After years of planning, design and vision-casting, the Western Australian (WA) Conference opened their new conference office at 84 Welshpool Road on June 9.
Complete with brand new facilities designed by State 28 Design Consultants, the office has been upgraded to better represent the Church in Western Australia.
“The old office was looking ragged and needed a lot of work to make it look representative,” said WA Conference president Pastor Steve Goods. “We wanted the office to be more central, and closer to main roads, the airport and public transport.”
CFO Peter Dose was instrumental in moving the project forward, from working on budgets to consulting with the design team.
“State 28 wanted to know what we stood for—our history and values—and reflected this in the design,” said Pastor Goods. “Elements of our history and first church are in the board room. We believe that God led us to State 28 as they really connected with who we are.”
Artwork lining the walls reflects the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 28 fundamental beliefs and the history of the Church in Western Australia.
“The highlight of the project was our dealings with State 28 who took a genuine interest in who Adventists are,” said Conference secretary Lesleigh Bower. “It was a wonderful experience to see our beliefs and values translated by non-Adventist people into the design of the new building.”
The new office features a training centre that holds up to 180 people, with dividable spaces and acoustics for recording and filming, as well as a staff hub that can be used for cooking demonstrations and events. There is also ample open space to be used as meeting rooms and for community gatherings.
“I’m really enjoying the open space, the light and design features,” Pastor Goods said.
A special opening ceremony was held at the new office, with an open invitation to all church members. Ms Bower spoke about the history of the Church and welcomed everyone, before Pastor Goods talked about the features of the new office, and thanked former Conference president Pastor Terry Johnson and former Conference secretary Pastor Sid Griffiths for their involvement.
The decision to upgrade the conference office was made at a special session in 2015, with the process beginning in 2017. After negotiations with the local council and salespeople, refurbishing the office began in early 2019.
The WA Conference hopes that the new office will ensure that church and community members will come to know the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Western Australia as a professional, transparent and accountable entity, which succeeds in its mission to enable faithful followers of Jesus to share the Good News.
