This is an email I sent out to our church this evening. I'm posting it here because I know some of you on the outside might be interested as well. We'll appreciate any of the additional prayers you'd like to contribute. Dear Church,
For those of you who were unable to attend our gathering this evening, I wanted to share with you some news. Today Echo Church put in an offer for purchasing the Walnut Hills Christian Church building at 1438 East McMillan (the facility in which we've been meeting since our beginning in 2005).
A few weeks ago, we were notified that WHCC would be closing their doors at the end of September and are actively looking to dispense of their property. There is another congregation with whom they're negotiating and our offer is much less than theirs; this is purposeful, as we intend to purchase it without outside financing. We believe ours is a fair offer as there is quite a bit of repair and upkeep necessary to get the facility up-to-date. Our leadership will engage with WHCC leaders in the next week or two to discuss our proposal further.
As of now, everything is up in the air. But I'm asking you to pray. And, if possible, I'd like for you to head over the building this week to pray. Go with others if you like or go alone. Take a lap around the premises (or just sit on the front steps) and pray over this property.
I firmly believe that God led us to this location for a purpose. If we were to obtain this building, our presence in Walnut Hills would be cemented for decades to come. Real estate in the city is difficult to come by, especially for congregations like ours. So let's bathe this opportunity in prayer and see what happens.
Finally, understand this: as much as we love this building, it's only brick and mortar; our church will continue regardless of where we meet. We eagerly anticipate what God holds in store for us. So let's entrust him with it and see what happens.
Blessings, friends. I love serving with you in our ministry to the city, steve