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A West End Ministry is giving all glory to God for securing a new building to better serve the community.
Living Bible Explorers vision has always been for the kids and youth in our community to know Jesus. LBE serves the entire family as a whole and now the ministry is on the move, but not too far away.
"I'm excited to share with people that we bought a new building," Cher Paulson, executive director of LBE said. "It is right across the street from where we already are. We're at 600 Burnell Street and we have just bought 590 Alverstone Street and we can see it from our place."
Paulson said that the new space is going to better suit the needs of the ministry. "For what we are trying to do in just one space, and now we're going to have a gym space and a full kitchen to do our programming. It is so exciting!"
As LBE was seeking out options, staying within the community the ministry serves was important. "Our vision is to minister to people in the West End of Winnipeg, we know God is growing and doing something. It was so important to us that it would be in the same community and doesn't He line it up so it's right across the street? He is so cool."
Paulson said that as the ministry has grown, the board and staff have been praying for what's next. "The building we bought was a church, and they stopped having services. It came up that they were going to sell, so we were in talks with them and we made an offer and our financing fell through and I just thought, 'Lord, this can't be the end of this. This is such a miracle. I know that You're doing something.'"
As Paulson was driving to work, she heard a commercial for Rosenort Credit Union and wondered if she could secure funding through them. "Before the end of the day, our chair of the board was talking to the CEO of Rosenort Credit Union, pitched him our idea, told him about the ministry and about our chance to buy this building. And Rosenort Credit Union has worked with us and we are so thrilled."
Now as Paulson is talking with others from LBE in the past, she learned getting this building was no coincidence. "We find out that people have been specifically praying for this. I know two members of our board and other people we've talked to that specifically were praying for that building to be ours. It's so amazing how God knows the right timing because before the fall wouldn't have been the right timing for us and now is."
With the new space, Paulson says she's excited to see how the ministry continues to grow. "We have a new family ministry that started in one room. It's a one-room schoolhouse. I am looking forward to being able to grow simultaneously three ministries in one, so we bring the family together. They all have lunch together and now we have three separate spaces to be ministering to three different age groups all at the same time."
While the move is across the street, Paulson said she will accept any help. "We would love it if anybody wants to come and help us move. If anybody has a skill like they can fix up things or paint things, give me a call at (204) 786 8667 or go to livingbibleexplorers.com and you'll get in touch with us."
She said that a few things need to be done at the building to get it ready. In March, the team will start to move from the current location. By April 1, the goal is to be fully running out of the new location.