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UPDATE OCTOBER 2023
The ground floor is now plastered and painted. Bathroom tiling is well under way, as is the first floor plastering. Electricians and plumbers are lined up to finish installation once plastering and painting is complete. We have recently received a number of very generous donations and believe we now have the funds to complete the ground floor ready to move in Dec 23 / Jan 24.
UPDATE AUGUST 2023
The last couple of months have seen much progress. A Christian friend from Northern Ireland generously supplied and fitted a beautiful kitchen. New windows and doors have been fitted at the front of the building. Construction work is essentially finished, with interim sign-off coming soon from our engineer. The ground floor has been plastered, and the electricians have already begun to fit sockets and lights throughout. Finances are tight, and we are currently costing and prioritising the works needed to get us into the building as soon as possible.
UPDATE JUNE 2023
The electricians have now finished their "1st fix" and the internal walls are now being plasterboarded. The rebuild of the roof has started, with the old roof being taken down and completely replaced. We are looking to finish the basic construction work by July 15th and working towards a move-in date in the Autumn. As we start to think about fitting out the building, there will still be additional funds needed. However, we are so encouraged that funds are in place to finish the 1st fix work.
UPDATE MAY 2023
The first phase of heating and plumbing work has been completed, and rewiring of the building is under way. A volunteer team helped with a suspended ceiling on the ground floor and with putting up fencing along with boundary. The smaller windows to the side and rear have been installed and we are just about ready to order internal doors. We are now getting quotes for flooring and tying down the design of the front facade. We hope to proceed with rebuilding the front roof soon.
UPDATE SPRING 2023
Most of the structural work is now complete, and partition walls have gone up for ktichen, bathrooms, and main meeting area. We have recently updated our design to allow for 30 extra seats and an improved entrance from the street. We have recently received funds allowing us to place orders for windows, doors, cavity insulation, and heating system. We are still working towards a move-in date later in 2023. We estimate that a further €50,000 will be needed to achieve this.
OUR STORY
Ireland is a needy country: less than 1% evangelical, many towns without gospel churches. But God is at work: in the last 25 years our network alone has planted 8 new churches in our region. Castlebar is in Co. Mayo (West of Ireland) – around 30,000 live nearby. Our church began meeting in 2013 and we have been reaching out via public events and personal evangelism; and building up via Sunday teaching, bible studies, and creative children’s teaching.
WHAT GOD IS DOING
Our outreach is starting to bear fruit: we have seen people profess faith and get baptised in recent years. In the last year we have also seen new people engage with weekly meetings and one-to-one Bible studies. When gathered in person, around 35 adults and children meet together each week. We are committed to leadership training in partnership with Crosslands Seminary.
OUR PLANS FOR GROWTH
Due to this growth our previous building is too small. We are currently meeting at Castlebar Tennis Club but are also developing a new premises as a base for gospel growth. We purchased a town centre building in July 2022 and are currently planning and fundraising for renovation works. We hope to move in during 2023. For more details, watch the video above, or download our brochure.
Due to this growth our previous building is too small. We are currently meeting at Castlebar Tennis Club but are also developing a new premises as a base for gospel growth. We purchased a town centre building in July 2022 and are currently planning and fundraising for renovation works. We hope to move in during 2023. For more details, watch the video above, or download our brochure.
We previously rented a premises just off the main street of Castlebar and had 24/7 use of the buliding. We experienced numerous benefits from being visible. People in the town were able to place us, and casual enquirers popped in off the street at times. It has been easy to host extra events such as outreach talks, kids’ bible clubs, training seminars, Christian workers’ gatherings, etc. We also installed a library of Christian books used by those in training.
We are blessed to have a regular attendance of over 30 adults and children. There is a warm family atmosphere, with people hanging around to chat over a cup of tea. Before COVID, we enjoyed regular meals together after church. We are currently using Castlebar Tennis Club on Sunday mornings - it is a great venue but weekly set-up is a challenge and we are not so visible.
OUR CORE VALUES
GOSPEL the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
BIBLE the unchanging and ever-relevant word of God
CHURCH a warm, loving community united in the Holy Spirit
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Ephesians 4:16 NIV
WHY A BIGGER BUILDING?
Quite simply, extra space will allow us to continue growing. Even before social distancing we had difficulty fitting regulars in, and we were extremely limited in welcoming visitors to special events (e.g., carol services and holiday bible clubs). The last year has seen a steady trickle of new enquirers; we hope they will become regulars. Our goal is a building with space to seat 80 regularly and 100 for special events. We aim to provide facilities for children’s activities, creche, conferences of various sizes, with suitable catering facilities for refreshments and meals.
Castlebar is ideally suited to act as a hub for churches in the West of Ireland. We are part of the Calvary Mission network comprising eight regional churches. Galway, Sligo, and Roscommon are also within 80 minutes’ drive. Connections between churches are vital in this pioneer setting, and a larger building would enable us to build on our past experience hosting training and networking events.
WHY BUY?
We have been renting for over 4 years now. The rent on our current premises consumes nearly all of the giving by members of the church. If we can raise the one-off funds for this purchase, future church giving can be used to move towards self-sufficiency e.g., in funding staff salaries.
COVID has underlined that churches are about people, not buildings. However, establishing a permanent base in the community emphasises our commitment to Castlebar and helps locals to recognise us as a place that welcomes those with questions about God.
PRACTICALITIES
It is a challenging time to undertake a project such as this, however current conditions mean that suitable buildings are available. We have set the following criteria for a permanent premises:
Within walking distance of town centre, with good visibility to encourage visitors
Total budget including purchase and fit-out of €350,000
Floor area of at least 3000 sq. ft. (current building is 900)
Fitted out to a high standard to facilitate meetings, kids' work, hospitality, etc.
In 2022 we located a suitable building, have purchased it outright, and received all the necessary planning permissions. We are now raising funds for the extensive renovation work necessary. We hope to fund this project through internal fundraising, external grants, and low-interest loans.
We would welcome any support, large or small. Prayer support will be vital – even if you can’t donate, please sign up to our prayer emails and pray for us! We are working towards a move-in date of 2022, allowing for fund-raising, purchase, and fit-out.
Stephen Childs
Pastor
