An Armagh-based church with community at its core are celebrating their 10 year anniversary this May with a series of parties and events… and everyone in Armagh has made the guestlist!
Vibe Church may be situated on Little Barrack Street but there’s nothing little about their cause. For the last decade they have proved time and time again that they go big with everything they set their hearts and minds to.
Since its formation in 2015 by Lead Pastor Darryl Bain, Vibe’s ethos has been to “impact Armagh with the power and love of Jesus” and “to serve our city and see a generation transformed”.
With a healthy and committed team of volunteers, Vibe have surpassed even their own expectations during their tenure, and have continued to grow consistently year on year in their ability to offer a sense of community and support to the people of Armagh.
To help meet an increasing demand, Vibe opened their Community Hub at the start of December 2019 and declared it a “place for all the community to come, make strong relationships, and if applicable receive help and hope”.
Through their Community Hub space, the team are able to provide a “donation based” café, a storehouse for helping those in need with food, clothes and furniture, an after school hangout, weekly Kids Club and Youth Club along with weekly parents and tots groups.
One of their most successful and constantly growing annual campaigns is their Christmas Food Hamper drive which in 2022 saw over 400 families in need furnished with all their Christmas dinner necessities.
In an extension of their food provision for local families, Vibe also introduced a BRITE Box scheme which acts as “a family recipe meal kit”.
Every Thursday, families receive a BRITE Box which goes home with children through school. The box contains all the ingredients and a step by step, child-friendly recipe guide to cook a balanced meal for five people.
For children it’s a massive boost of confidence when they can say: “I’m cooking today, I’ve got all the ingredients.”
BRITE Box not only helps with the family food budget but it encourages children to get involved in enjoying cooking and eating together with their families.
It takes £325 a year to ensure a single family will receive their weekly BRITE Box and Vibe work tirelessly to ensure fundraising is completed regularly for the scheme.
And, there is so much more still to come!
In 2017 Vibe announced ‘Project Possible’ with their purchase of a 20,000 sq. ft former bar and nightclub on Scotch Street.
Project Possible is a “building project” which the team hope will see “new hope brought to an ancient City”.
They explain: “Back in 2017 we miraculously bought an old run-down building beside our current building. It was once a bar/nightclub/restaurant, a place where many had a good time, but it never lasted. For others it was a place of pain and division. Geographically it’s right in the heart of our city. As we prayed God gave us a clear picture of Nehemiah, a key figure in the Old Testament.
“He saw his own people were in despair, the walls of the city had been destroyed and Jerusalem was broken. He was moved – he sat down and wept. Then God gave him a plan of restoration! Eventually he rebuilt the walls of the city in 52 days! It was an incredible moment; the whole city and nation was restored.
“We believe God is calling us and wants to do the same in Armagh. We are dreaming of a 20,000 sq. ft building in the middle of Armagh. A place of hope and love, shining like a lighthouse.”
Redevelopment of their new premises would allow for the introduction of a fully functioning counselling suite, retail unit, multi-sensory room, kids soft play, foodbank depot, several multiple purpose rooms for hire, 300+ Auditorium, games room, Drop In centre, hang out space, 150 Kids Auditorium, coffee shop, BriteBox HQ and 4th Emergency Service, plus much more!
It’s an ambitious project with estimated costs in the region of £2million.
But Vibe say with support through prayer and the purchase of seats they will be well on their way to making the dream a reality.
In regards to seat purchasing, they explain: “We are giving in faith and doing it through seats. Each seat sold will make project possible happen and represent your giving. Seats are a simple way to break down such a huge financial number into something personal and easy to understand.
“Seats are a constant reminder that we are focused on people and not on a building.”
The cost of a seat is £1,800 as a one off or £30 per month for five years.
However, starting in the month of May Vibe are celebrating all they have achieved in the last 10 years by providing a massive community-centred party.
On Sunday, May 11, they hosted a free event from their Little Barrack Street premises.
It was a full street takeover with BBQ, bouncy castles, petting farm, face painting, cake, ice-cream, cake and much more!
And for the remainder of 2025 they will continue to roll out around a further 10 “key events” including their popular iHeart Armagh event from 21-25th July.
With iHeart Armagh a team of volunteers will go into eight estates to serve practically and run pop-up kids’ clubs.
They’ll also host a MEGA Kids Club for over 350 kids, and will be blessing local businesses with homemade bakes.
To finish the iHeart Armagh week, they’ll be throwing a free Family Fun Night Celebration on the Mall, complete with face painting, bouncy castles, a petting farm, BBQ, ice cream, and loads more!
Reflecting on their anniversary, Pastor Darryl Bain said: “From the beginning we have always believed that with God nothing is impossible.
“When we moved to Armagh in 2015, we never thought we would be in the position we would be in today.
“What we bought was just an old, run down derelict building and what it’s become is everything that we dreamed. We dreamed that it would become a lifeboat, a lighthouse and a hospital. The fundamental heart is that we wanted to be that community centre for Armagh that would welcome anybody and everybody.
“We have always wanted to impact the people of Armagh through God’s love. This was our mission on paper but today we are seeing this come to life in reality.
“And, after 10 years, we believe the best is still yet to come.”
