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Buderim Lifepointe Baptist Church to be rebuilt after fire

A church that was destroyed in a devastating fire in January is being rebuilt with a senior pastor revealing plans for the multimillion-dollar facelift.

Lifepointe Baptist Church gutted by fire on the Sunshine Coast

A Buderim church, which was destroyed by fire in January, will undergo a facelift as the destroyed areas are torn down and new facilities built in their place.

The Buderim Lifepointe Baptist Church on Wises Rd, which was famous for its annual Christmas light displays, went up in flames on January 20.

The fire was ruled non-suspicious but the cause was never determined.

Parts of the building are now in the process of being demolished by Sunshine Coast commercial building company BBN Constructions.

The massive fire which engulfed Lifepointe Baptist Church near Maroochydore.
The massive fire which engulfed Lifepointe Baptist Church near Maroochydore.

Director Brett Hardner said the company would complete a “make safe” demolition to remove the damaged parts of the building which were no longer structurally sound.

Senior pastor Phil Greenbury said only a small part of the building will not be demolished while the rest of it will be rebuilt, hopefully with new facilities.

“The only thing that will be left … is the part of the church on the right hand side,” he said.

Mr Greenbury envisions that the new build will have more space for community groups and events, as well as a new auditorium.

Lifepointe Baptist Church Pastor Phil Greenbury is looking forward to rebuilding the church after it was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.
Lifepointe Baptist Church Pastor Phil Greenbury is looking forward to rebuilding the church after it was destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

“We are looking to build it in such a way that through the week we could divide it into three larger rooms so that we could get the community in and they can use those rooms,” he said.

“And then on Sunday we can open it up like a big convention centre and just open up the great big room so we can have our Sunday services.”

He could not confirm a dollar figure for the build, but said it was in the multi-millions and would take between two to three years to complete.

Parts of the Buderim Lifepointe Baptist Church will be demolished and rebuilt after it was gutted by fire in January.
Parts of the Buderim Lifepointe Baptist Church will be demolished and rebuilt after it was gutted by fire in January.

But that did not mean the famous Christmas light display would not be going ahead this year.

“We still want to do (it) this year so we’ve just got to work out how we could do that, it depends on how much of the building is built and how much space we have or if it’s done off-site,” he said.

In the meantime, Mr Greenbury said Sunday services were being held at the Immanuel College basketball stadium in Buderim, while children’s church services were being held at the school’s Environmental Centre.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/buderim-lifepointe-baptist-church-to-be-rebuilt-after-fire/news-story/1e248c1bf450804e35053fd21c78f817