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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCHRIST FELLOWSHIP CHURCH - PDP / FDP - 29-94C - MEDIA -C49 LIFE, The Coloradoan, Sunday, May 23, 2004, www.coloradoan.com Church Continued from Page C1 ticularly challenging. "A lot of new church starts don't make it," said Kim Lanman, pastor of the 50-member Life Community Church, which in its three-year exis- tence has met in two Poudre School District schools and now at Cinema Saver 6 at 2525 Worthington Circle. But each hardship is an opportunity for deepened faith and a greater sense of community, pastors say. "We would not be in this position without these relationships," said Ed Davis, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church. "I find that I'm more excited about ministry than I have been all my life. I would not trade the hard times for anything." Ups and dawns Although Christ Fellowship Church has survived in temporary housing for longer than most, several Fort Collins congregations know what it's like to set up and break down church each Sunday in schools, office and retail space, coffee shops and movie the- aters. Poudre School District facilities, which the district rents to community groups for a fraction of the cost of most commer- cial `We knew that have beenra if God didn't nlumberressing ofra churches. The want us to district rents space to two have (the churches, said Bill Franzen, land) he would executive di- rector of oper- close the ations for the doors, and if dtBut changes God wanted it in district poli- cy in 2002 — district s to happen, must nowtaff utnowtaff then all the bra gas eande doors would the district no longer rents to be open.' community users on holi- - The Rev. Mark day weekends Cranor, pastor of St. — sent some James Orthodox churches look - Church mg elsewhere for accommo- dations. Life Community Church moved its Sunday service from Rocky Mountain High School to Cinema Saver 6. I've looked into some storefront property. But a lot of them want $11,000 or $12,000 per month" for about 10,000 square feet, Lanman said. And storefront property or office space presents some image problems, some pastors say. `Whenever you have the dream or vision, and you are so convinced that it will happen, it doesn't feel like a sacrifice.' — Karla Alpers, Christ Fellowship Church member Redeemer Lutheran Church, which on Easter moved into its second church building at 7755 Greenstone Trail off Carpenter Road, met for a short time in a storefront on South College Avenue. "Some people would call to ask for directions, and when I told them we were next to a U-Haul dealership (on South College Avenue), they decided it was not for them" Runtsch said. "We had a nucleus who were very dedicated and willing to sacrifice fi- nancially but also sacrifice the niceties of church." Finding a home Pastors who move to Fort Collins from other areas to "plant churches" often are discouraged by the price of land and commercial property Many churches prefer to buy from churches that are outgrowing their current facilities. But that takes good timing. "It's not as frequent as you might think " said Steve Stansfield, a broker with Realtec, a local commercial real estate company. Commercial property, like residen- tial real estate, has appreciated at a brisk pace the past 10 years, Stans- field said. "I don't know by what factor, prob- ably 30 to 40 percent," he said. The entry-level price for bare - bones office or industrial space with- out high visibility is about $100 per square foot, he said. "One condition of our markets is that the retail sector is the strongest. That probably would cost the congre- gation more than office space," Stans- field said. "Changes in employment in the past few years have opened up a lot of office space." Churches that prefer to build will find that land prices in the area vary greatly, Stansfield said. "It just depends on where it is. It's very dependent on location and po- tential other use." Small churches looking for land of- ten have their share of disappoint- ments. "We missed the one piece of prop- erty that was reasonable by 24 hours. We didn't find out about it in time," said Cranor, pastor of St. James Or- thodox Church. V. Richard Haro/The Coloradoan GROUNDWORK: Workers from Kehn's paving lay asphalt to build the parking lot last week at Christ Fellowship Church in Fort Collins. Two years later, the church bought the same piece of property for $500,000 more, albeit this time with a building that would accommodate 200 to 300 people, Cranor said. The improvements, the congregation spent about $160,000 in fees. Site im- provements, including street im- provements, cost another $300,000 to $400,000, Davis said. congregation raised $100,000 in 45 days for a down payment. Making saesCeS •r "Even then, the bank waned to Building projects can be hard on have five of us be guarantors for congregations, largely because of the $100,000 each ... since our loan in financial strain, local pastors said. proportion to our congregation in- "Every dollar spent is a dollar that come was so high." someone at some time has to put into Christ Fellowship Church bid on a contribution plate," Runtsch said. six different pieces of land before "People make tremendous sacrifices buying the 3.5 acres of property on to make the mission come through. Ziegler Road, One member gave 40 Davis wascrest- You've got to solve percent Members ts salary." ofChrist fallen each time;' your money issues. A Fellowship Church are he said. But the no strangers to finan- Ziegler Road lot f people are afraid cial sacrifice. At a cost oo property turned p p of $1.5 million, Christ out to be far su- of talking about mon- Fellowship's 8,700- perior. "I felt like sqaure-foot facility on an idiot when I e , . It doesn't mean Ziegler Road is a big saw what God y endeavor for a small had given us." ' congregation. Like other de- you disqualify faith. "I have friends who velopers, church- — Ed Davis, pastor of Christ say, `I won't be In- es must spend Fellowship Church volved until there is a whatever it takes church building be - to comply with cause every Sunday city or county land -use codes regard- it's, `Give, give, give,' " congregation ing street improvements, storm wa- member Alpers said. "We made ad - ter, curbs, sidewalks, parking spaces justments in lifestyle that made it pos- and utilities. sible for us to give. Whenever you Christ Fellowship Church spent have the dream or vision, and you are $30,000 for items such as traffic stud- so convinced that it will happen, it ies and soil tests to make sure it was doesn't feel like a sacrifice." feasible to build on the land. Before The church also received gener- the church could get started on site ous donations from several local churches and a grant and low -inter- est loans from the church's denomi- nation, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. And the congregation has decided to open a day-care center at the new church, an idea it borrowed from Mountain Range Church. "The day care will run the place," Davis said. "That's how a small church like this affords its own building." Keeping the faith Throughout the long journey of finding a permanent home, Christ Fellowship Church has relied on a combination of faith and fact, Davis said. "The bottom line is you have to do your spiritual research," he said. Other pastors agree that prayer and faith are what keep the congre gation going at stressful and disap- pointing points of the process. "We knew that if God didn't want us to have (the land) he would close the doors, and if God wanted it to happen, then all the doors would be open," Cranor said. "Yes, there is some business to it. But there is a much bigger part of faithfulness and obedience to what God wants you to do," Lanman agreed. Faith, however, has to be coupled with a solid business plan, Davis said. "You've got to solve your money issues," he said. "A lot of people are afraid of talking about money.... It doesn't mean you disqualify faith" A NEW DAY - Worshippers arrive on Easter for the first services at the new Redeemer Lutheran Church in southeast Fort Collins. Rich Abrahamson The Coloradoan For many smaller congregations, the long journey of finding a permanent home is filled with sacrifice, belief and, in the end, a quest worth pursuing Building on faith Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan SUNDAY SERVICE Jennifer Avery, left, and other members of tan Chapel. Christ Fellowship, which does not have a perma- Christ Fellowship Church meet for services at Good Samari- nent home, will open its new church building this summer. `I find that I'm more excited about ministry than I have been all my life. I would not trade the hard times for anything.' — Ed Davis, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church NEW HOMff: The Rev. Ed Davis of Christ Fellowship Church is pictured earlier this month in what will be the sanctuary of the congregation's new church building at 3850 Ziegler Road. Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan By KELLI LACKETT P H i Z 3, 101 Kell iLackett@coloradoan.com white trailer sitting behind the new home of Christ Fellowship Church at 3850 Ziegler Road reminds the congregation of the gypsy life it has led the past 21 years. The church's congregation, which numbers fewer than 100, has been us- ing the trailer to store chairs, educa- tional materials and sound equipment it has set up at public schools and strip malls, where it has met for more than two decades. Most recently, the congregation has been meeting in the chapel at Good Samaritan Village. Finally, after years of setting up and breaking down for church every Sunday, the building the congrega- tion has always dreamed of is materi- alizing. "I'm incredibly excited about the possibilities," said Karla Alpers, who with husband, Joel, has been a mem- ber of the church for about 10 years. Most Fort Collins churchgoers in- sist that a church is not a building, but a community of believers. Yet, a building provides the kind of stability often necessary for a church to retain members and to grow. "There is something psychological about it. People want to know that you are going to be here for the long run," said the Rev. Mark Cranor, pas- tor of St. James Orthodox Church, which met in Cranor's Wellington garage for two years before buying a small church in Wellington. In 2001, the church moved to a L3-acre prop- erty at 2610 Southeast Frontage Road, near East Prospect Road and Inter- state 25. But buying or building a church or moving to a larger one in the Fort Collins area, where land and com- mercial real-estate prices are compar- atively higher than in some other parts of the country, can be a big challenge, local,pastors say. There are a number of stages at which congregations can stall, from finding temporary housing to raising money to locating affordable proper- ty to securing a loan for a mortgage to complying with city and county regulations. Small churches and those without much financial backing from a denomination find the process par - See CHURCH/Page C4