Over the weekend of 22-23 June members and community celebrated the official opening of their church extension with South England Conference President, Pastor Sam Davis, and the Deputy Mayor of Weston-Super-Mare, Cllr Mrs Roz Willis.

In his Sabbath address to the church Pastor Davis encouraged and commended the church for its community connections and challenged the congregation to remain connected to their community.  A Christian herself, Deputy Mayor, Cllr Willis gave a brief testimony of her personal faith, and in her address, affirmed the value and importance of churches and faith groups to their communities.

Having seen the project from planning to completion, she expressed pleasure at being part of the planning committee which had approved the building and now being at the opening of the completed building project. As she concluded her remarks, she raised her hands and encouraged the assembly to praise the Lord for the great things He has done.

Sunday saw the church opening its doors for a family celebration day. Teas and cakes were served and later a barbeque was lit. The building was buzzing with activities such as games, balloon modelling and face painting.  The Newbold Teens mime group, 'Connected', also added to the festivities with their inspirational performance.

The day attracted local residents, friends of members and people who attend the popular cooking club. The importance of the building in this community was demonstrated by the support local residents gave. People went out of their way to help make the day a success, as they recognised the importance of community facilities and appreciation of what the church does. Even the builder's bill came with a donation in form of labour from the local builder.

Photos from this joyful weekend can be seen on the Adventist picture gallery.

[Kirsten Øster-Lundqvist with Wayne Erasmus]

- See more at: http://adventist.org.uk/news/2013/2013-sec/community-focus-motivation-for-weston-church-extension#sthash.DK4lE1W4.dpu