenty of people read the Lounge posts, so need need to worry about people seeing this.

I agree with you that KICC's latest move is of concern, given they seem to be trying to attract people from an extremely wide area. If they intend to occupy Crystal Palace Park on an ongoing basis... Perhaps a replacement for their failed bid for an 8,000-seater mega church? :'(

[panmum]

Thanks for the heads up aspidistra, I usually post on behalf of our community project (or about child and parent parking spaces...don't ask lol) so I wasn't sure if I had committed some terrible crime that is only known to community forums... I do know that members of the campaign for the cinema are going to be getting about a bit during the Dulwich festival to let people know what's happening, I believe there may be info on the what's on threads?

[blackmamba]

A peaceful protest has now been given permission to take place this Saturday in Crystal Palace Park. People are meeting at 12.45pm by the museum before making their way to the land at the side of the bus station where the Kingsway International Christian Centre service will be take place.

The protest is about the plans KICC have revealed for 25 Church Road, the old Gala Bingo Hall, and the negative impact they will have on the surrounding town centre and residential roads. The protest is NOT about KICC having a service in the park.

The idea is not to disrupt the service but to be present to register serious concerns about the organisation's refusal to consult with local community over controversial plans to operate 25 Church Road, the only entertainment venue in town, as the 18th faith group unit. The new proposed programme is seen as provocative and antagonistic as KICC have acknowledged this new intensified usage has potential to really damge the area due to traffic and parking demands of the membership but have decided to go ahead regardless. The bulk of KICC's membership will be coming for thier current homes in the Wimbledon area.

One of the reasons KICC were refused planning was due to the damage the predicted influx of cars from a congregation of 500 would have on the surrounding residential roads and town centre, exacerbated by the fact the venue does not have any on site parking. It seems incredibly insensitive and inward looking for KICC, a religious charity, to press ahead with a pogramme to double the size of the proposed audience when they know it will damage the surrounding area, infra structure and social cohesion.

Then there's the very serious concerns about the levels of bigotry that are peddled against the LGBT community. The leader of KICC has signed an open letter to government demanding the Equaltiies Law is changed to exclude sexual orientation. The letter begins by denying homophobic attacks ever take place claiming that the government's only evidence of this is newspaper coverage, it goes on to say that they refuse to recognise equality between hetero and homosexuals and it ends on a militant note accusing the government of Christianophobia.

Crystal Palace is home to a significant number of residents and traders from the LGBT community, you can imagine how appalled they were to hear that this particular organisation that marches under the mission statement Taking Territiories is aiming to draw thousands of people at a time who ascribe to those views to the area on a regular basis.

Thanks for reading this and if any of you EDFers can join us in the park from 12.30pm onwards this Saturday that would be fabulous, your support and soildarity in this matter is most needed and much appreciated.

[huncamunca]

Would a CoE church in the same location garner as much angst ?

[StraferJack]

I would object to either over a cinema but come on even I can see there is a world of difference between the CoE and this shower of Johnny-come-latelies

It's like a real-life version of the TV-evangelists you see in the US

send us your money and you WILL be saved! Well, I will anyway...

[blackmamba]

huncamunca Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Would a CoE church in the same location garner as

> much angst ?

In a word, yes!

As pointed out in the third paragraph of the post you were responding to, the area is served by an abundance of churches, 17. The residents and traders of this area feel that the faith market is well and truly saturated. There would be as much angst over any other church proposal or indeed any other large organisation intent on operating at such an intensified capacity and frequency as KICC have proposed.

Can I add that the building is not a church nor can it be used for religious activities. KICC took a gamble on being able to obtain permission for a change of use. This was not the case. It is unlikely that another church would have the ammount of cash KICC have to take such a gamble in first place.

KICC are milti-million pound conglomerate that also happens to be a registered religious charity. The organisation has spent charitable funds to purchase a buliding that it cannot use to further it's charitable cause. Shame it can't sell to Picturehouse Cinemas, who still want to buy it and invest in a building with the correct use class for their purpose nearer to the community they currently serve.