Nearly a high-profile victim of the NSW Government's new policy on community use of public schools, Central Coast Evangelical Church's future has been settled with Gosford council's approval of a new 950-seat building at Erina.
"The decision is a real work of God,” says senior pastor Andrew Heard.
Early this year CCEC was asked to leave Erina High's 550-seat basketball stadium. It had been their home for 11 years.
"We had nowhere to go " but eventually found a space to rent for just four months," Mr Heard explains.
The issue at their former home is that the NSW Government is currently trialling a deal with community sporting associations to use public school sporting facilities on weekends. The church's use of the school clashed with this deal.
However there are now real concerns this new Government policy will become a roadblock to further church planting.
"There is a much bigger issue here than just CCEC," says Mr Heard. "Public schools have been a key place to plant evangelical churches over the past decade. We may have to look at alternative strategies if the trial is expanded."
Despite the recent tribulations with the Department of Education, it has been clear for over five years that further growth at CCEC would require a new building. At that time, the church began searching for land to purchase, settling on a block near Erina Fair.
"Being forced to leave has turned out to be a blessing in disguise," says Mr Heard. "If we are going to grow we need bigger facilities " we had virtually maxed the capacity at the high school."
Apart from the stadium-style auditorium, the new development also includes a separate multipurpose "ministry hub' which includes facilities for children and youth ministries.
CCEC was planted by Mr Heard " a former Sydney Anglican minister and Moore College graduate " in 1997. CCEC is currently being considered by Sydney Diocese to become an official affiliated church.
