IT has taken four years of hard work and dedicated fundraising but the new St Paul’s Church building in Penketh is set to open its doors next month.

St Paul’s Church and Community Base is now ready for use by the congregation and the community after £917,000 was raised.

Rev Sarah Peppiatt said: “This is not only for the congregation to worship in. It’s always been intended that the building would provide a great resource for the community of Penketh too and it’s been designed to be a flexible space that can be used for a huge variety of different purpose.

“There are lots of lovely old churches around reflecting the styles of their times. This one is for the 21st century.”

The bishop of Liverpool rt rev Paul Bayes will be leading a service of thanksgiving and praise on Sunday, October 6 at 10.30am and will be formally opening the building. After that there will be a service every Sunday at 10.30 as well as at other times.

Encouraging the old and the very young to explore ways of enriching each other’s lives through play, music and activities is also on the agenda. The new Lifetime project will run on Thursday mornings from October 10.

The congregation will continue to fundraise. The costs of the project have been largely met by the congregation with assistance from a number of grants.

The church is keen to talk to people who would like to use the building to run events, especially those that will benefit the community of Penketh.

If you are interested contact Karen Howard for more details on 486955 or www.centremanager@the-oaks.org.uk