South Shields church to thank community at blessing of new building after raising £50,000 for renovations

Pastor Joseph Omoragbo, who leads the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in South Shields, was delighted when the community raised the money to carry out work on the building in Robinson Street, near Westoe Road, which his congregation moved into in March 2018.

The money was used to replace the roof on the building, as well as renovating the main hall inside.

The building will be blessed as part of the church’s seventh annual Kingdom Life Festival, due to take place from November 1-3.

Senior Pastor of RCCG UK, Pastor Agu Irukwu will be travelling from London to carry out the dedication, which will also be attended by MP Emma Lewell-Buck and the Deputy Mayor of South Tyneside.

Pastor Joseph said: “It’s tradition in Christianity when God gives a new building you call people to come and celebrate with you and a senior pastor comes to bless the building.

“It’s a way of thanking God and all the people who have helped us fund it.”

In addition, as part of the festival, the Pastor will launch his new social action project, the ‘Thank You project’ which will see volunteers visit local schools to teach children about the value of gratitude.

“We don’t see a lot of gratitude in our society, our appreciation is lacking, so we want to teach students the benefits of being thankful,” he explained.

The church will also be fundraising to create new accommodation in the building, which will give people in need of housing, such as students or immigrants a place to stay for a few days.

This is in addition to a facility for the homeless to use, which includes a toilet and washing facilities.

“When people come to South Shields it can be hard for them to find houses, so we want to give them a place to stay for two or three days,” Pastor Joseph said.

“People come to us because of our location and we want to retain that culture by creating a new place for them.

“It is our vision to serve the community.”