Reliance Bank and Bromley Christian Centre provide support to disadvantaged people

Reliance Bank provided a commercial loan to Bromley Christian Centre which is a charitable company that has been operating a church in Bromley for over 90 years with a congregation of more than 500 people with over 40 nationalities. The growing numbers required the trustees to look at options for accommodating the congregation.

Solution
The trustees identified an adjacent property to support their expansion plans and approached Reliance Bank for assistance with the purchase. The sale completed in March and Bromley Christian Centre are working on a development plan to expand the church site.

Impact
Bromley Christian Centre provide support to disadvantaged people in the community. They run a foodbank and also help facilitate and support a night shelter in the town, working with other churches and the trustees of the Bromley Homeless Shelter. Furthermore, they are a founding partner of the Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre in the town, as well as run a mental health café and support group.

Bromley Christian Centre run a hybrid model of in-person gatherings and online church services to its congregation of more than 500, with participants spread across multiple continents. There is a strong youth group who help to support the weekly services and Sunday school and this work continues in Schools in partnership with the Spinnaker Trust. Bromley Christian Centre also run an academy to provide a range of courses from theology and ministerial work through to leadership and life skills.

Bromley Christian Centre support local families by running a pre-school and day care facility called the Ark which operates from the church site. The school is rated as Good by Ofsted based on the last report in January 2020. They also provide a baby and toddler group called Pebbles which operates twice a week with a large participation from members of the church and wider community.

Rob Thomas – Trustee of Bromley Christian Centre said: “Reliance Bank were extremely helpful throughout the process. We are delighted everything went through smoothly and we are making progress in regards to our thinking for expansion plans.”

Reliance Bank has been at the forefront of social impact banking since 1890, when we were formed by William Booth the founder of The Salvation Army.

As a Bank we’ve supported churches and charities for over 130 years and we prioritise business lending to organisations that deliver positive social impact in the UK.

To find out more about our Charity Loans click here:https://www.reliancebankltd.com/business-banking/charity-loans

If you wish to discuss your borrowing requirements, please contact one of our Reliance Bank Relationship Directors at commercial@reliancebankltd.com or call 0207 398 5400.