Pastor Ben Cuthbert (middle) and the building committee break ground. Courtesy | Rachel Cuthbert
College Baptist Church broke ground on its 3,000-square-foot addition Oct. 13.
The expansion, called the 4:12 Center after Ephesians 4:12, will include a large multi-purpose gathering space for education and fellowship.
“The church was built in 1867 as a preaching hall,” College Baptist Pastor Rev. Ben Cuthbert said. “It was not built for the Christian education, fellowship, and ministry needs of the 21st century.”
Currently, the church gathers in a sanctuary, but there is not much space for classrooms, bathrooms, or congregating after the service, according to Capital Campaign Director and elder Bill Gray.
“The idea for the 4:12 Center was started to equip the saints for the work of ministry, and for the building up of the body of Christ, from Ephesians 4:12,” Gray said in an email.
The church plans to use the extra space to better train its congregation in evangelism and provide more space for fellowship among church members, according to Cuthbert.
“We hope to use the building for Christian education and training events for future pastors,” Cuthbert said. “It’s not about us or a building. It’s about expanding a physical footing to better equip our congregation to share the Gospel.”
Students and members of College Baptist said they look forward to the new addition for the fellowship and ministry opportunities it will provide.
“The 4:12 Center will give us space to congregate after the service,” junior Jake Hamilton said. “It will help foster a multigenerational community between the college students and older members of the church.”
Currently, members congregate outside, in the lobby, or in the sanctuary after the service.
“The church was built for a smaller congregation,” sophomore Emelia Klaunduch said. “The building addition is a much needed answer to prayer as a way to invest in and continue ministry.”
According to Cuthbert, there were multiple designs for an expansion in the early 2000s and 2010s that were not pursued because the designs were not satisfactory and the funding was not yet in place. Beginning in 2021, the church began working with InForm Architecture and launched a successful capital campaign that continued the design development process.
In 2023, construction bids for a 5,000-square-foot addition came in significantly over budget. So, the congregation voted in early 2024 to work through a redesign process that resulted in the 3,000-square-foot addition that is now being built. Cuthbert said the project budget is approximately $2.1 million, but the church is facing a shortfall of just over $300,000 for the project as the building process begins and are praying that God will provide the funds.
Freshman Evie Gray said she has attended College Baptist since she was five years old.
“There have been plans for this building addition for decades,” she said. “Watching God open doors and bring the right people at the right time has been amazing. There’s a lot of excitement that it’s actually happening.”
The addition is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025.
“We are so thankful that this project is moving forward, and are especially grateful to all of the people from our congregation and connected to our congregation for their prayers and support,” Gray said.
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