Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We praise God for His grace and kindness toward us in Christ! In several of my last reports I have written about our meeting place and have requested prayer. I am excited to write to you about what God has done for us as a church and hope that it brings much glory to His Name, and encourages you in the Lord!
Our church plant was born out of a home Bible study almost five years ago. We met in a living room for the first year and then began renting a building nearby, owned by a local golden age club. This arrangement suited our needs and was very inexpensive. It continued this way for over two years. Then, the owners of the property decided that they wanted to either sell the building or rent it out fully to a single tenant. This left the church with a decision to make; we could either look for a different place of worship, or we could rent the building fully. The church decided to keep meeting at the property and entered into a lease agreement with the owners. This came at a higher cost than we had previously been paying, but it also gave us unrestricted use of the building at all times. This also meant that we no longer had to set up and tear down before and after each meeting. All of this was a blessing, and it was met with excitement. Church members became more interested and involved in the building, and several helpful improvements were made. It also gave me a quiet place to study away from home.
However, a few months into our new lease agreement, we were told that the owners wanted to sell the building. Again, the church was faced with a decision; we could either look for another meeting place, or we could try to purchase the building. A members meeting was held, the result of which was a unanimous vote to pursue purchasing the property. The church had a financial surplus which amounted to more than half of the funds needed to purchase the property, this was in part due to the initially low rental costs for the first couple of years when we rented on select days. The owners were willing to help us make the purchase through a rent-to-own agreement, which would allow us to pay off the remaining balance over time. Initially we thought we would pursue this route. But we were also praying (and we know others were as well) that God would provide… and He has!
Our sister church, Miramichi Valley Church, offered us the other half of the funds needed to finalize the purchase. This was made possible because of a donation they had received to be used at their discretion, and they decided to help us with it. God wondrously provided all of the funds necessary for our church to buy the property! After receiving this news, things began to move forward fairly quickly. Lawyers were contacted, a purchase and sale agreement was drafted and signed, and a closing date was set. On December 13th, the purchase was finalized and came under the ownership of Cornerstone Church.
By God’s grace we now have a permanent church home in the heart of the community we have been called to minister and serve in – without any debt! We praise God for this wonderful privilege and we thank you for the part that you have had in it! Thank you so much for continually praying for us and for generously supporting us financially over the years. Thank you for praying specifically about this situation with our meeting place as I have written about it in previous reports. God has encouraged our hearts in this answer to prayer! We are grateful. Rejoice with us in this wonderful news, and please continue to pray for us and for the advance of Gospel here! Soli Deo Gloria.
Yours in Christ,
Christopher Sippley
