This is an exciting time for Trinity! We are in the process of developing plans to expand the Shawnee Campus to better support the ministry needs of people in our congregation and in the surrounding community. What a wonderful opportunity to be a part of a ministry that is seeking to bring God’s love to those in need! So where are we in the process? Some months back, after developing a vision for the Shawnee campus, we selected an architect to help determine the kinds and amounts of facilities we would need to support that vision.
After that programming phase, we began to examine multiple pathways to accomplish those needs. The most obvious option is expanding at our current location on Midland Drive. However, we also considered other options: trading locations with a church that had a larger facility but was looking to right-size, buying undeveloped land and building new, and buying and renovating an existing facility. The church-swap option and build new options have come to an end and turned out to not be feasible for us at this time. That leaves us with two options: expanding on site and buying and renovating an existing facility (a former “big box” retail space). Both options have considerable benefits and drawbacks. Over the past few months, we have been working to develop site plans and reasonable cost estimates for both pathways.
About the time you read this, our vision and development team will be meeting to compare the plans and costs for both facilities. We will then seek to evaluate which option provides us with the best, most effective option to accomplish our vision for the future. Once our team has decided on which option provides us the best ministry path forward, we will be sharing with the congregation the plan and drawings and what it will take to get us there.
Please keep this team and this process in your prayers over the next few weeks. The benefits and drawbacks of both sites are different, and the comparison is not easy. Our fervent desire is that this expansion process would be about God’s plan and desire for us, and not about our own desires apart from his. We need his guidance and wisdom. Thanks for your prayers and stay tuned for future updates!
