Church celebrates opening of state-of-the-art facility
Central Community Church celebrated its grand opening at the new state-of-the-art Central Community Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake Sunday.
The Pentecostal church, which has a 101-year history and was most recently on Scott Street in St. Catharines, is the main tenant of the 6,875-square-metre facility on York Road.
The two-storey building, which includes a full-service auditorium that can seat 1,800 people, café, and board and breakout rooms, also offers community rental space to sports teams, corporate groups, concerts, graduations, galas and more.
Lead pastor Bill Markham said the church had been at the Scott Street location for more than 50 years. But 10 years ago, “we knew we were running out space.”
“The building was getting tired and fatigued, and we couldn’t accommodate the people that were coming,” he said.
“We started looking for land and we looked all over the Niagara region, and we were fortunate enough to get this piece of land (on York Road, near the QEW).”
Markham said the church did a demographic study of where its roughly 3,000-member congregation was coming from, and that the 10.5-hectare York Road property is “actually closer for many of them.”
“A lot come from Niagara Falls, a lot come from Welland, so it’s more central — it’s actually more fitting with our name,” he said.
Markham said while only 5.2 hectares have been developed, there is opportunity to grow in the future.
He said when looking for a new home, the church didn’t want to “spend a lot of money on a space that you only use once a week.
“We said, ‘How could we build a space that’s multi-use?’ The vision is that 24/7, there’s going to be people in this space, so there’s no single-use space, it could be used for multiple, flexible things,” said Markham.
“We really wanted to make an impact on the next generation. We felt like if we could engage a child and help them create a narrative for their own life that is healthy and robust, that we can actually spare them from maybe pitfalls in the future. That’s why we have the gym for athletics. We’re looking at getting a dance studio in. We have a soccer club coming in. Everything geared around the next generation.”
Sarah Pritula, director of operations for Central Community Centre, said even though the building only opened on Easter weekend, “we’re constantly getting rental inquiries to come in here.”
“We’ve already hosted a few private events. We have galas coming in here. We also have a lot of corporate events, as well as youth church conferences.”
Pritula said a full-service daycare is also on site.
During Sunday’s grand opening, the church offered two services in the large auditorium, with opportunities for the public to tour the site and family-friendly entertainment.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with centre and church officials, as well as dignitaries, politicians and first responders.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Betty Disero said she is “amazed by the beauty of this space” and the “love and warmth” she felt from people in attendance.
Construction on the building began in 2018 and despite facing “various adversities, setbacks, inflation impacts and more, like COVID,” Disero said she saw the “tenacity of this church community to see this project completed and you should be very proud of yourselves.”
“I am so pleased that you chose Niagara-on-the-Lake for your new home, and I am confident that your impact will go far beyond our borders,” she said, adding the centre will be “open to everyone.”
“Thank you for seeing beyond these four walls and being intentional about reaching into the community. Not only that, but you have created a space for the community. Your kindness, generosity, intentionality, is making, and will continue to make, a difference in our region. My hope for this building is that it will be a beacon of hope for our community and that those who walk into this place will feel welcome, safe, inspired to be their best selves.”
‘‘ The vision is that 24/7, there’s going to be people in this space.
BILL MARKHAM LEAD PASTOR