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Generation Center
Excitement is continuing to build for many at Great Falls Christian Center as the new building being renovated across the parking lot takes shape. The multi-purpose facility has been under construction for the past year. It will not be attached to the main church building, presenting some challenges, but offering many new opportunities overall; especially to the vibrant youth ministry that will call this building “home”.
Those who attend Generation Church at Great Falls Christian Center will undoubtedly enjoy more flexibility with music, games, and other youth events like movie nights and lock-ins. Generation Pastor Nate Swanson says of the building, "I can foresee the Generation Center becoming a hot spot of activity for the young people in our city."
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The final product will include a 2755 square foot sanctuary, a few classrooms, a kitchen, a large gaming room, and a coffee shop. It will be the ideal place to hold various large and small-scale gatherings; everything from a youth conference to a small group potluck, to the occasional wedding reception, or even young adult karaoke night.
Senior Pastor Bob Johnson is also excited about the opportunities the new building will provide.
“I dearly love the young people of our church, and yet a good youth ministry is simply hard on a building”, said Pastor Bob.
It will be great for the young people to have a place they can call their own; and it will be a lot easier to keep our present facilities in good shape!”
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This multi-purpose youth center will double as a fellowship hall every Sunday morning and Friday night when people gather in the coffee shop before and after services at GFCC.
This also has Pastor Bob excited, “Our current latte’ ministry, while convenient and enjoyable, is simply limited in the fellowship it offers. A coffee shop will allow people to mix and mingle and enjoy a coffee with conversation, while the kids play ping-pong upstairs. It’s really a place for the whole family to enjoy; a Generation Center.”
In addition to the expanded ministry uses it will provide for our church family, the Gen Center will also enable GFCC to minister more effectively to the community of Great Falls.
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"We are overwhelmed with ideas that will attract young people of all types and our prayer is to introduce them to Jesus in the process," said Swanson.
A few of the ideas being discussed for community outreach include the following: an after school tutoring program, a venue for local youth bands to perform, open microphone nights in the coffee shop, and church-sponsored birthday parties for underprivileged children.
The Generation Pastor's excitement for the project is contagious and he encourages, "as soon as the vision is caught, we'll have teams of volunteers staffing the Generation Center every night of the week making it impossible for a young person to be turned away."
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Currently, the outer rooms are receiving finishing touches so the focus can turn to the sanctuary. Johnny Johnson, the GFCC Construction Superintendent said the coffee shop and bathrooms have just recently been painted, in addition to the flooring in those areas receiving a specialized treatment that makes them far easier to use and keep clean. Next on the agenda are countertops and cabinets for the highly-anticipated coffee shop. The next few weeks will bring very noticeable progress in this area of the building.
If the money comes in, the building is estimated to be completed within six months. The progress depends on both money and available help.
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“Helping with the building of this Generation Center allows you to take ownership in it. You can see you have a return for your work. It's also really good working with your peers. It makes it fun and easy working with friends," said Elisha Mack, a young adult in Generation Church that helped with a lot of the demolition of the building.
A few of the many volunteers include Kim Burnett, Bill Crews, John Mack, Lonnie Oakland, Doug O'Connell, John Rossmiller, Jack Sand, Al Smith, Adam Weil, Blair McAnally, and Dave Carlson. There are so many who contribute but Johnny Johnson wanted to make sure to send his thanks out to these faithful servants who have given so much of their time to the project.
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To learn more about the plans for the Generation Center contact Generation Pastor Nate Swanson by email (at nateswanson@gfcconline.com) or by calling 727-4849.
To volunteer your services in helping to make those plans a reality, contact GFCC Construction Superintendent Johnny Johnson by email (at wrshski@bresnan.net ) or by calling 453-1654. You can also get in touch with his assistant, Mike Barton by calling 702-606-1686. Volunteers are welcome each Saturday from 9AM to 3PM.
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