A CHURCH in Bournemouth has launched ambitious plans to build a church centre as it has outgrown its current space.

Coastline Vineyard is a ‘vibrant, charismatic evangelical church’ that was planted in Bournemouth eight years ago and is based currently at St Alban's in Charminster.

Since then, it has grown to nearly 1,000 members and has begun searching for new premises to build a permanent home.

Lead pastor Jon Thomson said it needs ‘a miracle’ to make its vision a reality.

“We’re roughly estimating that we need millions rather than hundreds of thousands to be able to do what we want to do,” he said.

“But we have faith that this is the journey that we’re meant to be on.”

Bournemouth Echo: Coastline Vineyard are looking for new premises to build a new church centre.

Coastline Vineyard is raising funds for the project but will need more from the community and businesses to make it a reality.

Jon pointed to other Vineyard churches in the UK who have done similar projects, including in Hull and Nottingham.

The plan is to either purchase a warehouse and convert it or buy land and build a centre where it can be based.

It estimates a space of 20,000sq/ft is needed.

The church runs a lot of projects in the area, including the popular Joy Café in Churchill Gardens and running debt courses, recovery courses and a wide range of children’s and youth work.

Jon said they want to ‘do the stuff in the book’.

He hopes the new premises will allow them to provide ‘practical support and spiritual support’ if people want it.

“I’d like to see a hope centre, which would house all of our compassion ministry, from the stuff we do with the homeless, to counselling, we do mentoring and coaching,” he said.

“We would definitely have a youth venue and a kid’s venue within that.

“I would quite like to have an indoor 5-a-side football pitch which would facilitate the basketball stuff we do, the football stuff we do. We’re looking at physical health as well as spiritual health.

“We want a facility to facilitate ministry.”

Bournemouth Echo: Coastline Vineyard are looking for new premises to build a new church centre.

It is hoping to find premises in Boscombe but they are looking further afield, too.

Jon said this project is likely to take up to five years.

“By year three, it would be great for us to know ‘this is where we’re going’ and to be doing something,” he said.

“So, we are a way off, unless a miracle happens, but we are a people that believes in miracles.”