Published: 20 December 2022
Over £71,000 funding from Benefact Trust’s General Grants Programme is supporting the extensive restoration and repair of Trinity Church’s new home.
Trinity Church, Aberdeen was established as a church plant in 2011 to provide a church in the heart of the city. It began life renting a space within a local hotel but quickly outgrew the space and the church community has been looking for a permanent home ever since. Currently the church is renting a space for Sunday worship and is hosting community support services in locations across the city. A new home would bring the church together again, as a hub for worship and community.
In an exciting turn of events, a redundant Church of Scotland building came up for sale in 2018. The Grade II listed church sits in the perfect location and has a lot of potential. Trinity Church purchased the building and is currently raising funds for its major restoration to make it fit for purpose.
The project is estimated to take up to a year to complete and will begin with major external work to rectify a number of issues and make it fully water-tight, followed by internal renovations.
According to the map of ‘Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation’, Trinity Church’s new home will be surrounded by communities based in the bottom third of deprivation across Scotland. Local families are struggling with poverty, addiction, high rates of mental health issues, homelessness, and welfare issues.
The new space will help the church’s community outreach to flourish. Trinity is currently providing a foodbank, support for rough sleepers, support for people living in disadvantaged circumstances, and Teen Challenge – an addiction recovery ministry. The new building will allow the church to build on these existing services and expand its work with children, young people, students, and older communities.
September 2023 will also see the launch of Trinity’s Ministry Training Academy, in partnership with three other churches in Aberdeen, which has the aim of providing core training for Gospel Ministry.
Andrew Bass, Grants Officer for Benefact Trust, said: “We’re delighted to support this project, which will see Trinity Church settle in its permanent home. The repair and restoration work will make the church building a vibrant hub for worship and a range of support services that are vital for the communities surrounding the church. A timely project as more and more people struggle with the challenges of the Cost of Living Crisis.”
Find out more about our General Grants Programme.
