New Wine Church facts for kids
New Wine Church, also known as Gateway House, is a large Christian church located in Southeast London. It's a place where many people gather to worship. The church started in a rented building, but later bought and fixed up an old cinema in Woolwich, London. This church now has about 3,000 members and is located in the former Coronet cinema complex, overlooking the Woolwich Ferry.
Quick facts for kids New Wine Church |
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 New Wine Church
Location in Greater London
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| 51°29′36″N 0°03′30″E / 51.4932°N 0.0584°E | |
| Location | Gateway House, John Wilson Street, Woolwich, London, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Pentecostal |
| Website | newwine.co.uk |
| History | |
| Founded | 25 July 1993 |
| Founder(s) | Tayo Adeyemi |
The Story of the Building
The building where New Wine Church is now located has an interesting past. It first opened as the Odeon Theatre on October 25, 1937. It was designed by an architect named George Coles in a cool, modern style called Art Deco style.
Inside, the cinema had special hidden lights and fancy plaster decorations on the walls. It had a lot of seats, with 1,178 downstairs and 650 in the balcony. The cinema was updated in May 1964. It continued to be the Odeon until it closed on October 17, 1981.
Later, on July 14, 1983, a new company took over and reopened it as the Coronet Cinema. One of the first movies shown there was Return of the Jedi. In 1990, it was changed into a twin cinema, meaning it had two screens. The Coronet cinema closed its doors on June 6, 1999.
The New Wine Church took over the building in 2001. It is now known as 'Gateway House' and is still used as a church today. The church has made many changes and improvements to the building. This building is considered a special historical site, known as a Grade II Listed Building. Besides church services, it is also used for weddings, music concerts, conferences, exercise classes, and business meetings.
Helping People Around the World
New Wine Church doesn't just help people in London; it also works to help communities in other countries. With the help of its partners, the church has been involved in projects in places like Australia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and the United States.
One amazing project is in Chennai, India, where New Wine Church helped build a housing area with 55 homes for over 100 people who had leprosy. This community also has a full-time nurse, electricity, clean water, food, and a chaplain. The church also helps fund a water project in Zambia, providing clean water for 10 villages. They also run an "Operation Christmas Child" campaign, where they fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in Eastern Europe.
Past Leaders of the Church
The church has had several important leaders over the years. Tayo Adeyemi was the senior pastor from 1993 to 2013. After him, Michael Olawore served as the senior pastor from 2013 to 2018.
Some ministers from New Wine Church have also played important roles in the wider community. For example, Olu Ajanaku, who was a minister at New Wine Church, was one of the representatives for Christian churches to the local government in Greenwich. David Chick took over this role in January 2015, representing churches led by Black communities.
