Kingston, Ont. - The Salvation Army Rideau Heights Community Church recently celebrated a grand opening of new addition and 20th Anniversary.
Twenty-four years ago Rideau Heights Corps started as a church plant out of Kingston Citadel’s Sunday School program. At first the new plant held meetings in the basement of another local church and then moved to a school. On leased city land a corps building was erected twenty years ago.
Children’s ministry has always been a strong component of the Rideau Heights Corps and now includes instruction in music, dance, and creative art. This includes a community children’s choir, life skills classes where the children develop skills in sewing and cooking, J.A.M after school kids club, Saturday movie mania and summer long day-camps.
In the last seven years Rideau Heights community outreach expanded through an emergency food bank, 'Bread of Life' meal program and our senior’s Friendship Room.
The present building wasn't big enough and, with a generous legacy, they have expand their walls to welcome more of the community inside our doors.
The addition made space for a games room/dining room, café, family service office and commercial kitchen, opening more space in the original part of the building for youth ministry. Construction was completed in January, 2007, and the official opening was celebrated along with our 20th anniversary on April 28-29.
On Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. a breakfast was prepared by the men’s fellowship officially opening the ‘Day in the Word’. Guests for the weekend were Majors Floyd and Tracey Tidd.
The day proceeded with three sessions in the Word. Worship was lead by the Belleville worship team and interactive small group work was enjoyed by all.
At 3:15 dignitaries from City Hall and local celebrities assisted in cutting the ribbon and presented The Salvation Army Rideau Heights Community Church with a certificate of recognition for the work done in the community. The brass band, community children’s choir and the worship team from Bellville provided music.
Volunteers from the neighbouring Catholic Church and the dignitaries assisted in serving a sit down ham dinner to 300 people.
At 7:00 p.m. their was an open house. Friendship Activity room was open for those who wanted to play shuffleboard, darts, foosball, or air hockey. A cake was cut and served with coffee as people viewed the display boards of all the ministry units in Kingston. The day’s activities ended with a fire works extravaganza that could be seen many blocks away.
Sunday was a special blessing with the worship team from Bellville, brass band and the testimony of one of our new soldiers. On this 20th anniversary morning Rideau Heights enrolled a new adherent, re-instated a soldier and enrolled four new soldiers.
Each of these new soldiers has a vision to minister to the needy and hurting in our community and are ready to fight a good fight for their Lord.