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They had visited about 20 sites in two years. But as they stood
in the woods off Corridor G in April 2002, Shawn Thornton and Lee
Walker of the Bible Center Church knew they had found a good place
for their growing congregation’s new home.
On Monday, nearly two years later, Thornton, the church’s senior
pastor, and Walker, the church administrator, stood in about the
same spot with their mission accomplished. Three days earlier, they
finalized a $2.6 million purchase of the 88-acre site from the
Business & Industrial Development Corp.
“BIDCO worked to put all the pieces together, which would have
been really hard for us to do,” Thornton said. “Then the Lord kind
of put this in our lap.”
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| Bible Center Church Senior Pastor Shawn
Thornton (left), and Church Administrator Lee Walker visit
the future site of their church in the Southridge business
park on Corridor G. The church finalized the $2.6 million
purchase of the 88-acre property from the Business &
Industrial Development Corp. last week. |
The church has sat at 1111 Oakhurst Drive since 1976. But a spike
in attendance — an average of 1,240 attend Sunday services there,
compared with 795 in 1997 — demonstrates the need for more space,
Walker and Thornton said.
“The search was a struggle to really find property that meets our
needs,” Walker said. “When this property became available, it really
was the answer for us.”
Walker said he hoped a new building would be ready for Sunday
services in about four years.
To build the new structure, and to pay off debt, the church is
working to raise $4 million in funds from its members in the Hearing
God’s Call to Grow Campaign. Members have already pledged nearly
$400,000, Walker said.
Church leaders tentatively plan to build the facility in stages,
but a two- or three-story structure with about 230,000 square feet
is the long-term goal, Walker said. Also on the leaders’ wish list
are athletic fields, hiking trails, a small retirement community and
housing for missionaries, among other things, he said.
“This is a prime piece of property with a lot of flat area,”
Walker said. “But it still looks like West Virginia, and we’re
hoping it has a real campus feel to it.”
The expansion is part of the church’s 2015 plan. By then, church
leaders hope to have 2,500 attendees every Sunday.
To do that, they need more land for such things as parking. The
new property has space for up to 1,500 parking spaces, compared with
the 300 they have at Oakhurst Drive.
Parties have already inquired about the church’s old building,
Walker said. Two or three prospects contacted the church through
real-estate agents, who didn’t identify their clients, and another
church has also expressed interest, Walker said.
The Southridge property probably wouldn’t have been available
to the church if BIDCO’s park had lived up to its creators’
lofty expectations.
In 1990, Nick Bayne, the group’s director at the time,
predicted the park would bring 3,000 jobs.
Fewer than 1,000 people work in the park today. BIDCO leaders say
traffic congestion caused by Corridor G’s rapid growth might have
scared off industrial prospects. When no such companies surfaced,
BIDCO contacted the church.
Walker and Thornton’s April 2002 visit soon followed.
“The church will be a great use for that property and will
provide us more flexibility with our next projects, which haven’t
been determined yet,” said Bill Goode, BIDCO president.
To contact staff writer Paul Wilson, use e-mail or call
348-5179.
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