East County churches prepare for growth

EAST COUNTY — The Rev. Dwain Kitchens walks along a sidewalk on the campus at The Tabernacle church, and points to a canopy of trees.

This week, many of those trees will come down to make room for something bigger: a 1,000-seat sanctuary and children’s center.

“Our vision is to impact our region,” Kitchens said, noting The Tabernacle’s location across from University Park on University Parkway makes it unique. “We just want to make a difference.”

The structure, composed of three buildings under one roof, will connect to the Tabernacle’s Family Life Center, a gym that now doubles as the sanctuary.

“The sanctuary we’re building will be very intimate; it’s fan shaped,” Kitchens said. “From the pulpit to the last seat is only 55 feet.”

Although the inside of the building will have a contemporary look and feel, with a cafe, large foyer and large screens for videos, the outside of the building will have a more traditional church appearance with red brick siding and a 65-foot steeple.

But as Kitchens and the Tabernacle team prepare for the Sept. 28 groundbreaking ceremony for the project, they aren’t the only ones bracing for expansion.

The Diocese of Venice purchased 63 acres of grazing land at the northeast corner of Lorraine Road and The Masters Avenue Aug. 27 for $3.5 million.

Ben Nguyen, director of communications for the Diocese of Venice, said the diocese made the purchase because of the continued growth in the greater Sarasota/Manatee area and the corresponding increase in the Catholic population.

“The acquisition of this property will greatly help to plan for the future pastoral needs of our growing Catholic community in the area of Lakewood Ranch,” he said. “The idea was just looking toward the future.”

Nguyen said the diocese has no timeline for constructing a new church.

“A lot of that would be dependent on how the community grows,” he said. “That’s hard for us to project. It’s a booming population there. We thought it would be good to acquire the land and evaluate.”

Announcements of the church expansions come on the heels of Harvest United Methodist Church’s announcement to expand its congregational reach. Co-pastors Steve Price and Catherine Fluck Price announced Harvest acquired the former Christ United Methodist Church building at 5512 St. W., Bradenton, Sept. 1, in an effort to reach people in the community.

The location will hold its first service fall 2015, after renovations are completed.

Work on the expanded Tabernacle campus, meanwhile, will occur as funds allow. The $1 million first-phase of the project only includes the infrastructure and base for the facility. Construction will take about four months. Phase 2, which will cost about $4 million, will add the walls and roof.

Kitchens said he hopes that once construction starts, funds to finish the project will come in as needed, so there is no delay.

“We feel like it’s a step of faith,” Kitchens said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].