What is the Latimer Church Building Project?
The Latimer Church Building Project is a 5-year plan to provide a new facility for Latimer church with several outcomes;
- To provide a home base that enables Latimer Church to grow for the glory of God
- To provide a welcoming and suitable space for existing congregations which enables them to grow and plant new churches.
- To provide a facility that will not only bless existing congregations, but those for the next 100 years
- To provide a home for Latimer which will enable it to support CCAANZ
Who is involved in the project?
The Project Board handles all the major decisions for the Building Project, following the Latimer Church Trust’s expectations. It is chaired by Latimer’s Senior Minister James de Costobadie and is made up of volunteers from Latimer congregations. Geoff Banks is the Project Director overseeing the entire project, with Barnaby Coxon as the Project Coordinator assisting with project needs, focusing on communication, and fundraising.
Why is Latimer church looking for a new building?
There are several reasons why Latimer Church has undertaken this project.
- The Berwick street property is too small a venue to house the ministries of Latimer Church long term, and impractical to expand in a timely way to meet our needs.
- We are currently renting The Piano for our 7pm evening service which is not guaranteed for future years.
Why did the Latimer Building Project Board decide to purchase the Rosebank Property?
The information provided by the acquisition team showed that the commercial market in Christchurch was unlikely to provide options within the inner city that reasonably achieve the three priorities of the project; space (approx. 5,000m²), location (inner city), and cost (between $5m – $10m). This prompted the Board to extend their search area (still within the bounds of Christchurch), at which point the Rosebank property was identified. Consideration was given to the location of Rosebank, the intentions of the project brief, the purchase price ($1.7m) and large site size (~7,500m²).
What is happening to Rosebank now?
The Rosebank property reached settlement in November 2021. The facilities have been and continue to be used well in the interim period before designs are approved and construction starts. The property was a huge blessing during the Covid period, hosting one of our services. Since that time it has been the home of Grace Baptist Church, and the office for the CCAANZ bishop, as well as housing a few church members on site.
What will happen to Berwick Street?
The purchase and development of the Rosebank would involve the sale of the Berwick Street property, although there would be no immediate need to sell Berwick street. This provides flexibility with the transfer of operations to the new property and means we are not left without a base during this transition. As the design brief is refined and project costs are further detailed, a plan for Berwick st will be created.
Will all the services be moving out to Rosebank?
Once adequate development of the site is completed, all services will be able to move out to the new property. The 7pm service could continue its lease in the inner city until the situation of the current lease changes, at which point the Vestry will consider the next steps.
How much will the Rosebank project cost?
Now that a concept design has been approved, a more developed budget has been developed. The total project goal is $13m. The project board have thought long and hard about this, and it still fits within the initial fundraising goals for the Latimer congregation.
What will the new building/property be like?
Concept plans for the building have been presented to – and endorsed by the Latimer congregation. To view images of the new space, click this link to see the powerpoint used for the last congregational meeting. The facility includes
- a 500 seat auditorium
- dedicated church office spaces
- a large foyer connecting all of the spaces
- retaining the existing hall in its current state
- a new kitchen and WC’s
- a “meeting bubble” with several spaces prioritized for childrens ministry
- a youth lounge
- plenty of outdoor space and gardens
- 63 onsite parking lots
- the retention of the existing shed.
How can I help the project?
Pray
That God would grant us wisdom and direct our paths, providing all that we need as a church to grow for his glory
Give
Please head over to the Fundraising page to read more about how we are raising the funds for this project.
If you are ready to give towards the project, you can find information on how to do this at the Give page
Serve
Head over to our Get Involved page to hear about opportunities to serve the project
How can I find out more information?
We will be posting regular project updates on the Updates page on this website.
For specific questions or enquiries about this project, please email Barnaby Coxon at barnaby@latimerchurch.nz
For questions on fundraising or donating to the project, please contact Geoff Banks at geoff@latimerchurch.nz