On June 12th, 2012 Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield officially held it’s first church service in our new facility at 2301 White Lane. Our first and most important phase was to remodel the sanctuary, as a sign of the importance of worship to our congregation.
During that phase, because of your generous gifts, we were also able to upgrade the cosmetics of the education wing, offices, and activity center at the same time. This phase also included unexpected upgrades to our sewer system, water main, and other parts of our infrastructure.
Over 240 volunteers helped us present a beautifully finished project far beyond our expectations. We now have almost 2.5 times the space as we did on Young Street, and we own- rather than rent our property! We praise God for His infinite blessings.
We still have a list of about twenty additional projects we would like to do prior to starting our next phase. These projects are mainly designed to reduce our operating costs through energy conservation and preventative maintenance. Changing the classroom and office lighting from fluorescent to LED, upgrading the insulation in the East wing, changing out aged air conditioning units, and adding water shut-off valves will all help the facility function better in the long run. We also plan soon to add sound-deadening material in the foyer, chip-seal the dirt lot in the back and upgrade the older carpet in the East wing.
Our intention is to chip away at these projects as funds continue to come in to our Joyful Generosity campaign. We will also begin saving toward our next phases of upgrading the front face of the building and creating a fellowship courtyard in between the two buildings.
Please be watching for new information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail granto@gbcob.org.