A Red Deer congregation is happy the grand opening date of their brand new building is set for this May.

Morris Brese, parish council president of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church here in Red Deer, said after 14 years of meeting in various locations around the City it will be good to finally have a permanent facility. Lately, services have been held in the Highland Green Community Hall.

The new building, which is currently nearing completion, is located at 107 Vermont Ave. in the Vanier Woods subdivision.

A special consecration service is planned for May 22nd.

And even though the project is almost finished, Brese said additional support from the community is welcome.

“Anyone that would be willing to donate some time or materials to help us with painting and drywall – it would really be appreciated because the budget is getting a little tight towards the end,” he said, adding to date there are about 30 official members. He expects more to come by once the church opens.

“We welcome all orthodox Christians and visitors to come and worship with us. We have a priest right now who only comes up twice a month. But we are hopeful that in the future, we will be able to afford a full-time, permanent priest. That is one of our objectives.”

Over the past couple of years, the fundraising campaign has included fundraising presentations to parishes and lay organizations across the province.

For more information about the church, visit http://www.stnicholasreddeer.com. There are also links to the church’s facebook and Twitter sites on the web site as well.

For the congregation, it’s good to know they will be setting down roots with the new building. “We’re just pleased we will have a permanent home.”

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