What are we planning to build? A church on the corner.
for…You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple (place) for the Lord. (Ephesians 2:19-21 NLT)
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11 NRSV)
This will be a building – for the church and the community. The design incorporates multipurpose space with multifunctional opportunities for both church and community.
It will bring together the essence of the two previous St. James churches that resided on the corner with a vision and serviceability for the future. The beautiful roof line of the earlier churches has been incorporated into the current design, allowing for overflow areas on verandahs, a quiet room with an outlook onto the garden and space for Sunday School though it may have another name. The past and the future merge in our new building as a multipurpose facility for gatherings as well as worship, witness, service. The design was chosen carefully to sit nicely on the corner and has received confirmation from the Whitsunday Regional Council for existing use rights for a Place of Worship.
Read all about Our Seven Sacred Spaces
Introducing our Auditorium, including the Chapel/Sanctuary
Imagine the Auditorium which will provide spaces for creative art displays, for concerts and community engagement. Within this space will be the Chapel/Sanctuary, a place of worship, devotion and prayer with others.
Introducing Our Care Kitchen Space
Imagine the Portico which opens into the Lobby, also known as the Refectory, with a kitchen servery that provides meals and a friendly environment in which to gather; a safe place to explore life’s many big questions as a community.
Introducing Our Creative Learning Space
Imagine the Creative Learning Centre which will provide space for Kid’s Church, youth, and cultural conversations, Godly Play, a creative space where stories are told, painted, drawn, coloured-in, acted out, and creativity and learning are encouraged.
Introducing Our Quiet Space
Imagine the Quiet Room a place for listening and stillness in the face of adversity or grief or distress where there is support and empathy and prayer. A place for meditation, pastoral care, supervised family access, or a teleconference.
Introducing Our Verandah Spaces
Imagine verandahs that are pathways around the Church and through the garden where we meet and invite our neighbours, the voiceless, the poor, and excluded to enter our house, God’s house. Verandas extend the auditorium/chapel, which offers casual meeting places, creative spaces, and places for bible study as well as pathways that join the kitchen servery and welcoming lobby.
