Richill Presbyterian Church is on the move this Friday, 28 November, when at a special service at 7.00pm Moderator Dr Ivan McKay will officially open a new church complex built at a cost of £1.5m.
"The congregation has grown by about four times since 1970," explains Richill's minister Rev Alastair McNeely. "On the old site where services have been held since 1782 there was simply no room to expand and the congregation embarked on this ambitious project in 1996."
The new church is about a mile from the original site and has been built on a piece of land gifted to the congregation some years ago.
Included in the new complex is a worship area which will seat 460 people - 300 more than the old church, a sports hall, a youth room, minor hall and a purpose built créche.
"When it became obvious that we needed new buildings the congregation looked very seriously at its strategy for serving our community," continues Alastair. "A survey of Richill showed that 84% of the community are under 45 and so we have geared our buildings and our ministry to meet the needs of a younger population. Natuarally we are very excited about what the future holds and are looking forward to celebrating the opening of the halls and beyond."
After the official opening this Friday, the celebrations continue with an Open Night on Monday 1 December between 6.30 and 9.30pm to allow the whole community to see the new facilities. This will be followed by a series of special services from Tuesday to Friday (2-5 Dec) at 7.30pm with guest speaker Rev John Woodside. The celebrations will culminate in a Tapestry Concert on Sunday 7 December at 6.30pm with Keith Getty and Kristyn Lennox.
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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