god invited us to do a new thing.

so we bought a building.

Over the course of 2021 we will be renovating and moving into our new facility at 5200 E. 31st Street South in Wichita. The space is fantastic, with plenty of parking and almost 18,000 functional square feet! When we come back together again in-person, we are so excited to see what new possibilities for the life of the congregation will arise!

remember that we are still online only

until further notice.

We will use this page to keep you informed of progress on the project. We will include pictures, video, and add new information as it becomes available. Check back often! Right now we are making arrangements to move furnishings and equipment into the new space so that the office is functional there. We are also interviewing architects.

tracking our progress

in this section we'll post updates as they happen.

  • These plans are complete except for a few incorporating some minor last-minute changes. The electrician has removed the unnecessary wiring in the sanctuary and hallway. They also wired up the furnaces in the sanctuary with the raised ceiling in mind. The HVAC contractor will be out to replace three of the AC units. We’re in the process of getting bids and lining up someone to remove the glue when we pull up the carpet.  Work is planned for outdoor maintenance.  The electrical contractor is also checking into the existing conduit that was put in place for a sign. The daycare never put a sign up, but had plans for one and ran a wiring conduit out for it. The problem is we don’t know exactly where they were planning to put the sign so we don’t know where the conduit goes. We’re hoping we don’t have to do much trenching to get power to where we’re putting our sign. 
  • A next step is to start getting bids from the contractors. This will include Structural Steel, Sprinkler System, Fire Alarm System, Framers, Electricians, Plumbers, Sheet Rockers, Wood Finishers, Painters, Floor and Carpet Layers, and Drop Ceiling Installers.
  • June 2021: Demo continues, with the removal of sheetrock, old plumbing, linoleum tile in the old fellowship hall, tile in the hall, and removing a dumpster full of debris.  The drop ceiling in the new sanctuary was torn out. Water fountains were removed and will be cleaned before they are reinstalled. City approvals are expected by the end of July, which is apparently a normal timeline for working with the city.
  • We asked if we could have the Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) engineer leave off the HVAC portion of his bid since we’re planning on leaving the HVAC units in place and we don’t believe the heating loads will be much higher than the day care was. We can always add another unit in the future if it becomes an issue. This dropped his expense from $12,650 to $8,250. 
  • The building and design teams worked hard to keep expenses down, as our rough draft budget was higher than our building sales proceeds. Some renovation may be delayed to a "Phase 2." We’ve had some members volunteer to pay for a new lectern, new chairs, and backlighting for the cross. Contributions toward the new building are always welcome! We do have some very specific needs besides walls, ceilings, and flooring.
  • The architect worked with the city and we agreed to limit the capacity to 285 with signage until we expand our parking lot which can be put off for a future phase. When we do expand the parking, the building capacity can be increased up to around 600 people. This provides a lot of potential in the facility.  
  • May 2021: We updated the architectural plan for the building as the architects and engineers work out the details. Demolition work continues every weekend as we prepare for the next steps in the project. The walls in the hall to the sanctuary were taken out and another load went to the dump.  Restroom layouts that include ADA complaint stalls were put together by the architect, and they met with the city to go over plans. Since we’re putting in a sprinkler system, our limiting factor for occupancy will be determined by parking spaces, currently at 298 people.  Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped with our Saturday work days!
  • April 2021 (updates pending)
  • March 2021: The facilities team met with two architectural firms. We requested proposals for the renovation project from each of them. A moving date was been scheduled for March. The facilities team has updated the proposed building layout.  All the large items were moved over from the former property to the new one. Thanks to Kim for making that happen so quickly and efficiently!  The design team met at the new building and selected a color scheme for the office area, as well as did some brainstorming on other ideas. The office space was prepared for painting.  The Board reviewed two sign proposals for the new property. The Board elected to contract with an architect to begin the renovation process. Updates were given by Facilities and Design teams. More details can be found in the Meeting Minutes.  We received a winning bid on the Harry Street property.  A closing was scheduled for April.