Why We're Building
We are proposing this Strategic Growth Plan because Southbridge has grown tremendously since merging with Gracewood Baptist in 2019. In the last six years, we have seen:
- 64 baptisms
- 100+ new covenant members
- A 45% increase in worship attendance
- A 150% increase in discipleship through Bridge Groups
The Gracewood Chapel and Office space has become the home for our Bridge Kids ministry on Sunday mornings. Over the last six years it has served us well, but we are in need of more space and tools in order to equip generations to come. We now have 100+ Bridge Kids in our church, and there are several families who are expecting babies before the end of the year. Because of the high volume of children within our church and the small quantity of space remaining, there are often 12-20 individuals per classroom. On a typical Sunday morning, there are 40 adults who serve our children during Community Hour and over 120 individuals who serve on rotation for Worship Care. Additionally, because the space was not designed for this quantity of people, it is not uncommon to see lines around our restrooms.
We need a new facility that will provide space for Bridge Kids and serve our church as we continue to grow, so phase one will primarily accommodate our Bridge Kids needs. As Bridge Kids grows, we expect our Student ministry to expand as well, so the project is split into three phases. The second phase will add a multipurpose space to the second floor for Students, College, and Adults alike. The third phase will include renovations to our current Worship Center. We will pursue each phase contingent upon elder approval and Capital Campaign contributions. Our prayer is that this will be a footprint for our church to grow and equip generations to come.
Our goal is not to be a mega church, but rather a church that equips disciples to go and spread the gospel to every corner of the world.
The Equipping Center
Phase 1
Phase 1 of the Growth Plan will include a single floor addition to our current Worship Building known as the Equipping Center. The goal of this building is for us to have a safe place to facilitate Bridge Kids and equip future generations to hear the gospel. The Equipping Center will add 18,000 square feet of space to the northeast side of our Worship Building and include the construction of a front foyer in what is currently the breezeway.
The Equipping Center will allow us to resolve some of our biggest hurdles with our current buildings. It will include additional space, more restrooms, storage, and hand washing stations for all of our children and volunteers in Bridge Kids.
The current estimated cost for phase 1 is between $4.5 Million and $5.4 Million.
The Equipping Center will allow us to resolve some of our biggest hurdles with our current buildings. It will include additional space, more restrooms, storage, and hand washing stations for all of our children and volunteers in Bridge Kids.
The current estimated cost for phase 1 is between $4.5 Million and $5.4 Million.
Phase 2
The second phase of the Growth Plan will facilitate the construction of a second story for the Equipping Center, adding an additional 6,000 square feet of space. This floor will be designed to include cross-functional study rooms for Students, College, and other members of our church as needed. Current construction costs are estimated $1.5 million and $1.8 million for the completion of phase 2.
Phase 3
The last phase of the Growth Plan will include a complete remodel of our Worship Center and a partial remodel of the classrooms in the building. Once completed, this will expand our current capacity by an additional 200 seats. The current estimated construction costs are between $1.75 million and $2.7 million.
Parking
Sometime between phase 2 and 3 or shortly after, the current Chapel and Bridge Kids building will be demolished to make room for a paved parking lot. This parking lot is expected to provide 175 paved parking spaces for our church and is estimated to cost $1 million to $2 million to complete.
The Numbers
Once construction is complete and the Bridge Kids building is demolished, we are expected to gain 16,000 square feet of space and be able to serve up to 550 members in the Worship Center.
The rough estimate of total construction cost is between $8.75 million and $11.9 million. However, this proposal is split into phases intentionally. Construction of each phase will be contingent upon church approval and Capital Campaign.
The rough estimate of total construction cost is between $8.75 million and $11.9 million. However, this proposal is split into phases intentionally. Construction of each phase will be contingent upon church approval and Capital Campaign.
