Soul Church is starting work on its purpose-built new building, designed to be a "welcoming home" for the people of Norwich.
A ground-breaking ceremony will take place on Sunday October 31 on the centre, which will be Soul's church and a community hub.
The church hopes to move into the new building on Heartsease Lane in time for Easter 2023, with plans for a 1200-seater auditorium, nursery, community café, indoor and outdoor play areas, a sensory room, chapel, counselling and therapy facilities and project rooms for community initiatives.
In February 2006, a lightning strike saw fire rip through the Mount Zion Family Life Centre in Heartsease Lane.
Since then, the church, now known as the Soul Church, has been in a temporary home on Mason Road, off Mile Cross Lane.
Soul Church's senior pastor Jon Norman said: “We’ll be working closely with existing local organisations to address some of the most entrenched and difficult issues in our community, such as deprivation, unemployment, loneliness and isolation.
"We plan to offer the use of our facilities to our partners, so we can help resource them with space and volunteers, to increase the impact of their work with the needy and the vulnerable of our city and beyond."
Since the beginning of the pandemic the church has delivered over 2.7 million meals across the region, and intends to grow this by opening a community shop at its current site on Mason Road for those in need of food.
Soul Foundation also wants to offer meals for children during school holidays, as well as dedicated play areas.
Young people will have a safe and nurturing place to go, with positive activities and mentoring programmes that will help to build their self-worth and set them up for a brighter future.
Over the past few years, the church has been able to fund a number of worthwhile projects in Norwich and overseas, which includes feeding orphans in deprived areas of: India, the Philippines and Pakistan, as well as making a difference on the streets of Norwich by feeding and caring for the homeless community in our city on a weekly basis.
*If you want to find out more about the building and community asset, or to make a donation, please visit www.soulchurch.com.
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