Redeemer Family,
I am writing to inform you that our church is officially under contract to purchase a property.
This is good news!
However, it’s not a done deal yet, and so I am adopting a posture of “cautious excitement and prayerful discernment” and I invite you to join me in this.
Now, there are a lot of nuanced details to communicate, so please read the following carefully!
THE PROPERTY
Address: 1801 Park Ave. Richmond, VA 23220
History: Originally built in 1910 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this building has been a house of worship and prayer for multiple congregations over the years, including Monument Methodist Church (which merged with Union Station Methodist in 1951 to become Reveille United Methodist) and Community Church of God in Christ (CCOGIC), which purchased the building in 1976. CCOGIC, a majority black congregation, has enjoyed a beautiful and fruitful ministry to the city, especially in planting many new congregations in the Metro-Richmond area.
Description: Located on the corner of Park Ave and N. Allen Ave in the Fan District, the 25,000 sq ft property sits on .35 acres, just one block off of Monument Ave. The sanctuary offers seating for 350 and there is ample room for children’s ministry classrooms, bathrooms, youth/college/adult fellowship gathering areas, and staff offices.
Current State: In recent years, the building has fallen into disrepair and is in need of significant renovation and refurbishing.
THE PROCESS
2024 Feasibility Study: As some of you might remember, Redeemer conducted a financial feasibility study back in August of 2024 to determine if our parish could afford to purchase a building. The results demonstrated that a purchase is possible, but that renovating an old building would likely be more within our financial range than a new build.
Vestry: Upon conclusion of the feasibility study, your Vestry voted to move forward with the search. As a reminder, here are your elected Vestry members.
New City Properties LLC: As a reminder, in 2020 the Vestry of Redeemer formed an LLC to purchase the Parish House - 3328 Hanover Ave. This LLC is the legal entity that owns the Parish House and is under contract with 1801 Park Ave.
Search Team: Your Vestry subsequently put together a search team comprised of members who possessed relevant experience and expertise:
Valerie Holland (Chair)
Jason Vickers-Smith
Alex Griffith
Kim Nix
Mark Kronenthal
Broker: The search team, with authorization from the Vestry, contracted with a local commercial real estate broker, Isaac DeRegibus, to do much of the leg work in the search process.
Waiting & Praying: September 2024 - June 2025, the search team met once a month to discuss potential properties to explore and to pray together. Every Sunday, in our worship services, we all prayed for the Lord’s guidance in our property search.
Touring: From time to time, our broker would bring the search team a property to tour. The team gained valuable experience as we spent many hours walking through a wide variety of building options.
Tuesday, June 24th: Our broker discovered that there were some new developments with 1801 Park Ave. that indicated it would move to sale and likely go quickly. The search team quickly communicated and arranged for a group tour on Monday, June 30th.
Wednesday, June 25th: The Vestry met at 7:00am and voted to give provisional authorization for the broker to make an offer (up to a certain dollar amount) on 1801 Park Ave. if the search team was able to tour the property and discerned that it would be a good fit for Redeemer.
Monday, June 30th: Our search team, along with our broker, toured 1801 Park Ave. and held a meeting afterwards to discuss the potential wisdom of making an offer on the property. After talking and praying together on the front steps of the building, the search team unanimously agreed that this property would not only provide the physical space for our parish to continue to practice Gospel Formation, but also a strategic location in the city for us to embody the Missional Presence of Jesus to our neighbors.
Wednesday, July 2nd: Our broker submitted an offer to the seller.
Thursday, July 3rd: The seller accepted the offer, signed the contract, and we countersigned, placing the property under contract.
90 Day Feasibility Period: We are now in a 90 day feasibility period, which expires on October 1st 2025 (with an option to extend an additional 30 days, for a cost, if necessary), during which we will conduct a number of studies, a thorough investigation on the building, and consult with architects and contractors.
Note: We believe that we will be able to move forward; however this period of time allows for the outside possibility of discovering unexpected negative issues and the subsequent right to terminate the agreement.
THE BIG QUESTION
The question we are seeking to answer during this period of time is simply, Can we afford to do what is necessary to bring this historic property fully back to life?
Note: There is no such thing as a property that is a 100% perfect fit. No matter where we end up, there will be trade-offs. For example: We are already considering ways to ensure handicap accessibility and parking is a priority. The feasibility study allows us time to confirm these issues.
If the answer is “No,” then we will terminate the agreement and continue the search. This is an unlikely and undesirable possibility, but it is possible; hence our posture of “cautious excitement and prayerful discernment.”
If the answer is “Yes,” then we will move to close and then put together plans for a capital campaign and a major renovation project that would likely take 2-3 years.
HOW WILL THE DECISION BE MADE?
A quick refresher on how Anglican church governance works:
In financial and property matters, the Finance Team and Search Team have authority to make recommendations and the Vestry has the authority to make decisions.
On Oct. 1st of this year, the elected Vestry of Redeemer will vote to either close on the property or walk away and continue the search.
WHAT TO DO RIGHT NOW?
Pray: Please join me, the Vestry, the Staff, and the Search Team in praying for God to lead and guide our church through this process. We don’t want to be overly-cautious or fearful, neither do we want to blunder forward in pride or over-confidence. We want to keep step with the Holy Spirit, trusting and waiting on God’s provision.
Think: Join our parish leadership in thinking carefully through all the questions we should be asking at this stage. Do we have a good team in place? Yes. Does that mean we have thought of everything? Of course not. So feel free to email me your thoughts, questions, and insights.
Offer: If you happen to possess a relevant skill set that may lend itself to this process, we would like to know; especially in the areas of: architecture, construction, and design. Again, feel free to email me and tell me about your area of expertise.
Note: With so many talented folks in a parish like ours, there is a chance I may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people’s offers and so please do not be offended if you offer to help and then our team declines. A kitchen needs cooks, but too many cooks… you know the saying!
Redeemer family, I could write a lot more about all the hopes and dreams that we have for what this property could mean for the ministry of our parish and the work of the Gospel in this part of the city. However, in an effort not to make this letter any longer (and to practice some self-restraint on my part!) I will refrain from doing that now.
Thank you Vestry for your wisdom and responsiveness.
Thank you Staff for continuing to lead the ministries of our parish.
Thank you Search Team for your diligence, skill, and perseverance.
Thank you Isaac for serving as our broker and representing us well.
Thank you to Community Church of God in Christ for your many decades of faithful and fruitful service to the Lord Jesus at 1801 Park Ave.
May the Spirit of the Living God lead us and guide us in wisdom.
In the Father’s love,
