Church Building
A. Brief History
In 2004, God gave us a vision of having
our own church building. At the annual congregational meeting that followed,
such a vision was clearly confirmed by the congregation. Of the members
present, 96% voted ‘yes’ to the motion of church building, which was seen as a
clear confirmation of God’s will. The church building project committee was
convened soon after to look for a suitable property and to raise funds.
In 2005, a potential property was
located in
In 2008, our current Lidcombe site
came to our attention. The Presbytery and the Trustees of the General Assembly
expediently approved our acquisition. Miraculously, our development application
(including the change of usage of our current site from ‘industrial purposes’
to ‘a place of worship’) was granted by Auburn Council within a very short
time.
In 2009, the church building project
committee was restructured. We also modified the building plan and re-submitted
the development application which was approved soon afterwards. The cost of the
entire project was revised upwards to $4million after receiving bids for the
construction tender and later to $4.25 million.
In 2010, we accepted the tender from
a building firm.
In September 2011, we obtained the
occupation certificate. In late October, we relocated to the current site. On
the first Sunday of November, we held our first worship service in Lidcombe.
On 24th March 2012, we
held a Lidcombe church building thanksgiving service to acknowledge our
blessings and give praise to God for the site.
B. God’s
Grace
1.
Church
building committee members and other church leaders believe wholeheartedly that
it is not by our own power nor by might but by the Spirit of God that the
church building project has been accomplished. God has convicted friends of our
church to support our cause to the magnitude of over $800,000.
2.
Brothers
and sisters of our church have also given sacrificially towards the church
building project. The faith pledge system has taught us to trust God firmly and
to experience the joy and grace of giving. Church members have given over $1 million.
3.
Since
relocating to Lidcombe, the Chinese and English congregations have had more
opportunities to interact with one another on Sunday mornings. This has
improved understanding and communication between congregations. Coincidentally,
the first combined service held at Lidcombe was the commissioning service for
our first missionary. The combined service was jointly organised by the Chinese
and English congregations, and a missionary organisation. This signalled a positive
beginning to the Chinese and English congregations partnering in gospel
ministry.
4.
Having
established our headquarters, brothers and sisters have been keen to bring
their families and friends to the church. This has resulted in an increase in the
number of people worshipping with us.
C. Needs
1.
Ability
and wisdom to raise funds so that we can quickly pay off the different loans,
especially the bank loan, and reduce our interest payments. Details of our
loans are:
|
|
Original
balance in 2009 |
Term |
Outstanding
Balance |
Interest
Rate |
|
Bank
|
$1,260,000 |
15 years |
$973,378 |
4.884% |
|
Trustees of the General Assembly |
$200,000 |
10 years |
$116,672 |
Interest Free
|
|
Church Members |
$251,000 |
Various |
$217,955 |
Interest Free
|
2. Ability to manage the Lidcombe
site so that its usage is maximised to extend God’s kingdom.
3. Proper maintenance of the Lidcombe
site so that its value is maintained,
or even appreciates.
4. Giving to support the church
building project can be made by:
a) direct
deposit to our bank account:
Account Name: GracePoint Chinese Presbyterian Church
Bank: Westpac Banking Corporation
Account Number: 032-000 206603
b) cheque made payable to “GracePoint
Chinese Presbyterian Church” and marked “church building project” on the back.
|
|
|
|
