A church in Exeter has relocated to a former Range store because it has outgrown its premises.

Rediscover Church which is part of the Elim Pentecostal church has been based in the city for the last 90 years but from today, Sunday 21 April, services will be held in its new base which can seat a thousand people.

In recent years the church has outgrown its facilities because more people have been coming to worship and for the last couple of years it has been looking for a new venue to expand its work in the community.

The new building, which is available on a short term basis for the church until the end of September at the very least, will be called Pop Up Church where the congregation are inviting people across Exeter and beyond, to experience their contemporary worship gatherings which also include refreshments.

The church says the former Range Store at Exeter Quay offers excellent facilities for children’s activities, with multiple rooms and activity spaces, and the church has a special programme of events planned for families in the coming months. They also have a weekly toddler group which will make use of the new building resource.

In addition to the main church building, they have also taken on a former Matalan Store which is launching into a youth centre, particularly reaching out to young people across the city who are experiencing loneliness and boredom, with weekly activities including games, sports and other activities to develop meaningful connections.

Mark Pugh who is the Lead Pastor of the church said :

“The very essence of Christianity involves bringing hope and life to people and situations that feel hopeless and worn out. So many people from all walks of life have discovered this good news for themselves and as a result we have been looking for a larger facility for Rediscover Church for a number of years. It feels very fitting that a run-down building has been given fresh life and will open as a new pop-up church building which will offer God's love and hope to many others. We would love to give anyone who comes along a great welcome and experience.”

During the last few weeks the church, which sees people from around the world come to its services, has invited its current congregation to help make the buildings ready, including painting, laying over 16,000 carpet tiles, fixing and mending parts of the building, all ready to invite the city into experience what it has to offer.

They hope people of all ages and backgrounds come to re-discover church, perhaps for the first time or return for an experience that may change their perception of what a church service may be like, and invite them into a relevant and helpful morning where they will meet other people who are also on a journey looking into the Christian faith.