February 2020

Last spring, the elders asked the church to consider purchasing the property just to the south of our main building, in hopes of eventually expanding our campus. As a congregation, we decided together to move forward with the purchase, and since that time, I’ve been asked periodically when we’re planning to develop it. I’d like to explain where we are in that process and ask for your help.

What’s happening now?

When we purchased the land, it was occupied by a tenant. We entered into a lease agreement with that tenant, but after several months, the needs of their business required them to move to a different location. Recently, we entered into a new lease agreement with Cowboy Diesel (I won’t bore you with the details but the paperwork is on file in the church office if you have specific questions). Our new tenant understands that we have plans to expand onto that property, but we’re very glad to have them as our neighbors in the meantime.

What’s next?

Obviously, this is a major project for our church. The elders and I have spent the last several months praying for God’s wisdom and timing. We’ve spent time discussing the overall needs of our community and our congregation. We’ve talked about the unique opportunities God is giving us, asking for guidance in developing a vision for the future.

After a while, it became clear to us that we should solicit the advice of experts, so we made contact with five separate architectural firms and were able to have an in-depth conversation with four of them. While we haven’t narrowed down which of these firms we’ll end up partnering with, each conversation taught us a lot. For example, we learned that instead of just making plans for a new building, we should really develop a “master plan” for the entire campus, based on a clear vision for the future. We’ve also seen the importance of working with partners that truly understand who we are as a church.

In addition, we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to dream together as a congregation for the future of Indian Creek. Our church belongs to Jesus Christ; we’re His property. But he’s commissioned all of us to serve as stewards over His household. Since we all are responsible to Him for how we move forward, then it stands to reason that the entire congregation should play a role in formulating a plan for the future.

With that being said, if you’re a member of Indian Creek Baptist Church, I’d like to invite you to an informal Family Meeting on Sunday, April 19 at 5pm in the main auditorium. The purpose of this meeting will be to hear your ministry burdens for the future of our campus, including your thoughts about a new building.

Please plan to attend, and pray about what the Lord might want you to share. I look forward to hearing from you!

- Pastor Jake -