Members of College Baptist’s building committee cut the ribbon for the 4:12 Center. Courtesy | Rachel Cuthbert
College Baptist Church dedicated its recently completed building addition, the 4:12 Center, in a ceremony Oct. 19.
The center, named after Ephesians 4:12, seats up to 200 people and is designed for teaching and fellowship. The project also updated the parking lot and made the church handicap accessible. College Baptist raised more than $2 million from members, family, and friends of the church to complete the project.
“There’s always been a need for this beautiful, historic structure to have additional space for ministry outside of gathered worship,” said College Baptist’s pastor, Rev. Ben Cuthbert. “And this project isn’t just the building, but it’s an improvement on the entire property.”
When the church was built in 1867, according to Cuthbert, it didn’t have fellowship or educational space. Plans, which he estimates were drawn up in the 1920s, show early ideas for expansion.
Under the church’s former pastor, Jason Mekelburg, a building committee was formed and chose the addition’s name.
“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:12, ESV, reads.
Cuthbert said the vision of the center has always been to equip the saints for ministry.
“Ephesians 4:12 is not about building buildings, so we’re always quick to say that this is not about a building, but it’s about creating a space where equipping the saints can take place,” Cuthbert said.
The church began the expansion project in 2021 with the re-formation of a building committee, which, Cuthbert said, had previously faced too many obstacles to commit to a design.
The church then began working with InForm Architecture in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and fundraising in 2023 after obtaining consent to move forward from the City of Hillsdale, he said.
“We designed a building, and we set a goal to raise $700,000. We raised more than a million,” Cuthbert said. “We were really aiming at a $2 million project. We walked down the road of that drawing and plan with a construction firm, and it was way over budget.”
After going back to InForm for a redesign and partnering with a different contractor, the College Baptist building committee — Ben Cuthbert, Ray Bentley, Megan Gray, Rod Stewart, and Don Westblade — broke ground for the 4:12 Center a year ago.
“It’s built with enduring and honest materials that complement the historic structure,” said Eric Hackman, an architect from InForm Architecture who designed the 4:12 Center. “The design is modern but measured, speaking the same architectural language as the church, yet is new and thoughtful in its dialect. The goal was to create something that feels both familiar and forward-looking, rooted in the past but open to the future.”
Cuthbert said he considers the existing church building a Michigan historic site, and College Baptist wanted to honor their neighbors and congregation by designing their addition in a similar style.
Don Westblade, assistant professor of theology and an elder at College Baptist, said the space will be used for various groups. He now teaches Sunday school in the 4:12 Center, instead of in a small upstairs space in the historic church. Westblade said attendance at Sunday school can vary. Some weeks, it’s just a few dozen, but more than 100 people came to the first week of Sunday school in the 4:12 Center.
The church has 150 year-round members, and twice as many during the school year, according to Westblade.
The addition also includes a new warming kitchen and bathrooms, which Westblade said will better serve the church and the community during events.
Bill Gray, vice president of advancement for Hillsdale College and elder at College Baptist, said he looks forward to the church using the space.
“I’m very thankful to be able to celebrate the dedication; it’s been a long time coming,” Gray said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it will bless our church and bless our community.”
