Christ Church Southampton: a mortgage for mission in 7 weeks
We’re particularly delighted to tell this story, as it demonstrates how our in-depth understanding of a church’s needs was able to deliver mortgage completion within seven weeks. We spoke with pastor Orlando Saer to find out more.
What is Church life like at Christ Church Southampton?
Christ Church Southampton is an FIEC church located in the South of England. We meet in a school hall for morning services, and then a library for evening gatherings. We’ve grown quickly since our launch 15 years ago and new people are always arriving, so we put a lot of effort into seeing them welcomed and integrated into the church family.
Most of the congregation would fall under the age of 40, and there is an active student ministry to help those attending university in our city grow in their Christian faith. We have midweek groups to encourage each other, study the Bible and pray, as well as regular events throughout the year for different ministries.
Like many churches, we also aim to reach our community with the good news of Jesus.
We run English language classes, a weekly toddler group and courses like ‘Hope Explored’, which is an opportunity for people to explore the hope that we find in the Bible.
How did you hear about Kingdom Bank?
We heard about Kingdom Bank through contact with Jeremy Marshall, and we investigated Kingdom Bank as a possible option whilst exploring other potential avenues. In the end, we decided that the best way forward was to go with a Kingdom Bank mortgage.
What was the issue you were facing and how did we help?
We needed a way to finance the purchase of residential accommodation for one of the pastors. A charitable trust with links to the church was able to purchase the property with the assistance of the bank. The Kingdom Bank lending team really understood this structure and helped in ensuring that we were able to acquire the property needed.
How has your experience of working with us been?
The highlight of our overall experience with Kingdom Bank was the excellent communication at every stage of the process. We felt like we were speaking to people who understood us as a church and were encouraged by the Bank’s mission of gospel partnership.
We had to work towards the purchase with some speed because of the arrival of the pastor’s family earlier than expected (we had only 7 weeks from first viewing the property to needing the keys!) and we were delighted that Kingdom Bank was able to work with us to meet this schedule.
Is your church, charity or Trust interested in purchasing a residential property for a ministry worker? Read more about our housing mortgages or get in touch. We’d be delighted to help!