AS PLANS move forward to transform the historic Credo Centre building in Aberdeen, Catalyst Vineyard Church has announced that the recently purchased building should be fully operational and ready to move into by Autumn 2023.
After nearly a decade of searching for a permanent location for their Aberdeen North Site, Catalyst Vineyard Church took ownership of the building in December 2022. The building, which is located on John Street, was built in 1877 and was originally intended as a place of worship. It has since benefited from several building alterations, with plans to convert part of the building once again into a permanent place of worship, as well as continuing to host a range of activities and support groups for the local community.
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Scott Robertson, Pastor of the Catalyst Vineyard Church Aberdeen North Site said: “As a church, we have been faithfully serving the City of Aberdeen for 10 years now; feeding those who are hungry, decorating flats for refugees arriving in the city, delivering holiday clubs, running community activities, and providing opportunities for people to come together. With this new location, we now have the space to facilitate, and we have big dreams that this will become a place that will serve the City of Aberdeen for many years to come. From parenting sessions, marriage courses, and counselling, to kids work, youth clubs and so much more! We are just thrilled to be moving into this new location.”
Ross Sutherland and Caroline Bambirra, who head up the Transform (Social Transformation) Team, which is part of Catalyst Vineyard Church, shared their excitement about the potential of the Credo Centre location. The team believes that this new permanent location will enable them to better reach and serve those who are most in need and suffering socio-economic hardship.
Ross Sutherland said: “The purchase of the Credo Building is a very exciting opportunity for us. We get to put roots down into a place that can reach and serve those who are the most marginalised or disadvantaged in society. It feels like the right time considering that now, more than ever, many people living in Aberdeen are experiencing real hardship. Families are suffering with poverty on a scale not seen for a generation, parents are skipping meals to feed their children, and people are having to choose whether to heat or eat. As Catalyst Vineyard Church Transform, we want to play our part in relieving suffering, tackling poverty and seeing lives transformed in Aberdeen.”
The Transform Team plans to use the Credo Centre location to provide a dedicated, accessible, safe, and welcoming space for people to come and access the various support and opportunities on offer. This will include free debt help, a budgeting course, a community pantry, parish nursing, chaplaincy support, and work placements for prisoners and people released from prison. Several new opportunities are also being planned for launch within the first year of being operational.
To further support the community and provide a place for people to come together and enjoy the space Catalyst has also confirmed there will be venue facilities to hire, as well as plans to open a new coffee house. Chuck and Taryn Freeland, the Lead Pastors of Catalyst Vineyard Church, vision for the Coffee House is to create ‘an ethical and sustainable space where people can come and experience an authentic, lively coffee house with local quality food and a sense of community.’
Paster, Scott Robertson, added: “It is heart-warming to see the continuation of the many community support services and activities here, at Credo Centre. Everyone has come together to make this project happen, and the needs of the community have always remained at the heart of the plans to transform this wonderful space. We look forward to welcoming many through our doors.”
For more information on the Credo Centre project, visit www.catalyst.vin
