Renovating a historic Baptist Chapel from 1855

The Baptist Chapel in Szczecin, Poland, is located in what at first glance looks like an unassuming tenement building. A testament to God’s grace and mercy is reflected in how the it remained unharmed during the war, surviving several bombing raids that levelled the neighbouring buildings on both sides. In the spirit of this survival, the church was delighted to be given the opportunity to take back ownership from the Government in 2002, and have been yearning to serve God and their community ever since.

However, renovating the old apartments into usable space for community evangelism has, and continues, to take a lot of time and effort and finances. But everything is possible with God, and so in the past few years an opportunity has presented itself where the Polish Government has offered to match 65% of the funds needed to completely renovate the building if the church is able to raise the other 35%. Szczecin Christian Center is now reaching out to the global Christian community to partner with them in their mission and to provide support both through prayer and financial support.

The Chapel Now

Thanks to the kindness of many people and the funds we managed to raise so far, the renovations are already ongoing. With each stage however, more potential issues become apparent and additional funds are needed.

The Plan

Once restored, the building is to be turned into Szczecin Christian Center, an Evangelical center that not only serves its local Polish, German and English speaking communities in Szczecin, but also to reach out in service to its global community: the international Church. The building renovation plans include:

• An updated Chapel with room to seat 300 people. This space will be open for several churches to meet throughout the week.
• A café to serve retirees and families of inmates at the prison directly across the street. Fresh Start Café will offer discounts to retirees so there is an affordable and friendly space for them to spend their days.
• Classrooms to offer German, English and Spanish speaking classes. These will be free lessons for poor families and will provide mission opportunities for native speakers from the UK and North America to come and serve in partnership with us.
• A Christian bookstore, which will offer materials in Polish, German and English.
• A Study room and accommodation for ministerial retreats and study. This will be a major way to minister and create partnerships to and with the rest of Europe.
• A smaller chapel space for an international English speaking church. Szczecin is home to a NATO Base where already 30 people have expressed interest in attending an English speaking Bible study and international church.
• Room for a Christian Radio Station to provide teachings from a variety of Evangelical ministers as well as Christian music.