March 2004 - Evangelicals Now - Christian Newspaper

Over 350 people gathered in Southport on the last Saturday in January for the official opening of Grace Baptist Church's new building.

The service gave the church an opportunity to thank God for his goodness in providing a new place of public worship for the growing congregation. In recent years, some church members had to worship each Sunday morning via a TV link in a separate part of their old building.

After the Sunday morning service, the Sunday school children launched 118 balloons - 117 for the age of the old building, and one for the new! A little tag attached to each balloon explained the reason for the celebration, and asked the finder to contact the church to let us know how far the message had travelled! (The balloons were last seen heading north towards the Lake District).

A way forward

The possibility of purchasing a larger building was considered when another place of worship went up for sale in the locality. Later it was withdrawn from the market, but this was the 'kick-start' the church needed. In the meantime, land immediately opposite the church had been cleared and was being run as a temporary car park while the owner waited for a sale. The overall cost of the land was beyond the church's means, but an approach was made to Quest Housing Association at a time when they were considering the options for a new town-centre project. A way forward was found: Quest bought the land, agreeing to sell a part of it to Grace. As a result, next to our new building there are now eight new flats to be let in the near future. The Lord's providence at every stage has been wonderful to witness.

New opportunities

The opening of a new building has given us some unique opportunities for witness. We recorded a service lasting half an hour for Radio Merseyside, which was broadcast on the Sunday morning. Also, on February 12 we held an open evening for local traders and business people to see what has been accomplished. Even the Mayor of Sefton accepted our invitation to witness the work.

'The Lord has done this'

During the dedication, Peter Day, elder and former pastor, reminded everyone about the two main features of a church building: the seats (representing the people) and the Bible, God's Word. The congregation stood for prayer as the members dedicated themselves to serving the Lord together through the facilities he has granted. Peter Day concluded with the affirmation: 'The Lord has done this and it is marvellous in our eyes' (Psalm 118.23).

Presentations and thanks were given to Jason Maher (Architect, Condy & Lofthouse) and Alan Plat (Site Manager, Marland Bros. Ltd.). The hard work and efficiency of everyone involved meant that the entire building work took only 294 days! A photographic sequence, capturing the development of the project month by month, was shown before the service began (accompanied by some stirring music!). Even those of us who have lived through it are still amazed at the speed with which the project has been completed.

During the Thanksgiving Service our main speaker, Dr. Ray Evans (pastor of Kempston Evangelical Church, Bedford), exhorted us from Colossians 1-2 to remain true to three biblical priorities:

1. To pray, as though everything depended upon God.
2. To work, as though everything depended upon us.
3. To keep Christ, and his saving work upon the cross, central in all our work.

Afterwards, refreshments were served in our old church building. The removal of the pews has created a large, multi-purpose hall, and we are planning further redevelopments to enhance the facilities for our existing work in the community through the week.

Up goes the new building

The opening of Grace Baptist Church's new building in Southport in January

A way forward

New opportunities

'The Lord has done this'

Pastors Adam Laughton & Dyfan Williams

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