A Home for Joy

Shawn & I were reflecting last night on some of those first days working here this fall and how far the progress has come. It made me think back to all the things we’ve requested of God – and that He has answered on. The people that have come onto this project have each been the right ones. We have seen safe and are experiencing grace. God is stirring people’s hearts to help! It’s so important to stop and say thank-you and remember why we are doing this to maintain the right focus. A home is an important thing, we […]

The question has been asked alot these last weeks- what’s happening with the building with code red. I am grateful to say that construction is considered an essential service so progress has not been slowed. We are following appropriate measures and work crews are safe This week we saw wires being run through the walls and exterior lights are lit. The electrical team continues to work hard and make progress – the electrical system is the largest component of this retrofit- thank-you Shawn for your diligence and commitment!!! (xoxo) Mike and his crew at Golden Heating started the interior duct […]

Would you believe it!? All the walls are up! A few spots need ceiling and doorways still but they are being left open for the lift to drive through. Since last post we’ve seen continued progress with obvious results. First off – did you see we have now raised over $200,000!!! Thank-you to everyone who is supporting this project – whether it’s financially, in time, in savings, in prayer. Going back to the book of Nehemiah – it took a huge team of people to rebuild those walls – every hand and effort has value. As we continue let’s press […]

Since the last update there has been good progress at the new location. Structural welding is nearly complete, there is a lot of reinforcement specified by the engineer to carry the load. The welding team have done well and passed the preliminary inspection and are finishing up the last pieces. Thank-you Neil, Teyvon & Gill for everything you’re doing. Kelly, our Plumber layed out all the pipes below the floor for the 3 washrooms and janitor closet- his skill and the calculations needed truly impress me. Once inspected the hole was backfilled with sand in preparation for concrete. Shawn, the […]

Construction went underway this week. For starters the structural welding required to support the roof top heat units began. Thank-you Neil & Victor, all your hard work is appreciated! Reinforcement is required and important for the integrity of the roof with the weight we are adding. A large hole was cut in the concrete and dug down 4′ to re-plumb for our 3 handicap accessible washrooms. Thanks to Terry and his team at Altymate Contracting for taking good care of the site and being pros at what you do!

As promised last post I said I would give a peek of what the building will look like for finishing. The 3D walk-through on the home-page was created after God first gave the vision in October – since then the washrooms and room sizes have been tweaked – but we have stayed close to what we were shown. The objective of the space isn’t to fit everyone in at once. Does everybody see the movie at the same time? No, there are multiple showings. We will run multiple services on different days of the week – have youth nights, worship, […]

That’s right! We are moving from the waiting and planning season and into construction – wouldn’t have ever thought 1 piece of paper could bring me so much happiness and relief. The permit took longer than expected, but God had a plan all along. He was lining up people and resources! Meetings to plan this project has been happening for 9 months so we are ready to go! God has sent an amazing crew of trades and support to move things along. With every challenge, He has faithfully answered. Our lumber package was delivered this week, and the big framing […]

Updates have been announced over the last Sundays in church, but if you’ve missed those we want you to know where things are at with the building project #ahomeforjoy. On December 24 our permit application was submitted to the City of Winnipeg. This was a complex document showing not just a floorplan, but mechanical, structural, electrical and everything required for a safe occupancy site. This application then went through several desks which approve or advise of changes based on the building code. As of right now we are waiting on only 2/9 parts, 1 of which is a variance required […]

Christmas Eve was a blessing to be at the City of Winnipeg office submitting our application. This building was previously a warehouse space so we need to rezone it for "occupancy". Everything will be brought up to code and standard so the building is safe for all who enter. While we wait on the permit, the volunteers have been working hard to get the site ready for framing, electrical, plumbing, heat. The massive pile of reusable wood has been stripped of nails - each board is a minimum 4$ saved! Way to go team! Quotes are being collected for the required work and meetings are being held.

This building is what I would like to call “raw”.  Many look at a space like this and see all the work to be done.. For me I see all the opportunity. Starting from nothing means we don’t NEED to “make it work”.. but that we CAN make it work. After the first walk-through of the space I asked the Lord “How do we make it all fit?” He showed me, very clearly. The sanctuary will hold approx 140 seats (in time we plan to run multiple services), 2 offices, 3 kids ministry spaces, 1 nursing room, kitchenette, storage and […]

After 9 years, almost 500 Sunday set-ups as a mobile church, Joy Fountain has landed on a permanent building. The limitations of renting a space only 4 hours a week are soon to be over! The mobile years haven’t been for nothing – we’ve reached people, become a family and learned how to serve unconditionally – but it is time to do MORE. Over the next 6 months come along for the journey – watch as we convert this raw 5000 sq ft warehouse into a home for Joy Fountain Church. You can help us make this possible with your […]