The Columbus Planning Commission Monday approved plans presented by First Baptist Church of Columbus to continue construction of a new church on Bluecutt Road.
The church intends to build a 65,000-square-foot facility on about 80 acres of land purchased from the Cox family, according to First Baptist Business Administrator Thomas Southerland.
The church bought the land for $1.4 million, and the cost of the first phase of the project will be in the $10 million-$12 million range.
“We”re doing the site work right now and should be finished with that by September,” said Southerland. “Fundraising is going very well.”
Construction of the church — to be located just east of First Presbyterian Church at 3200 Bluecutt Road — will be completed through a series of phases over several years.
SEK Co. of Aberdeen is heading up construction, which is being funded entirely by donations.
The first phase will include a sanctuary, a Sunday school facility, a choir suite, a fellowship hall and church administrative offices.
The new sanctuary eventually will become a family life center, as more phases of construction are completed.
Plans for a new church have been in the works for more than three years. Southerland said the parking situation near the church is the biggest reason for the transition.
“We have about 750 people coming to church every Sunday,” he said. “We use the parking lot across the street and it”s city property. That”s not ours to count on in the future should the city decide to do anything with that lot.”
Southerland isn”t certain what will become of the historic downtown church, but the building currently is for sale.
“There”s certainly a feeling about the history and condition of the church and that certainly is a strong consideration of several people,” said Southerland. “Columbus is a pilgrimage town, after all. I would like to see it continue as a church building for another congregation.”
First Baptist Church has been a major part of downtown Columbus since the first brick was laid in 1838. The move to Bluecutt comes from a need for expansion, which church leaders say isn”t possible at the Seventh Street North location.
The church”s congregation was first organized in 1832, only 11 years after Columbus itself was organized in 1821. During the Civil War, the building was used as a hospital after the Battle of Shiloh. The original building was demolished in 1907 to make room for the present building.
The church has an active membership of 1,200 members, said Southerland.
Planning Commission member Wythe Rhett is a member of the First Baptist congregation.
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