Project Update: April 2024
Planning application submitted
In our last update we shared how we had agreed to purchase this building for our church. Since then, we have been busy getting plans drawn up by our architect. We are pleased to share that a planning application for change of use and layout changes was submitted to Mayo County Council this month.
Praise God for how things are moving along.
In March we had a fundraiser event, where one of our families put on a Peter Rabbit play. We had a great night with lots of visitors.
Plans
Our proposed ground floor and first floor plans are shown below
Downstairs, we plan to have a main meeting room, café area, toilets and kitchen. Upstairs we will have a youth / kids hall, storage, and office space.
Budget update
Our total scheme budget is €400,000.
To date we have raised €220,400 from various sources as shown on the chart.
If you or your church would consider pledging to support this project, please do get in touch. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed so far.
Next steps
In Ireland there is an 8-week period for the Council to make their initial decision, followed by a 4-week appeals period. Therefore, we should have a planning decision by July. Please pray that the decision will be favourable.
As we progress through the planning system, we are trusting God to provide the outstanding finance to enable us to purchase the property promptly after a planning decision is made.
In the meantime we will begin making preparations for the internal building works needed after the building is purchased. This will involve getting additional architectural drawings, a Building Control application, and appointing an engineer to certify the works. We will need to prioritise the legally required fire and disabled access works, as these must be completed before we can occupy the building.
If you would be interested in helping us with any practical work when we reach that stage, we would love to hear from you.
Project Update: February 2024
We are pursuing the purchase of a specific building in Claremorris. We hope to be able to provide more details soon.
Financial update
We have reduced our overall scheme budget to €400,000. To date we have raised €83,000.
Project Update: January 2024
Project Summary
Over the past few years our church has grown a lot. Our rented meeting rooms are now too small and often unavailable. Therefore we launched our building project “Building for the Future” in October 2023 as we need a new place to meet. We are seeking a building in a central, visible location in Claremorris. It will be large enough to accommodate future growth and facilitate the development of our ministry.
Building plans
We plan to either construct a new building, or purchase and renovate an existing building. There are advantages to both options but the cost seems to be similar.
We hope to purchase or construct a building of approximately 350m2 with the following spaces:
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Main meeting room to comfortably seat 100 to 140 people
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Café area for informal gatherings
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Room for small gatherings such as Sunday school or mid-week meetings
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Toilets and storage
The sketches are a conceptual design that we have developed to show the type of space that we need. The building shown is 30m x 12m with 360m2 of floor space.
Available sites
This building was on the market in Autumn 2023 and sold for around €350,000. Significant internal structural works would have been needed to modify the layout. We had just launched the project so we had to let this one go.
For a new-build, we estimate that we would need 0.3 to 0.5 acres, which would allow space for the building and parking. Property is moving quickly due to current market conditions.
There are presently several sites listed for sale in the town, but it has been difficult to determine what price is being sought, and if they are still available. The types of existing buildings that become available include industrial type units and shop units. We are continuing to make enquiries and consider how we might acquire a suitable building or site. Please pray that we would find a seller who is favourable towards us.
Budget
We have initially set the budget at €600,000, based on a construction cost of €1000/m2 to €2000/m2 plus land purchase and furnishings. The cost is similar to other recent church building projects in Ireland. Of course, we could still achieve something great with less money, and it doesn’t all have to come at once.
For the purchase of a new site, the budget would be broken down as follows:
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Site purchase €150,000 to €200,000;
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Building shell €300,000;
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Fit-out and furnishings €100,000 to €150,000.
For purchase and renovation of an existing building it would be approximately:
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Building purchase €300,000 to €400,000;
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Renovation, fit-out and furnishings €200,000 to €300,000.
Financial update
To date we have raised €64,000 from a combination of internal donations, individuals, charitable trusts and churches as shown on the chart. We have contacted other churches and charitable trusts, asking them to consider partnering with us on this project.
Thank-you
We are thankful to God for bringing us to the point where we need
a larger venue. We are thankful for everyone who is praying for us,
and who has given towards this project.
We continue to seek the Lord’s guidance and provision for this project.
Introduction to our building project: October 2023
Building for the Future
Our Story
Ireland is a spiritually needy country. Less than 1% are evangelical, many towns do not have a gospel church. But God is at work in the West of Ireland, with 8 new churches in 25 years. Claremorris, and the surrounding area has a population of around 16,000 people.
Our church began in 2016 and good progress has been made. We have seen people coming to faith, getting baptised, and becoming church members. We have also welcomed believers from many different countries around the world who have settled in the Claremorris area.
Our ministry team is made up of Jonathan & Nicola McCracken (serving with ECM) and Andrew & Rachel Millar (serving with UFM)
Each Sunday we gather to praise God and hear from his Word. We hold various meetings during the week including our Bible study, kids club, ladies fellowship and youth fellowship. We love to be together, with people staying after our meetings to chat over a cup of tea.
Building for the Future
For 7 years we have hired rooms in Claremorris Town Hall Theatre, located in the town centre. As our church has grown, we are beginning to outgrow the available space.
Furthermore, the building has become noticeably busier and is often unavailable, particularly for meetings on weekday evenings. This has resulted in us meeting across three different venues in Claremorris town.
We now have very limited capacity for new people to join us and we are not as visible in the community as we would like. The church members have agreed that we need a new space for growth, to have a visible presence in the town, and to provide a warm welcome to everyone.
Introducing our building project
For some time, we have sought to rent a more suitable premises in Claremorris. However, no suitable properties have become available over this time.
After prayerful consideration we have concluded that it is time for us to seek to purchase & renovate, or construct a suitable premises.
We are seeking a building in a central, visible location in Claremorris. It will be large enough to accommodate future growth and facilitate the development of our ministry. It will be a welcoming space, that is accessible for everyone.
We estimate that such a building will cost approximately €600,000.
We have now set up a building fund and are actively pursuing internal fundraising and external donations. All donations, large or small, are welcome.
How to Give
We would welcome any support towards our building project. If you would like to make a donation, further information on how to do so can be found here.
Prayer Support
Prayer support is also vital. Both the McCracken's and the Millar's send regular prayer updates. These include up to date information on our building project, and the work of Calvary Church Claremorris in general. If you would like to be added to one of these mailing lists, please contact us with your email address or home address.