We want to provide a mechanism for you to be able to communicate with the team and send your feedback. To that end, we have created an email account for you to utilize throughout the process. Please feel free to send your comments to: CET@rcclawrence.org.

Also, we covet your prayers for our church during this exploration phase. Specifically, that we would be united in our mission, and prayers of wisdom for our church leadership and the Campus Expansion Team during the coming months.

*See bottom of this page for update as of 07/11/23

Most of you are aware that in late spring of 2022, Veritas Christian School reached out to us inquiring about leasing a portion of our facility to relocate their school. The reason they reached out to us is that they were in a situation in which the school was outgrowing its capacity and they were meeting in what were originally designed to be portable (or temporary) buildings, and those buildings were at the end of their useful life. In addition, they were also in the middle of a capital campaign seeking funding to construct a brand new campus on property that they currently own about 3 miles south of town. That plan encountered some major obstacles which left them trying to come up with a solution for what they are going to do for a more permanent future home. 

What you may not know is, in those early discussions, they expressed an interest in potentially purchasing our property as a permanent location for the school. At that time, we communicated that we were flattered, but that we wanted to postpone any discussion about purchasing our property and get a lease agreement in place that was not contingent upon us selling them the property.  Long story short, we reached a 3-year lease agreement in early summer, and they’ve been a tenant since July of 2022. 

Then, shortly after the start of school (in September), they approached us to restart the conversation about  their interest in a potential purchase. After hearing them out, and subsequent discussions at our October and November Ministry Board meetings, the Ministry Board decided that it would be in our best interest to at least come to the table and have more formal conversations and consider the possibilities. 

Here are a few reasons that the Ministry Board discussed:

• Ultimately, we know that a church by its very definition is not a building but a group of people. Buildings are simply tools that allow a church to gather for worship and mobilize for ministry.
  
• Our church has a history of relocating. Since our founding in 1872, we are currently meeting in our third location. So there’s precedent. 
  
• Current building size: At over 61,000 sq ft, we have more space than we currently need, or have needed in some time. 
• According to church construction firms, most churches average between 60-100 square feet per person based on their Sunday morning worship attendance. (# of attendees  X  60-100  =  building size)
• With our current worship attendance at 140 people, our current building needs would be closer to between 10k-14k sq ft. If you account for some moderate growth, we would likely need closer to 20k-25k sq ft
  
• If you reverse engineer those figures, we are currently at 435 sq ft per person. Or another way to say it is, we have enough space for a church of 600-800 people which we haven’t had in at least 15 years.
• Size is also an issue when you factor in the costs of utilities to operate a facility of this size. 
• Then there is upkeep of the facility. Our trustees have identified approximately $500k worth or current repairs that need our attention. These include a new roof, updates to heating and cooling systems, resurfacing the parking lot, etc…
• There’s also renovations that have been discussed. It’s only an estimate, but if we wanted to do some renovations to the property, including a covered drop off, new paint, carpet, furniture, etc… to bring the sanctuary, classrooms, restrooms, and lobby spaces up to date, it will likely cost an additional $750k-$1mil or more. So, all of that, brings the total to payoff our debt, make necessary repairs, and update the facility to between $2-2.5 million dollars.
• And the final reason is, Veritas has agreed to contribute up to $50k in funds, as a good faith gesture, to help fund the research necessary for our church to make an informed decision.