Goodrich- About six years ago, Pastor Karl Zeigler and the Goodrich United Methodist Church were faced with a challenge.
Both the church and the community at large were growing, and the activity at the church building, located at 8071 South State Road, was growing to the extent the church was running out of room to hold all those activities.
The solution to that problem will start to take shape in spring 2005, when the church’s Family Life Center is expected to break ground, Zeigler said.
On Nov. 1, the church’s building committee entered into a contract for a second capital campaign, expected to begin next May, to help pay for the project. The first such campaign raised more than $400,000.
Zeigler said the total cost of the project is about $2 million, adding he will have final numbers Dec. 1. He said the church will take out a mortgage to help pay for the center.
Zeigler said the center is expected to be about three times the size of the current church, and will have space for youth ministry and sports programs, additional Sunday School classes, a stage area for musical and theater productions, and a senior activity center for Orchard Grove of Goodrich. The center will also feature a full-sized gymnasium with a walking track, as well as locker rooms and restrooms.
When the church’s building committee first discussed the possibility in 1998, they determined three primary problems, according to Zeigler:
‘The church was ‘bursting at the seams,? Zeigler said, with the one worship service they had. He cited a study by Church Growth Consultants that said if a church’s seating capacity is full (which Zeigler said was the case for Goodrich UMC), then it will rarely be able to grow attendance beyond that.
‘There was no large room available for group activities. He said the church could not put together more than 60 people together for a gathering.
‘There were no spaces left for their Sunday School classes. Zeigler said the church was putting classes into its sanctuary and fellowship areas because of this problem.
‘On Wednesday evenings, we didn’t have any space,? Zeigler said. ‘We sponsor a Scout troop, we have two choirs rehearse at the same time, and we have childcare and youth classes. We looked very carefully at what our priorities would be, and we determined they’d be activity space and some additional classes.?
The church gave the go-ahead for the project in 2001, and began a fundraising campaign for a ‘down payment,? as Zeigler called it, on the center.
On Mother’s Day 2002, the church held its ‘Commitment Sunday,? with the turnout being so big the church held its worship service at Oaktree Elementary School, 7500 Gale Road, Goodrich, to accommodate a crowd of about 300 people.
Zeigler said the congregation’s response to the campaign was ‘remarkable,? with the community raising about $440,000, five times more than in any previous campaign.
He said the church is currently working with the FED Corporation, the company in charge of designing and building the center, on making some minor changes to the blueprints.
‘Some of the building codes have changed (since the first design),? he said. ‘We don’t expect any structural changes.?