Worship music will soon be heard throughout the halls of the old Steinbach Credit Union.

Calvary Chapel Pastor Greg Friesen says that is because his church got the lease for the old bank last week Tuesday.

Friesen has been the liaison between the church, the SCU, and the construction crews for the past two years and says his congregation was thrilled to finally receive the news.

“There is definitely an excitement buzzing in Calvary right now,” comments Friesen. “The truth is, we’ve talked about moving to another location for the past 15 years...to actually be on the precipice of this happening is very exciting.”

According to Friesen, Calvary’s current space on McKenzie Avenue was almost entirely made up of the sanctuary which was becoming a bit of a hindrance to ministry.

Friesen feels their current space was too small for all they had going on.

“We’re coming from a building where, if people wanted to stay after the service to get prayed for, it had to happen among kids running around and people drinking coffee. This will be a huge blessing for us.”

Friesen says his church is highly enthusiastic about the opportunities this new space will provide.

While doing a walking tour through the building, Friesen beckons towards different parts of the old gutted bank and paints a picture of what it will look like after its conversion.

“Where member services used to be will now be our foyer and dining hall,” he explains, “and the old banking hall has been opened up. We took out all of the teller wickets, everything is gone, and there will be 400 plus seats on the main floor and that will be where our sanctuary is.”

Friesen points out that this will be the first time in Calvary Chapel’s history where the foyer and the sanctuary are each their own space.

Friesen adds that the former bank offices while be turned into a library, nursery, and series of Sunday School classrooms, meanwhile the basement will be transformed into a large youth area with a few rooms designated for board meetings.

“We also have our prayer room upstairs overlooking Main Street which we are really excited about,” offers Friesen, “that is a big deal for us.”

In addition to all of that, the old vault, currently protected by a 4000 lb door, will become the storage room for musical equipment near the stage. Friesen admits that, unfortunately, they will be getting rid of the massive piece of bank infrastructure due to it being a potential safety hazard.

The old Steinbach Credit Union is becoming a church.Now that the lease has been signed and approved, the church is moving full steam ahead into their renovation stage. “We are taking an old space that was made for banking and making it sufficient for meeting with hundreds of people on a Sunday morning,” says Friesen.

These renovations will include adding walls, painting ceilings, carpeting floor, and updating the sprinkler and ventilating systems to ensure they are all up to code.  The church also plans on recycling as much of the old bank's materials as possible. Friesen notes that many of the tiles, shelves, and desks will be repurposed. He also indicates that the SCU generously donated all of their old chairs and tables for Calvary Chapel to either use or sell to help afford the construction costs.

All interior remodeling is scheduled to begin very soon. Friesen says, if all goes well, he hopes to preach his first message in the new space by September 1st of this year.