We are absolutely thrilled to have found a home for our church community to meet in the heart of Bournemouth, and to have an opportunity to invest in what God’s doing in the area. Follow this blog for all the latest news and updates.
The stones are going down outside and we are playing around with our chair setup. The screen is up for clear visuals during our services and we have lights on stage.
Can you believe the transformation? We are so grateful to Redside Property Maintenance and OpenCloud, plus all the volunteers and staff for their hard work.
The ramp is being laid, and our hearing loop is installed! You will find accessible toilets in both refreshment areas. There will be a disabled parking space reserved outside the building, and our parking areas will end up tarmac-ed.
Our latest update on the building, as we edge ever closer to having it as our spiritual home. And don’t worry, we have your coffee needs taken care of! The window and door frame for the studio/sound room are now in place. The carpet is in. The paint is pretty much on all the walls. We even almost have toilets. Woohoo!
Thank you so much to everyone who donated a chair to the building; here they are wrapped and ready to be inspected but looking glorious all the same. We’d love it if you can pray for the use of the building, and for each and every person who will sit on the chairs.
It’s getting closer to being officially our building…. “Catch The Fire Bournemouth” now shows up on Google Maps! We’re one step closer to calling it our home but don’t turn up yet as it’s still a work-in-progress. We’re hopeful to move in during February and will keep everyone updated.
Things are really moving at St Stephens Way! We are very grateful for our in-house interior designer and senior leader Adele for choosing the colours. Doesn’t it look fantastic! The carpets are going in on Wednesday and it will look like a very welcoming room.
At the back of the building the builders have knocked through to the old projector room in preparation to put in a staircase to what will be the studio room - pictured with the exposed brick.
The part of the building that used to be a flat has been converted into a small meeting room/lounge, an office, and a creche space and has been painted a soft green. We’ve retained the kitchen and the bathroom. The team successfully put together a selection of furniture without falling out - we consider that a win!
The stage is coming along and is looking rightfully majestic now it is painted. What do you think of the before and after?
The flat is also almost finished and just needs furnishing. This will house the office, a kitchen, a lounge, and the creche.
Chairs arrive next week!
The stage in the main hall when the building was purchased.
The stage painted!
We’ve been making great progress renovating St. Stephen’s Hall over the last few weeks. Here’s a video update where you can see some of the transformation taking place.
Thank you so much to everyone who helped out at our cleaning party at the end of August!
We’re regularly posting building updates on our Instagram page. Here’s a post from last week with a stack of photos and videos of our amazing new space:
We’re working with Studio Four Architects on a new layout for the building, to create a welcoming space that suits the needs of our church community. Here are the latest plans, shared with permission from Studio Four Architects.
We’re beginning work on the building, starting with asbestos removal. One of our trustees opened the building for the workers to begin removals and took photos of the work beginning. We’re really excited to be getting started with the process of creating a home for our church community!
Asbestos removal is just the start of our renovation process; we have lots more to do! If you’d like to sow into our Kingdom vision for the centre of Bournemouth, please follow the link below:
Adapted from an email originally sent to Catch The Fire Bournemouth’s email list on 7 July 2023
We want to share our good news with you! We have purchased a building in the centre of Bournemouth.
We’ve been looking to buy a permanent home for the church in the BCP region for a number of years, and we are delighted to have finally found our place!
We plan to use the new building as a base from which to see the love of God impact the people of Bournemouth, and to have a positive impact on the town's vitality.
St Stephen’s Church Hall was put up for sale in April this year, and our purchase successfully completed in June. The attractive Purbeck stone-clad building is situated opposite St Stephen’s Church, right in the heart of Bournemouth, and just minutes away from the town centre. We will spend the next few months renovating the building, before moving in sometime in the Autumn.
We are so excited! (There may have been a few confetti cannons, streamers and party poppers released in church on the Sunday we announced the good news to our amazing and generous church family 😃).
For many years, our dear friends and prophets, Ivan and Isabel Allum (now Skulason) prophesied over us (Dave and Adele Richards) that we are church planters and would one day plant a church.
Nine years ago, with great encouragement from John Arnott and Bob Kilpatrick, we started the church in our home, crowding into our conservatory for some rowdy worship and prayer meetings. Since then, the church has grown, and has rented various properties over the years, including Talbot Heath School. We currently meet on Sunday mornings at Bournemouth School for Girls.
As you know, a building itself is not the church, but simply a place we can use to serve the vision God has given us and to extend his kingdom in Bournemouth. Having said that, it gives us an amazing opportunity to loose the glory of God right in the centre of town and assert his superiority over every force of chaos (See Ephesians 1!). We want to saturate the atmosphere with the name of Jesus in worship and prayer; release his light and declare the truth of who he is as revealed in the Scriptures.
Great question. As well as gathering our local church family, we are looking to encourage and equip the wider church family - by hosting conferences, events, and regular training such as prophetic bootcamps, worship bootcamps and intercession bootcamps.
We are excited to continue combined worship and prayer events with other local churches, as the Ephesians 4 unity and maturity arises in the Body of Christ in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area (BCP), as each part does its work.
We know without a shadow of a doubt that God has big plans for this town - there is a move of the Spirit that will come through here and sweep many into the kingdom. The fields are white to harvest! And we believe that worship is a huge part of what God wants to do, especially with reaching the younger generation.
That’s why we are boldly asking if you would like to sow a financial gift into us, so that we can sow into the kingdom of God in BCP and the South of England.
We’ve bought the building but now we need around £350,000 to renovate it and make it fit for purpose, bringing it up to building code.
And we need to equip it with all the usual stuff: chairs, sound and lighting equipment, functional toilets, a creche room, you know; the glamorous end of church life! :-)
We need around £350,000 to do all this.
If you would like to sow into what God is doing with us, and help us turn this beautiful old building back into a glorious sanctuary of his presence…it’s very easy to do! It only takes a few minutes…
Please give online using the Crosspay app at the link below.
*IMPORTANT: Please designate your gift “Building Fund” so that we know what you want your gift to go towards.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at bournemouth@catchthefire.com
We SO appreciate your generosity and kindness as you ‘worship with your wallet’...thank you for taking the time to read this and consider your response.
Our Vision is to blaze with the wildfire of the Holy Spirit, and to extend God’s kingdom in Bournemouth and beyond.
Our Mission is to:
Grow Big People – call out the God-given purpose of every believer; activating them in their gifting and calling. We are a sending church, so we train and equip people, and raise up leaders who demonstrate the supernatural kingdom of God in all different walks of life.
Grow Healthy People – to emphasise character, resilience and heart-healing as much as gifting. To walk together as disciples of Jesus; increasing maturity and to demonstrate love and forgiveness as we go. To walk in freedom and intimacy with God and other people.
Grow Passionate People – to love God with everything in us and to give Him the glory. To grow prophetic people who know the Trinity intimately, who hear His voice, flow with His Spirit and bring His kingdom in Bournemouth through powerful prayer, worship, prophetic and witness.
We have also recently employed Mark Reid as our full-time Associate Pastor. Mark is a gifted singer-songwriter, worship leader and recording artist who has moved here from Bristol with his young family.
Mark says: “I’m looking forward to seeing our new home in St. Stephen’s Hall being a base for vibrant expressions of faith, community and art. I pray it will be a place of connection for people, especially for students looking to find a ‘home away from home."
News article from the Bournemouth Daily Echo on 2nd July, 2023:
St Stephen’s Church Hall, which was put up for sale in April this year, has been bought by local church: Catch The Fire Bournemouth. The attractive Purbeck stone-clad building is situated opposite St Stephen’s Church, right in the heart of Bournemouth, and just minutes away from the town centre.
Long-time locals and small business owners, David and Adele Richards started the Catch The Fire church in their home in Bournemouth back in 2014. Since then, the church has grown, and has rented various properties over the years, including Talbot Heath School. Catch The Fire currently meets on Sunday mornings at Bournemouth School for Girls.
David Richards says: “We have been looking to buy a permanent home for the church in the BCP region, for a number of years, and we are delighted to have finally found our place!”
St Stephen’s Church Hall was built in 1934 to serve as a place for the St Stephen’s church community to gather together for fellowship and events. Catch The Fire now plans to spend the next few months renovating the building, before moving in sometime in the Autumn.
Trustee of St Stephen’s Church Hall, Andrew Morgan, says about the sale: “We are extremely pleased that this building will soon be brought back to life and wish the Catch The Fire church community every success at their new place of worship.”
Catch The Fire has also recently employed Mark Reid as their full-time Associate Pastor. Mark is a gifted singer-songwriter, worship leader and recording artist who has moved here from Bristol with his young family.
Mark Reid says: “I’m looking forward to seeing our new home in St. Stephen’s Hall being a base for vibrant expressions of faith, community and art. I pray it will be a place of connection for people, especially for students looking to find a ‘home away from home.’”
Catch The Fire Bournemouth is a charismatic Christian church, and part of a global movement of approximately 300 churches, including Catch The Fire churches in London, Manchester and Farnborough. They plan to use their new building as a base from which to see the love of God impact the town of Bournemouth, and to have a positive impact on the town's vitality.
Adele Richards says, “We’re looking to the future of the town and to the future of the young adults and young families that come here. We believe that a vibrant expression of our love for God through music and creativity is one of the key ways to connect with the younger generations.”
For more press information:
Please contact Adele Richards, Senior Leader, Catch The Fire Bournemouth
bournemouth@catchthefire.com
www.ctfbournemouth.com
