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Almost exactly one year ago, I wrote Building A Church, Part 1 laying out our process and reasons for looking for a new church facility. Much has happened in the past 12 months.

We looked at dozens of properties all around the Appleton area to purchase/lease. Our twin goals were: 1) to find a more purposeful space for ministry that we could make our own (for worship, children\’s ministry, youth group, outreach events, classes, weddings, funerals, etc.). And 2) to find a space large enough to allow us to continue to grow for years to come.

We seriously looked at several buildings to purchase, but in the process, we determined it would be better for our church to lease and remodel rather than purchase. Two weeks ago, I emailed the church to let them know that we had found our new church home. The building is located at 2900 N. Mason St. Appleton, WI 54914. It\’s an 8,200SF commercial facility located in north-central Appleton (right next to Festival Foods).

The location is excellent for several reasons. First, since it\’s near Northland Ave and Richmond St, it\’s very accessible for people coming from all over the Fox Valley. Second, it\’s bordered on two sides by residences. We will seek to love and serve our neighbors and have a positive impact on the whole neighborhood. Third, the other tenant in the same building is one of the DOC Probation and Parole Offices. This could be a unique opportunity to help people coming out of the prison system.

What\’s Next?

First, as we\’ve asked all along the way, would you pray about this? Would you pray for wisdom and continued guidance? Would you pray for unity and excitement for our church? Would you pray for our future neighbors? And would you thank God with us for providing a new home?

Second, we would love your involvement. There\’s a lot of work to be done before we can move in! There will be much help needed in demolition, painting, cleaning, and building. Get your workboots ready! The only way this works is if we work together as the body of Christ.

Third, we will have more information about the remodel plans and the required capital campaign shortly. We are currently gathering bids and formulating plans and timelines. We are hoping to have a congregational meeting on March 17th to present all this to the church.

We are very excited about this and hope that you are excited and encouraged, too. We believe this will be a significant milestone in the life of our church and will allow us to do gospel-centered ministry more effectively for years to come. We understand that with any move comes change and change can be painful at times. But we trust that God will be with us every step of the way.