God's Glory Church

The need for a Building

Why does the Church need a building anyway!?

GGC currently meet in a hall above a post office, near a shopping centre near the town centre. It is of note that no protestant evangelical church in Nowy Sącz has ever had its own permanent building and it is felt that this is hindering church growth for a number of reasons:

• WE ARE GROWING! - Lack of space is now a concern.  The hall currently being rented can hold up to around 100 seated, and now attendance is regularly above that with visitors and new-comers. Further, there is only a very basic ‘cupboard’ for a kitchen, and inadequate facilities for the three Sunday school groups. With its own facilities, this would no longer be a concern.
• Cultural acceptance. Although GGC fully understand that a church is a body of believers and never a building, the outside world community strongly believe the opposite. A group of people calling themselves a ‘church’ without any building is seen as a cult, temporary, poor, weak and suspicious. Having our own building helps bridge the cultural gap and realise the main mission goals to reach people with the Gospel.
• In the past, protestant groups have been ‘evicted’ from rented places of meeting when Catholic hierarchy have discovered that a protestant group is meeting there and evangelising. GGC have also been officially denied permission to evangelise when they have rented halls for large public meetings. With their own building, they can freely meet without threats of eviction or fear of evangelising.
• Renting a hall also means the church cannot guarantee to have the use of the building when it is needed - despite a high rent.  Other long-standing tenants with perhaps closer or inside relationships with the owners sometimes get priority. Recently, with local and national elections being held in the rented hall on a Sunday, GGC has had to meet on a Saturday or in homes for some weeks, bringing confusion to outsiders and visitors. GGC saw up to a month of disruptions in the first quarter of 2007, due to building repair or other bookings.  If GGC had its own building this would bring further stability, regularity of Sunday meetings and hence growing confidence in visitors and new comers.
• There is a need to raise the profile and presence of the church in Nowy Sącz through a wide range of forms of advertising initiatives. GGC has requested permission to mount a banner, placard or billboard informing the community of the presence of, and the meeting time of the church but this has been refused.  The owner fears attacks and a reduction of tenants/loss of revenue. Other advertising (on busses, posters, newspapers etc) in other locations is not as culturally acceptable in Poland. Having spoken to people who do attend GGC and are born again, it is found that they had been searching for a church like GGC for many years but never knew it existed, or where it met. Having a building of their own, GGC would gain presence in the city and could provide advertising on their own premises without problems.
• Security is inevitably a concern at the moment with many other tenants also renting the building. With a large amount of bulky specialist equipment or instruments for worship and ministry, GGC has the use of a large locked cupboard on the rented premises. Although precautions are taken and some smaller items are kept in homes, a recent break-in to the rented premises saw a number of expensive items stolen. These have now been replaced by donations, but with a building of their own, GGC could ensure better security, including a site manager living on the premises.
• Preparation time.  As a testimony to their faithfulness and hard work, a number of people arrive 1½ - 2 hours before the start of every meeting to set up all the equipment and make numerous trips to homes to collect equipment not stored on-site. This time could be given over to prayer, ministry or family, if GGC had their own premises.
• A number of ministries GGC members have a heart to understand are not currently possible due to lack of suitable premises to host them.  There are members ready and willing to help with an open ‘Pregnancy crisis centre’, further work with homeless or children amongst others.  Without a secure, safe and definite place to host these ministries, they cannot be undertaken in this culture easily.
• For a church comprising mostly poor people, in a poor country, costs of renting are an issue. GGC currently spends over 1000zl a month on rent in addition to  other costs which is as much as some people’s total monthly income. This periodically is increased, and is set to increase more in the future as Poland becomes more prosperous. Further, of course, GGC would still hold no capital stake in a building, thus reducing its financial capabilities in the future. As seen from the ministries undertaken, this does not stop the church doing a lot but it does take funding away from other areas. (See finances section below).  With its own building, it is believed it could receive an income through letting its own facilities, thus making it much more self-sufficient. (There is a need for larger conference or concert halls).
• Perhaps the most important reason is that the Elders and the members have clearly heard from God on this issue that now is the time to seek a home of their own. With prayer and fasting focusing on this issue there is complete unity among all the leaders that this is God's will for the church.

Be assured such a momentous project will in no way distract the church from its central and foundational mission of preaching the gospel, reaching the lost, helping the poor and lonely and encouraging the saints. We realise in full that such a building is to serve the body of Christ and help advance the Kingdom of God and never the other way around.