Rise & Build
In 2002, as a result of a long term vision from God to build a facility that would house a C21st contemporary Church and out of a desire to leave a spiritual inheritance to future generations, Andrew and Betsy launched the "Rise and Build" programme. This programme commenced with a special Sunday service where people made pledges to the Building Fund.
Over the next few years the annual pledges significantly increased and as a Church we started to pray for the purchase of freehold land in Bath – a notion that was almost written off as impossible by the commercial land agents in the city. Choosing to stand on a conviction that the Church is destined to be the Head and not the Tail and that nothing is impossible for God we continued to look for freehold office property while praying fervently!
By November 2005 we were delighted to have purchased our first freehold office property at Roseberry Road – which was indeed a testimony to God’s abundant grace and provision.
2006 saw the property undergoing a complete £150,000 renovation which has given the Church its present fully functioning office space, riverside entertainment area and even a private jetty!
On the completion of the renovation of Roseberry Road, attention again was turned towards looking for the land that would house our future Church auditorium, conference facilities and office space. We engaged the services of a land agent, convinced that God had somewhere for us and that it would be easily accessible to Bristol, with access from the main road.
New Building
By 2008 miraculously we were in negotiations to purchase an option on a parcel of land that seemed to fit our future requirements. At this juncture we engaged architects to look into the feasibility of the project. Again we experienced God’s incredible favour and witnessed many of the church giving sacrificially towards the vision.
By September we were in a position to push ahead with purchasing the property and managed to finance the deal with a very favourable mortgage in a terrible market, at the same time as achieving an excellent price for the site. God was remarkable again!
On 1st December 2008 we were given the keys to nearly an acre of prime office land called "Technology House" with main road access on the Bristol side of the city of Bath!
In the months that have followed the purchase of the Technology House site we have been working with some of our immediate neighbours to build a positive rapport and ensure that before we go into planning we will be able to maximise the site for the benefit of our neighbours as well as ourselves.
We began an exciting project to renovate the top floor flat of Albert Villa, the listed building that fronts the land, to fulfil a long term dream to provide a high quality retreat place for full time pastors to be able to recharge their batteries. In July 2009, we received Listed Building Consent to extend the bathroom in the flat and were able to complete the project.
Update : November 2009
The flat was completed in September 2009, and we have already had our first visitors! We are so pleased to be fulfilling our dream for the flat, and it's beautiful!
Each room in the flat has been excellently designed and fitted, so visitors can have a relaxing and refreshing experience. Take a look at the photos of some of the rooms in the flat
20th November 2009
The architects have now appointed the full team of Structural Engineers, Quality Surveyors etc and so they are now ready to take the project forward to planning.
