A NEW centre aimed at “promoting a sense of community spirit” has been given the green light to open in Southampton city centre.

Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Southampton, a do-it-yourself Gospel ministry, was granted planning permission by Southampton City Council to open a community centre and place of worship in Oxford House, College Street.

At present MFM Southampton occupies a space within the building, which is used by 69 members, and an existing volunteer workforce of 35.

It will now turn the area into an official community hub, open to people of all backgrounds throughout the city.

In its application, which was submitted by developers Planning Concepts & Solutions, MFM Southampton said the scheme will promote a sense of community spirit in the local area for existing and potential church members as well as attendees of the community centre.

It added: “Community buildings provide important facilities in which people can meet and interact. They need to be close to where people live to serve local communities.

“The development includes a community centre, drop-in-centre/day centre, meeting rooms, place of worship, and youth meetings, which would serve the church members, most of who live in Southampton; and also serve the local community.”

Programmes the centre can now provide for include foodbanks, counselling, legal and financial advise, university outreach and prison and hospital visitation.

On its website, MFM says the organisation’s “D-I-Y approach to prayer warfare continues to provoke dumb-founding miracles and attract divine intervention in situations which hitherto had proven intractable”. MFM has more than 50 branches throughout the UK and encourage people to set up their own churches for worship.