Church's prayers answered

Pastor Ernie Wojnar at the new Hinkler Seventh-Day Adventist Church building in Avenell Heights.

Max Fleet

A BUNDABERG church will spend at least $1.5 million securing a permanent home in Avenell Heights, after Bundaberg Regional Council approved the project last week.

Hinkler Seventh-Day Adventist Church pastor Ernie Wojnar said the church was looking forward to having a place to call its own.

“We didn't have a premises before, we were wandering, renting from one place to the other, finally this one was available,” he said.

The new church will be on Heaps Street, in the former Little Piper Child Care building, and will incorporate a welfare centre including a kitchen and op shop and three accommodation units for visitors that will be constructed on the back of the site.

The church began in 2001, and had moved from place to place before Bundaberg Regional Council approved the use of the old childcare centre as a church.

“It's something tangible, which you can say we've got a church, we've got a place where we can run the program and put up our name,” he said.

The centre is in a low-density residential area opposite an aged-care facility and has not been in use since 2005.

Most recently the church used the QCWA building on Quay Street, and Mr Wojnar said it had not been able to expand because of the lack of a permanent home.

Neighbours to the project had raised concerns about the possible noise, fencing and car parking issues associated with the use of the site as a church.

However, the council determined that conditions could address those problems.

Church clerk Wanda Standish said it would be good to expand the community services available through the church.

“It's very difficult when you've got to take everything with you every week,” she said.

Mr Wojnar said that, although there were still a few details to work out, the church had big plans once the renovations were complete.

“We're planning to run vegetarian cooking demonstrations and family enrichment - all kinds of things, which will help the community and bring it in (to the church),” Mr Wojnar said.

He said he would like to develop programs for young people and would be introducing a group called Pathfinders, which he likened to scouts.