First pictures of new church facility project

As stated in the last post, the corner lot has now been cleared as you can see from the pictures above. For those of you that do not know, our property is on the corner of O'Neal Rd. and the new State Highway 605 (Cowan Rd.). This property is north of I-10 and is the projected area of much future growth in the next 10+ years. So, as you look at these pictures, you may wonder why FPC Gulfport is building in an undeveloped area...this area will not look the same in 10 years.

Some of the pictures may be boring to some, but it is a very exciting first step for our members, but especially to the Session, Deacons, staff, and building committee members.

There is a corner lot that is an acre that the church owns. This lot will serve as a buffer between the busy highway and the tract of land (10 acres to the east of this lot) that the actual building will be located. Their will be a monument sign on this corner. There is the possibility of using the old steeple in this signage. The main thing that would hinder this is the regulations placed on this highway may limit the height of our signage and anything else we may put out there. But as you will see, the lot will be the perfect size and location for an area of green space, flower beds, etc. This lot is not being clear cut or bulldozed due to several reasons. First, nothing will be built on this lot, so there is no reason to bring in new dirt. Also, some of these trees may remain on this lot, so mulching is the most sensible thing to do at this time.

The next pictures you will see will be of the "Future Home of" sign that will be installed sometime toward the end of the week. Once the city has issued our permit, clearing of the 10 acres will begin. This process will look much different than what you see here as it is going to be cleared out completely with old dirt being excavated and new dirt being brought in where the actual buildings and parking lots will be located. Once the permitting is in place, more details will be coming out as to the date of official groundbreaking.

Pray that the permit process with the city will go smoothly and quickly. Stay tuned for more to come.

New church facility

Here is my maiden voyage at blogging. But hopefully I won't cause too much of a stir as I will be posting ongoing factual information concerning the construction of our new church facility. So, don't expect any intellectual posts as those provided by the Rev. Dr. Richard! I wound not be able to measure up anyway!

As the construction begins, plan to visit this blog to see photos and explanations of what is happening at the construction site. Starting in the next few days will be the initial clearing of a corner lot that the church owns where the future sign will be located.

To update you on where we are to date. The architectural renderings have been submitted to the city for permitting. This is expected to take a few weeks. During this time, we also expect to have the final wetlands mitigation completed so that clearing of the rest of the property can begin and the beginning of construction.

Please pray that the permitting and wetlands mitigation will go smoothly and timely.

Updates on Church Facility

In order to keep as many people as we can informed of our progress in building a new church facility, especially our out-of-town friends, we will be posting periodic updates on the status of our construction. Stephen O'Mara, one of our elders in the church, will be taking on this responsibility. Please look for construction updates from him over the next year, from ground breaking (which hasn't yet occurred) to move-in and building dedication.