St. Columba reborn

City Life Church in Inverness has just become the owner of St. Columba's Church in Inverness. Pastor Owen Morris speaks of the plans for the former Church of Scotland building on the banks of the River Ness.

22 July 2011 is the date on which CityLife Church in Inverness took ownership of the former Church of Scotland building on Bank Street Inverness.
The St. Columba's building while structurally sound is in need of major renovation before Pastors Owen and Kate Morris can move in with their congregation which currently meets in the Ramada Jarvis hotel in the city.

In a recorded interview with Christians Together, Owen is enthusiastic about the new venture:

"Our church has big plans to serve the community in Inverness, but we often find ourselves limited by the lack of a permanent base. A building will enable us to expand our work with children, young people and families and to launch new projects in areas such as creative arts and music."

This an exciting new step for our church. It is great to be able to keep the St. Columba's building for Christian and community use, but there is a lot of work to be done to make it a suitable home for a 21st Century church."

While stressing that a church is not a building but people, the pastor who is also a secondary school teacher states:

"A building can be a great resource to impact a city. There is no doubt that this venture will be a great challenge, but we believe that no challenge is too great for our God. We are not a large church, but we believe in thinking big! Unity is more important than numbers. The Bible tells us how Gideon overcame a great army with a relatively tiny band. At cityLife we share a common vision to make a difference in our city!"

CityLife plans for St. Columba's

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CityLife Church was launched in Inverness seven years ago as part of the Christian Outreach Centre International, a worldwide grouping of churches. Owen and Katie moved from Ayrshire to launch the Inverness congregation. The couple live in Inverness with their six children.

Further information about the project contact details can be found at the CityLife Church website: www.citylifechurch.org.uk

Christian Outreach Centre International has churches in Scotland in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness and Peterhead.

Christians Together, 22/07/2011