CELEBRATIONS are planned to mark the transformation of a former shop in Wrexham into a church.

The former Burton store has been turned into the Hope Street church, after being bought by the Diocese of St Asaph.

It will include a worship space, meeting rooms and a cafe. Church services have been taking place online since earlier in the year and work has now finished on the ground floor, which incudes an events space, cafe and prayer room.

Two services of celebration to welcome people to Hope Street will take place on Sunday 3 October at 10am or 4pm with an open invitation to anyone interested in coming along.

One of the senior leaders of Hope Street, Revd Andy Kitchen said: “This Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate the rebirth of this building as a place of welcome, hope and spiritual encounter.

“Throughout lockdown so much hard work has gone into this project and we are delighted to invite anyone this Sunday who has followed its development to come and see. Doors open at 10am and 4pm.”

Over the coming months Hope Street will be increasingly open during the week for various community events or for people to pop in for a meeting or a chat.

This month sees the launch of a college café on Thursday lunchtimes, Alpha, student events and a free parent and toddler group called Bouncing Beans every Wednesday morning. Already around 100 adults, young people and children regularly attend Hope Street church services, either online or in person.

The Revd Rachel Kitchen said: “The vision for Hope Street has always been to be open, visible and welcoming throughout the week and with Coronavirus restrictions easing, we’re delighted that this is now able to happen. We hope to connect with many more people throughout this weekend of celebration.

“Wrexham was chosen as a location for this project because of its proximity to Glyndŵr University and Coleg Cambria campuses as part of the Diocese of St Asaph’s commitment to invest in the lives of young people across north Wales, although everyone is welcome, whatever their background and current life stage.”

Hope Street was the first project to be awarded a grant from the Church in Wales’ £10m Evangelism Fund, launched in 2018 to provide major funding for dioceses to support evangelism and church growth. Hope Street, Wrexham is an Anglican church within the Diocese of St Asaph, set up in partnership with the HTB network of churches.

For more information about Hope Street visit https://www.hopestreet.church/.