An Important Update
from the
Leadership
Team
3-29-2016
The Leadership Team would
like to share some very recent developments that provide a unique opportunity
for Calvary.
A Quick Synopsis
A local ministry has expressed
interest in purchasing our MidTown building to use as their administrative and resource
center. Due to their interest and the possibility of using the proceeds to
further our building expansion plans, we have tentatively reached an agreement
that is pending church approval and the City's approval of their projected use.
Below you'll find a more detailed narrative of how this developed and the
potential benefit to Calvary. Please
note there will be informational meetings on April 3rd, and 6th, followed by a
business meeting on April 10th after the morning worship service.
The Opportunity
In January of this year, a
local ministry group named Stepping Stones inquired about using our MidTown
building for working with homeless women and children. Over the years that we have owned the
facility, we have allowed a number of different ministries to have access to
it, so this wasn't an unusual request for our consideration.
However, with the closing of
Franklin Heights we had been unsure of whether our ministry would continue, and
in fact it has - but more on that later.
Interestingly, several weeks ago a conversation began with some of our
current members who were a part of Westgate Baptist Church who graciously gave
the Midtown facility to Calvary in March of 2011. In the discussion, they expressed an
appreciation of our MidTown ministry and yet also wondered about the
possibility of their former church building being used to benefit Calvary's
need for expansion here on DeJarnette Lane. They affirmed their desire and
excitement about this possibility. So, in the process of thinking about the
building utilization, a conversation began concerning the possibility of
selling the property and using the proceeds to work toward the construction of
the Children's Promise expansion.
With this thought in mind, we
tentatively shared with Stepping Stones that the building might be available
for sale. Stepping Stones visited the building and immediately expressed an
interest in purchasing it. After an initial evaluation by two realtors in our
church, we were able to suggest a potential sales price of $250,000. We indicated that for Calvary there would be procedural
steps which included the Leadership Team's processing this with the church for
approval. From their perspective there would also need to be a discussion with
the City concerning rezoning or permission to use the building for their
purposes.
After a joint meeting with
the City Planning office, it appears that there is a possibility through the
Board of Zoning Appeals for Stepping Stones to use the building once they have
brought the building up to code. They affirmed their desire to purchase the
building at the price mentioned above, which has set into motion the
presentation of this letter and subsequent material.
The Process
Thus, the Leadership Team now
felt it important and appropriate to inform the church and to provide a process
of approval that would accommodate the potential sale of the property.
On Sunday April 3rd, at 5 pm
in the youth room, the Leadership Team will conduct a presentation of the
process and any other current information regarding the sale and subsequent
building expansion. This time will also include a question and answer portion.
On Wednesday April 6th, the
Leadership Team will be available from 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm in the conference
room for members to drop by and ask questions. We will continue to update materials as the
process develops.
On Sunday April 10th,
immediately following the morning worship service, we will hold a business
meeting for the purpose of considering the approval of the sale and the future
expansion of Calvary's facility. The proposal for approval will include
authorization for the Leadership Team to execute documents for the sale of the
building and will also authorize the Leadership Team to initiate and complete a
construction process for building expansion. It is expected that the potential
completion of any expansion would be into the 2017 calendar year. Please see
the attached sample diagrams of the projected construction project.
If the sale of the building
is approved, the process will continue with Calvary and Stepping Stones submitting
a proposal to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) by April 11th.
On April 27th, the BZA would
consider and hopefully approve the special use permit for Stepping Stones. In the event that the BZA does not approve
the building for Stepping Stones, then they would no longer be a viable
purchaser and the sale will not be completed.
However, the Leadership Team believes that there is still benefit in
moving forward with the sale of the building as commercial property for the
purpose of using the funds for our building expansion. We would list the building for sale through a
commercial agent.
Pending approvals as
mentioned above, sometime in mid-May the sale of the building will be completed.
The Leadership Team will then begin coordinating and planning for eventual
construction.
Additional Questions
What will happen to the current MidTown Ministry? As we reported
to you at our annual business meeting, the MidTown ministry is still going
strong, but in a different way since Franklin Heights has closed. We are
now running the vans and the bus to pick up children "on the
way." Last Tuesday we had 39 kids in attendance, so obviously the
Lord is not done with us there yet. Our thoughts are to continue through
May as normal at the downtown building. Then with the start up of next
year in August, we will pick up the children and return to Calvary and use
classroom space here. We believe this is a viable plan and allows us to
continue working with the families and children. The ministry is concluding its fifth year and
the number of Calvary volunteers has remained strong. As long as the Lord leads us, we will
maintain this work.
Will the money be enough to complete the expansion
project? The estimates we secured
when we began the Children's Promise campaign in 2010 put the project in the
$350,000 - $400,000 range. With about
$155,000 currently in the Children's Promise fund and adding to the $250,000
from the proceeds of the sale, we are in the "ballpark" of projected
building costs. As the plans are
developed, the projected cost will be re-estimated and, if feasible,
consideration will be given to the secondary project which could include
conversion of the youth area into adult education space and the construction of a youth addition. These were parts of a secondary phases of the
initial campaign.
When would construction begin on the children's wing,
and other potential additions? There are several factors, one of which is the
estimated costs of construction now as compared to several years ago. One scenario would put the planning and
development phase ending sometime by the end of the year and construction
beginning after the first of the year, possibly by the end of the first
quarter. The timeline could move quicker
if all the resources are in place to accomplish the project. At this time we cannot provide an estimate of
"how long" the construction will take, but our hopes would be to have
the work completed by the start up of the fall 2017.
What will expansion look like? The initial
floor plan design provided for additional classrooms, a large assembly area for
Salvation Station (and other children's gatherings), an additional office and
storage area, and also a projected footprint for the second phase of the youth
room conversion and expansion. These
drawings are included below for your viewing.
These designs are not final and we expect there to be considerable
thought and planning going into the layout and look of the project. So, the following pictures are conceptual
examples.
 |
| Conceptual View of Children's Wing |
 |
| Conceptual Floor Plan |
What is our current debt (mortgage) situation? We have been
consistently paying down the mortgage with current monthly payments of $18,164,
which has allowed us to reduce the overall debt from 3.5 million to our current
level of $2,571,688. We refinance the
loan approximately every five years which the banks require as a part of the
commercial lending process, and the next time to refinance will be in June of
2017. The building expansion that is projected does not add to our current debt
since it is anticipated that we will be paying for the construction with cash
on hand.
Concluding Remarks
While the information above
is very detailed, we felt it was important to provide as much written material
as possible. Yet we know that we have not covered every angle and you may have
questions that we have not considered.
Thus we ask our church members to do a few things:
First, review the
material carefully.
Second, please
plan to attend the informational meetings as described above.
Third,
prayerfully consider what the Lord may be doing in providing this direction for
us.
Last, come
prepared on April 10th to vote as the Lord leads you.
The Leadership Team will do
its best to answer every question. Do
not hesitate to contact us and pray also
for us as we walk through this opportunity.
The Leadership Team of
Calvary Baptist Church
Mark
W. Gregory
Danny
McConnell
Casey
Barlow
Mark
Whitt
Mike
Sandman
Randy
Ball
Keith
Young
