By Amber Woods
In January SpokaneFāVS reported that New Community Church was in the process of purchasing one of Spokane’s historic church buildings, located at 518 West 3rd Ave. Today, New Community is fully functioning at its new location.
“This all came together in a really amazing way,” says Brooke Grissom, a representative of the church, stating that the majority of the funding needed for the move was received all within the last week of the funding campaign. While the community at large stepped up to help the church with both monetary and labor contributions, a good portion came from the congregation of New Community themselves, who were able to engage in a program which allowed them to make actual investments in their church.
In January the building and grounds were in need of some maintenance and repairs, but with the exception of a cranky elevator and a few minor aesthetic issues, the community has seen to this as well. Grissom states that they had a turnout of helpers “from professionals to those who had never picked up a paintbrush” all wishing to, in the words of Pastor Russ Davis on our previous meeting, “contribute in a way they’ve been blessed.”
Grissom also points out that this ability to contribute has been exceptionally meaningful to New Community’s congregation, as they had been in their previous location for over a decade, and many felt therefore a particular attachment to it. By handling much of the work personally, she says, they were able to really put their hearts and souls into the project, and make the new location their own.
While the increase in space provided by the new location was not a necessary improvement, it has allowed the congregation to go from splitting between two meeting times to all meeting at once. The new location also allows New Community to be housed in the same building as organizations they partner with such as Shalom Ministries, and the Young Life soccer program. A larger benefit of the new location is its centrality within the city. Grissom states that they have seen at least some increase in visitors from the wider Spokane community just stopping in to see what they are about, which is something that they welcome.
The church gathers for worship at 10 a.m. Sundays.
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