As a church we want to continually press forward with the mission God has given us here in this city.
We have always had the great problem of being able to provide adequate space for our gatherings on Sundays in downtown. In January 2013, the S.C. State Museum will begin a complete renovation of the current auditorium space that we meet in on Sundays. Their renovation plans include decreasing the number of seats in the auditorium and it is estimated that the project could very well take over a year to complete. With all of that being said, we want to always be proactive in finding sufficient space for our Sunday gatherings and do not feel that it is wise to sit back and wait until January 2013 to make a move.
This opportunity could not be more timely and cost effective for where we are as a church.
We will continue our Sunday gatherings in Earlewood and anticipate that we will shift our Vista campus to a Devine Street location beginning this summer. Sundays are a chance for us to be equipped with the gospel, and also act as an incredible opportunity to host the people of our city well. God has opened a door for us as a church family to do both of these with excellence.
Columbia Church of Christ has moved their church to a new location and has vacated their downtown property, which is located at 2925 Devine Street, 0.8 miles from Columbia's Five Points. Through months of conversations and negotiations we have reached a lease with option to buy agreement. The Devine Street area opens up great opportunity for us as a church to continue to reach more families in our city.
In transitioning, we are keeping things very simple and basic.
As a church our philosophy has never been to be "over the top" when it comes to our building and facilities. We simply want do things well and create a distraction-free environment for our gatherings, as well as a great area designed for children. When it comes to facilities our desire is be clean, simple, and functional. The current Devine Street facility has been vacant for almost a year and is in need of numerous cosmetic and equipment up-fits. Though this may seem like a lot of money, we really are keeping things very simple and basic. We have done extensive research and received multiple quotes concerning the categories listed.
To the right you will see a list of some of the essentials that will need to be addressed as we anticipate opening the doors to this new campus this summer.
| Category | |
|---|---|
| Audio, Visual, & Lighting Equipment | 33,400 |
| Chairs for the Auditorium | 11,022 |
| Signage | 3,500 |
| Other Furniture for the facility | 5,000 |
| Kidtown Supplies for Children's area | 5,000 |
| Painting & Supplies | 9,525 |
| Carpet/Flooring | 32,553 |
| HVAC Contribution | 20,000 |
| Miscellaneous Needs | 10,000 |
TOTAL | $130,000 |
If you would like to be a part of helping fund the up-fit of the property you can give securely online. The up-fit of this project will be approximately $130,000 and our goal is to raise $50,000.
Everything we do as a church must be flooded with prayer, as prayer is what fuels the mission of our church. Begin praying now for the people in the neighborhoods that surround this facility, asking God to give us favor with the community and that the gospel would penetrate this area of our city.
If you live in the area around Devine Street, we would love for you to prayerfully consider staying in that neighborhood and even increasing the level of your involvement in the community. Join the neighborhood associations and ultimately be a good neighbor and love people well.
As we make improvements, we need people to help paint, assemble chairs, landscape, and clean. If you can do any of those things, please volunteer to help us move to Devine!
