A CHURCH in Co Down which was damaged in two arson attacks almost two years ago will officially reopen today.
Arsonists targeted Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church twice in July 2016 causing damage to the main church building and halls.
Rev Alistair Bill, Minister of Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church, revealed that following the attacks they were "inundated with messages of support from across the community and offers of practical help, so many in fact we couldn’t take them all up."
"We were really heartened to see that our congregation was seen as being at the heart of the local community," he said.
He added: "We decided to turn the inside of the church around 180 degrees, removing the balcony and making a fully accessible, a space that could be used for events by others within the community and not just for Sunday worship."
The church will officially reopen tonight during a special service of thanksgiving.
Rev Noble McNeely, Presbyterian Moderator, said the theme of the service is `Celebration of the Journey' "as it highlights and focuses on the fact that the church has had to recover from a setback, but has journeyed forward through a challenging time and continues to travel forward in anticipation of what is ahead."
