Bingo: Bingo! Church finds a home

Under the C for church -- an expanding congregation in Riversdale is moving into a bingo hall.
The irony is not lost on the church's pastor.  "We actually think it's wonderful," said Jim Randall, senior pastor of City Centre Church.

"That's the best part," added associate pastor Brad Mayer.

The expansive building on 20th Street West was built as a grocery store. When the grocery chain pulled out of the neighbourhood, a bingo hall moved in. Soon, it will be a house of worship.

"The reality is people get addicted to bingo. We know because we deal with those people. As a matter of fact, they'd come here and drop their kids off at Kidz Club (the church's program for ages five to 12 that includes supper and activities) in the evenings and then go and play bingo and all their support cheque would be gone."

City Centre Church, started in 2001 as an outreach of Saskatoon Christian Centre, has moved a couple of times as the number of people attending church grows and its programs expand. Since 2002, it has been located on 20th Street West between avenues G and H, but the congregation has grown to the point that a larger sanctuary is needed. The programs of City Centre Community Renewal Initiatives, including a kindergarten to Grade 12 school and an adult education program, will continue to be delivered out of the current building even after the bingo hall is renovated into a 800-plus seat auditorium.

"By pulling the church out of there, we'll leave room for growth."

Donations from the congregation paid a large portion of the down payment on the church's future home.

"We've been here six years and there's a lot of families that have really been changed and touched. And this is their church now. It's not somebody coming in and doing church for them. It started that way but it's now their church and that's the way we want it to be."

City Centre is waiting for its permits from City Hall before renovations begin. Randall hopes to be in the new facility by the end of the summer.

Written by Lana Haight, The StarPhoenix

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