HARVEST Point Christian Outreach Church honoured its past and celebrated the future when it officially unveiled a $300,000 expansion on Saturday.
More than 300 people witnessed the official opening ceremony and joined in the celebrations of the 25th anniversary since the church first broke ground at Gleneagle.
A team of builders and volunteers have been hard at work since September renovating the church, which now has a main worship auditorium more than twice the size of the previous building.
The administration area has been re-carpeted and the auditorium contains an expanded stage area and state-of-the-art electronic and music equipment.
To commemorate the occasion, Harvest Point held an official opening ceremony on Saturday followed by a dinner and bush dance.
Harvest Point’s four previous pastors were in attendance in a nod to the community’s rich past, while Scenic Rim Mayor John Brent addressed the large crowd before Oceania Chairman of International Network of Churches Ross Abraham officially opened the new expansion.
Guests then spilled out into the church grounds to enjoy a feast and a night of fun.
As a result of the expansion, the church’s capacity will rise to about 400 people, more than double the previous capacity.
Harvest Point Church pastor Mark Ironside was part of the construction team and said he was excited and proud of the new expansion.
He said the church was now welcoming about 190 people to its weekly services and he was glad it would be able to cater for its entire community.
“We’ve got some real momentum going now. It was always my goal to grow the church and we’re really moving forward and growing our community,” he said.
“New people are coming all the time, which is really cool.”
“People are just saying wow.”
Mr Ironside said the church had more ambitious expansion plans for its large property at Gleneagle, including a new cafe and seating area for churchgoers.
The second round of upgrades is due to begin by the end of 2016 and be completed in early 2017.
For more information on joining the Harvest Point community phone Sue Campbell on 5541 0646 or visit the Harvest Point Church Facebook page.
