The Innisfail Alliance Church is celebrating 20 years of God's faithfulness.
Located on the edge of Innisfail in the Eastgate Mall, the congregation of nearly 300 has planned a celebration weekend for Sept. 14 with special guests.
“The first Innisfail Alliance Church service was held on Sept. 11, 1994 at the Country Lodge with around 90 people in attendance and we were able to offer Sunday school the next week,” said lead Pastor Andrew Rilling, who has led the church since its beginning. “Over the last 20 years, we have grown to 280-plus attendees and offer small groups, Sunday school classes and activities for all ages.”
Innisfail Alliance Church has not always been in Eastgate Mall, moving from Ecole John Wilson Elementary School in May of 2001 to the present facility. Currently, its staff includes a youth pastor, an associate pastor and a lead pastor, in addition to administration personnel.
“As our congregation grew, we took over more of the mall where we now have over 22,000 square feet of ministry space,” said Rilling. “There are classrooms, a cafeteria, meeting rooms and youth programming space, which are also used by the community for a variety of events.”
He pointed out that the popular Kid's Club has as many as 100 kids from grades 1 to 4 on Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for games, crafts and Bible stories. The program will start Sept. 25. Other ministries include men's group, ladies' groups, special concerts, mission trips and youth activities.
“Our celebration service is going to be a special time celebrating God's goodness and faithfulness,” said Rilling. “There will be some of our old pastors in attendance, video greetings and a short video history of the church. Our plan is to have a luncheon after the service and share stories of our 20 years as a church body.”
For more information on Innisfail Alliance, go to www.innisfailalliance.com or call 403-227-6655.
