A building that was destined for demolition has been preserved for the Gospel. Purchased for just £1, this historic church now needs restoration so it can once again become a beacon of hope in Belfast. Every gift helps us rebuild, restore, and create a place where people can follow God, find freedom, and fulfil their purpose. In 2023 we launched Abbey Life Church with ARC, a network that supports and resources independent church planters and pastors globally. It has been a journey of faith and perseverance, with many encouraging moments as we’ve seen God at work in our community. We currently meet in a theatre, which was an excellent place to launch, but our heart is to be closer to the city of Belfast so that we can reach more people with the life-changing message of Jesus.Our church was birthed from the book of Nehemiah, where Jerusalem lay in ruins and its walls were broken down, becoming a laughing stock among the nations until Nehemiah was called to rebuild, restore, and renew the purpose of God in the city. In the same way, we believe God has called us to rebuild, restore, and renew His work through the planting of Abbey Life Church.The building we are believing God for is located, ironically, on Wall Street which is North ofBelfast. Both spiritually and physically, we are believing to rebuild this church as a testimony to the people of this area that there is a God who cares and that He is not finished with them yet.A bit about the building…it was put on the market by the previous church’s trustees, as the church community that had met here since the 1830s ceased after COVID. When we enquired about the building, we were told that we were too late, as they had given their word to a property developer and contracts for new apartments on the land were being signed.Six months on, the trustees came back to us and asked if we were still interested in rentingthe building. They informed us that the lawyers had come across the deeds to the land from the 1800s, and the original church planters had put in a restrictive covenant stating that the land could only ever be used for church or gospel purposes, therefore the deal with the developer fell through.We said we would rent it, but this time pay nothing, as we would only be using it for storage, prayer, band practice and can fulfil the wishes of the original deed and asked for a meeting, as we would potentially like to purchase the building. They were surprised, as we are a new church plant, and the fee for the land agreed with the builder was £250,000. At the meeting, we offered them £1, to which they laughed at. However, we explained that the building is badly deteriorated and in need of extensive restoration and further pointed out that the building couldn’t realistically be sold for commercial use, so it would be far better placed with a local, growing church plant.They brought it to the committee, and a few weeks later, they accepted the offer of £1. Which leads us to where we are now, currently raising funds to begin the restoration process to bring this church back to life.

Project Possible

IsFundraiserFormEditDisabled

IsPaymentByPadAllowed

Abbey Life Church LTD

Which area would you like your donation to go towards?

£103,692.12