Green Pastures play area opens ahead of schedule

A brand-new Children’s Play facility at Green Pastures Church, Ballymena, will officially open to the public six months before schedule. The facility will operate from Thursdays through Saturdays for individuals and parties throughout the summer period, with a fully packed timetable pending for September.

Due to demand, the impressive area will now be available to groups and the public from Thursday, 6 June. It had been earmarked for an Autumn launch; however, following a smaller church unveiling of the facility a few weeks ago, the Ballee-based ministry has been inundated with enquiries, prompting an earlier introduction.

Commented Green Pastures Communications employee Stacey Wright: “The anticipated opening of GP Kids Playground has wholeheartedly left us, as a church family, in absolute awe every time we walk into the room. The hard work has been a labour of love and has become an inspiring moment for our church and the Ballymena community. This play area is second to none with its high-end facilities, easy access location, many opportunities, fun to be had, and memories to be made and best of all, it's all placed within the church building!”

The initiative is a welcome addition to other children’s play facilities in the town and impressive by any standards.  

Added Stacey Wright: “What a sweet and powerful way to open the church doors for all to come and see what God is creating and providing in and through this place for every person. It is a special place, and we can't wait to share it with the rest of the world!"  

In the weeks and months to come, that’s precisely what the congregation of Green Pastures intends to do – share their brand-new facility with the people of Ballymena.

The facility includes a massive soft play area with slides, trampolines, and a ball pit. A tiny tot’s area exists in the soft play area, too. There’s a mini football stadium to play football and a little crowd to cheer them on. Then there’s ‘Happy Street,’ like something out of Disneyland. It boasts a little grocery shop, police station, vets, doctors, beauty parlour, a pizza parlour and even a fire station with a fire truck sticking out the back that they can drive in.

The entire village has a road through the Playground and a white picket fence around it. There’s also a chalk wall for little creators and a prayer wall where kids and parents can post their prayer requests as the rest of the church locks arms with them and joins in their Prayers. Add to that a very modern coffee area nicely decorated with tables and sofas; it makes for a great place for parents to sit and chat, relax, and get extra fuel as their kids play.

Since opening on Easter Sunday, the church has received countless phone calls and messages online from eager members of the public regarding opening times for groups and individuals.

 Concluded Stacey Wright: “We are thrilled to open this incredible space ahead of schedule, and we love that our town is getting excited, too! We've been inundated with requests from so many families and organisations who can't wait to join the fun. Our heart as a church has always been to create a space that is so magnificent that it tells of the glory of God and yet, at the same time, is a space that is simply reachable, relevant, and open to everyone to come and experience God for themselves. The Playground is the effect of that heart and has been developed with the people of Ballymena and beyond in mind.”

Pre-booking numbers and prepayment are essential. All details of prices and packages can be found at www.gpastures.co.uk/gpkids, from 2 June.