All churches go through phases of growth and shrinkage, but it was a decision that a multisite approach was no longer working for the Coastlands Church community in South Australia that brought them back together and in need of a new building. “Then of course COVID came along! In some ways, for us, COVID was a blessing because people had to make decisions about whether they wanted to be there – remember we had to register to attend church?” said Gavin. “Suddenly everybody wanted to be there!”
In 2017, through a loan from BFS, the church acquired Brighton Fitness Centre, a three-level building with a carpark underneath that was formerly a squash centre. The third floor had enough space to accommodate around 200 people, and as the community began to grow, within two years the church building was at capacity. Pastor Gavin Clark said the church began to dream of developing the whole building to have a large auditorium to bring everyone together on the same floor, so they drew up some designs and contacted the team at BFS.
So, that was the impetus for the redevelopment, and BFS was able to journey with the Coastlands Church community from planning and inception right through to the end of the project. The redeveloped space can now seat 550 people comfortably in the auditorium, and a lift was installed to ensure everyone can access the space. All the squash courts have now been converted to kid’s rooms, youth spaces, and meeting rooms, and a community outreach centre. “Now we’ve got space for more growth,” Gavin said.