Gracepoint Gospel Fellowship is the new name for New City Gospel Fellowship, located 30 miles up the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan. And Sunday, September 14, 20 they dedicated a new 29,000-square-foot building as well, to accommodate the growing congregation.
“We’re no longer just a New City church,” says Senior Pastor Carl Johnson. “Our people come from all over Rockland County as well as Orange County, Westchester County across the river—and even Bergen County in New Jersey. So rather than have a geographical name, we wanted to convey something of what the church stands for. Our focus is to be a place where people encounter the grace of God.”
The new facility is multipurpose: it can seat more than 1,000 for worship, or it can be turned into a banquet/fellowship space, or even a gymnasium. (Sunday attendance is currently around 1,200, plus an additional Saturday night service.) Total cost for the structure was $8 million, not counting land cost. A few years ago, the church was able to purchase 43 acres that adjoined its present property. The new building connects to the original structure, which includes offices and a K-6 Christian school. The smaller sanctuary will now be used for weddings and other auxiliary events.
The keynote speaker for the dedication was Dr. David Midwood, president of Vision New England, a regional movement for evangelism that involves some 80 denominations. The church’s music department performed an original composition for the special day, and the crowd rejoiced in anticipation of what lies ahead. The surrounding community is invited to an open house on Saturday, October 4, 2008. To see pictures of the facility in use, go to: http://gracepointgospel.org.
