The Story of our Building
We bought our building in 1982. It used to be a shoe factory (change of use from soles to souls!) and before that was sometimes used as a dance hall. We still have the sprung maple dance floor, but were glad to get rid of the industrial heaters and oily machines! The building was originally built after the war on a site that was bombed in October 1940
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Ward Street, Lostock Hall. October 1940. 25 residents were killed as two bombs destroyed several rows of terraced homes. The victims are remembered on a plaque at the end of Ward St. After the war a canteen for the nearby mills was built on the site. At one stage this was used as a Dance Hall but by the time the church bought the building in 1982 it had become an industrial building, owned by the Bacup Shoe Factory. |
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Our Ward Street premises in 1982. Our burgeoning local church fellowship was looking for premises and the day this building came onto the market for £20,000 was the day someone anonymously donated £2,000. We had our deposit! This is Calvary Christian Fellowship in the early years as we turned a shoe factory into a church. The headline in the Lancashire Evening Post declared, "From soles to souls!" Major internal renovation and reconfiguration was required. During the 1980s the church saw significant growth with about 400 people attending two services at one stage. |
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Our premises in 1999 with a new roof and new logo. Many years of thriving church life as well as periods of pain had passed since we had first renovated this building. |
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Our premises in 2003, complete with new rendering. Phase 1 of building work commenced in 2002 as we began to bring our facilities into the 21st century.
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Our Ward Street premises in 2008. Another new roof outside but far more dramatic changes inside. Phase 4 of our building work had now been completed, the main entrance had been relocated to the corner of the building, the lounge, kitchen, toilets, creche and toddler rooms had all been rebuilt and modernised and an extension had been added to the rear of the building. The church was in a very signifiant phase of new ministries into our local community including becoming a CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Debt Centre.
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In 2014 we introduced a new logo and rebranded alll our publicity. Here' s the church with its new sign. |
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Then in October 2019 we we took a major step forward and rebranded with a new name as well! Calvary Christian Fellowship became New Day Church. This is more than a change of name - it's about our whole ethos as a church. We want every aspect and ministry of New Day Church to communicate the message that Jesus Christ offers people a fresh start in life and a secure future, both in life and eternity. |
