Maple Ridge Alliance Church celebrated a big step back in the beginning of May. They officially broke ground on their exciting new expansion project. This project is big news not only for the church, but also for the community. So much so that it even got space in the Maple Ridge Times.
"The church broke ground this weekend on its expansion project and the plan is for the new $1.2 million activity centre to be ready at the end of September.
It'll be used for a lot of community activities - it's a needed space," said John Kinney, an elder at the church and a member of the building committee.
The church members have been fundraising for about two years and have got almost enough money to pay for the addition debt-free which is their goal...
Currently the church runs programs in other facilities, for example, they rent space at Fairview Elementary for their Awana girls' club and another off-site facility for men's recreational use.
The addition will allow all their programs to be offered under the same roof an allow for new programs and outside activities.
Kinney hopes the facility will be used by youth in the neighbourhood who are 'wandering through life aimlessly.'
The plan is to set up drop in after school activities and homework clubs for neighbourhood youth.
In the summer they will hold their summer camps. The activity room will be big enough to have a full-sized basketball court.
The church allows their building to be used for various community functions, for example, in the fall, H1N1 clinics were held at the church. It is also a designated emergency response site in the event of a large scale emergency.
For the complete article please visit http://www.mrtimes.com/Alliance+builds+community+venue/3012768/story.html
