Ever since the Genesis Church formed 17 years ago, its congregation has gathered and worshipped at locations all around Eureka, most recently at Blevins Elementary School.
Soon, however, the church members will have a permanent home.
Kirk Mathews, an elder at Genesis Church for the past 10 years, said the congregation began searching for land so it could build a church and was blessed to buy one at 18343 Hwy. 66, adjacent to other property that recently was donated to the church.
“The land, both donated and purchased, combined constitutes six different parcels totaling slightly over 11 acres,” he said. “Our building site constitutes two of those parcels totaling 3.3 of those acres.”
One of the first steps of the planning process for the new facility, Mathews said, involved visiting other churches in the area to gather ideas and inspiration.
Then, the church collaborated with an architect to design a 16,000-square-foot building to meet the needs of the current congregation and seat 450 people, which will accommodate future growth.
Matthews said the congregation is excited about building a church.
“The COVID experience made meeting in various locations very challenging,” he said. “We are all looking forward to the time we will save to focus on ministry and community service rather than setting up and tearing down every Sunday”
Currently, Genesis Church has between 120 and 150 attendees every Sunday, with about 200 people attending on Easter and Christmas.
Up until now, Mathews said, rather than investing in a building for worship, the church has focused more of its efforts on investing in missions and serving the Eureka community, participating in events like the Eureka Days parade, organizing the Gift of Love Christmas Store and buying gas for those in need.
In 2016, that commitment to the community was honored by the city when the Eureka Days Committee selected Genesis Church as the recipient of its Citizen of the Year award.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the church to make a significant change – building a facility of its own.
The construction process has not been without its difficulties, Mathews said.
“It’s a challenging environment to build right now, with the cost of construction going up and workforce numbers going down,” he said. “It’s been challenging, but we think we’re in a good place.”
Despite these challenges, Mathews remains optimistic about the project’s progress.
“With the donated land, and finding the land that we purchased, we feel very blessed,” he said.
The estimated cost of the new building, excluding the land, is about $3 million, and Mathews said funds for the new facility were raised through a capital campaign, during which church members were asked to pray and consider if they could give anything above their normal donation. The remainder of the project will be financed through Sullivan Bank in Eureka.
The church is currently finalizing bids and awaiting bank financing from Sullivan Bank. Once those steps are completed, the church will apply for building permits from the city and county. The congregation hopes to break ground in June.
“This whole process has just been a real blessing to our church,” Mathews said. “And our intention is to have this blessing from God flow through to the entire community.”