For several years now, our church has been making plans and working toward the redevelopment of our current site in Belfast city centre to provide a new church building. We are now at a critical stage in the realisation of this project. We have set ourselves a target of raising £1,000,000 by 1 December 2024.
150 Years of God’s Work
Great Victoria Street Baptist Church has a long history of gospel witness in Belfast city centre. The church was formed in 1839 and a building was erected on the present site in 1866 with a capacity of 720, one of the largest Baptist church buildings in Ireland. Although membership was drawn from across Belfast and the surrounding area, the people believed that the witness of this local church was needed in the heart of a city’s life. Over the years, many Baptist churches in Belfast were formed by members from Great Vic and the church also maintained an active involvement in missionary work, both locally and globally.
Like many city centre churches, Great Vic suffered through the violence of the “Troubles” as people moved away from the
city centre and normal life was disrupted. The congregation declined and by 2010 membership had fallen to less than
100 with few families. Ten years ago, the original church building was demolished as part of a deal with a property
developer to build a new church building. That deal collapsed, leaving the church with its original site but no church
building, meeting in a former church hall, set back from the main road.
Today, Great Vic is a thriving and growing city centre church with a membership of over 140 members and regular
attendance of 200 on a Sunday morning with a diverse all-age congregation. We are growing as a church and as a
witness. Our mission states that we exist to:
- Glorify the God of the gospel
- Grow in our understanding of enjoyment of the gospel
- Go to the city and the world with the gospel.
The church and its ministry have continued to expand and the need for more and better facilities has become increasingly
urgent. For the last fifteen years at least we have been planning for a new church building and we believe that the time
is right now to push forward on those plans.
The Current Need
The major needs that drive our consideration are as follows:
- To establish a long-term facility for Great Vic as a basis from which to fulfil our vision of a spiritually strong and
growing church which facilitates the spread of the Gospel - To provide good quality facilities, in particular for church services, children and youth ministry, outreach and
special events, and other church ministries - To provide an adequate home base for our ministries, teams and staff
- To be a visible physical presence and witness for the gospel in the city centre.
This need for better facilities now is also driven by the following:
- The continued numerical growth of the church
- Health & safety considerations
- The deteriorating condition of our building
- Better access and egress, particularly avoiding congestion at the end of services
- The increasing cost of construction
Here you can see the proposed plans for the building project.
Where we are now
This process has taken a long time and and a number of options for a way forward have been considered. The
Development Team is united in pursuing the construction of a new church building on the current site. We now have
planning approval in place and a clear pathway to appointing contractors and beginning construction in mid 2025. Work
has begun on producing detailed plans and specifications to ensure that the building meets our needs and the
requirements of ministry leaders. Inevitably there will be some compromises, but we are confident that our new building
will meet current and foreseeable future needs.
Financial Need
The estimated cost of construction, excluding fees and fit-out: £5,000,000.
We currently have committed or in the bank: £2,000,000
At our current level of giving, we can borrow: £1,000,000
Given this need, our target is to have raised £1,000,000 by 1 December, allowing us to move forward in seeking the balance of the cost and appointing the contractors in early 2025.
We believe that if God wants this building, it will only be through his provision. We also understand that God works through means. He works through the generous giving of people in order to provide. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us to continue to see the gospel faithfully proclaimed in the city centre of Belfast?
If you wish to contact us or ask any questions, you can do so by emailing derek.browne@gtvicbaptist.com or treasurer@gtvicbaptist.com. All information will be completely confidential. If you wish to support us you can contribute directly, our bank details are:
Great Victoria Street Baptist Church: Acc No. 00164625: Sort Code. 980010
You can also donate using our Just Giving page here.