The Rock Community Fire Protection District has purchased property it needs for a training and community center in Arnold, and the Baptist church that sold the property to the fire district used most of that money to buy a Catholic parish’s land to remain in the city.
Representatives from Rock Fire, Rockport Baptist Church and Holy Family Catholic Parish said contracts were finalized Feb. 17 for the fire district to buy the Rockport property, 3761 Telegraph Road, and for Rockport to purchase Holy Family’s Tenbrook Road campus at 2334 Tenbrook Road, which was home to the old St. David Catholic Church in Arnold.
Rock Fire Chief Kevin Wingbermuehle said the district paid $2 million for the Rockport property, which is 4.18 acres and has a two-level church building that totals about 10,000 square feet. Rock Fire bought the property with money from a $20 million bond issue voters approved in April.
“This is a tremendous win for the community, and we are deeply grateful for the support and trust that made it possible,” Wingbermuehle said. “This project will strengthen emergency services and enhance preparedness and safety throughout the region. We are excited and proud to be moving forward with what we have been entrusted to accomplish.”
Rockport Pastor Scott Lee said his church paid $1.75 million for the Holy Family property, which is about 7 acres and has a building that was home to the St. David Church, school and gym and is about 23,960 square feet.
“This was a real answer to specific prayers,” Lee said. “Early in our process, my wife told me she was praying we would get $2 million. My first response was, ‘That probably won’t happen.’ But I agreed to pray with her. When it actually came through and I told her, her response was, ‘Of course.’ Unlike me, she never doubted.
“The difference in price is a blessing that will enable us to take care of many of the necessary improvements needed to gain occupancy at the new location.”
The Rev. Gerald Blessing, Holy Family’s pastor, said the parish will use the money to help pay for a new church to be built at the Church Road campus, 2300 Church Road, which was home to the old Immaculate Conception Church, which was demolished in October. It’s also home to Holy Family’s cemetery, Parish Center and school.
Holy Family was formed when the Immaculate Conception and St. David parishes merged in August 2023 as part of the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ “All Things New” initiative.
“This was a necessary step in the process,” Blessing said. “We had to make decisions, and although, not always easy, we feel the decision needed to be made to alleviate our commitment to try to manage two properties. We didn’t think we could do that financially.”
Rock Fire
Wingbermuehle said Rock Fire will start using the Rockport property, which is next to the district’s House 5, 3749 Telegraph Road, after the church moves to the Tenbrook Road campus.
He said the agreement gives Rockport up to three months to move to its new location.
“We are coordinating with their leadership to stay informed on their timeline and will schedule building-based training once the facility is formally vacated and available,” he said.
Wingbermuehle said firefighters will initially use the Rockport property for non-destructive activities focused on improving firefighter safety and skills, such as search and rescue practice, building construction familiarization, firefighter survival and escape drills, ladder work, and certain technical rescue scenarios that do not involve altering or damaging the structure.
“We understand the history of this property and the strong connection the congregation has to it,” he said. “Our intent is to use the space responsibly and professionally, with respect for both the facility and its past.”
Wingbermuehle also said the district will hold community classes for CPR and automated external defibrillator certification, first aid, disaster preparedness and other public safety education programs.
He said Rock Fire plans to make the center available, when scheduling allows, for meetings or educational events held by local organizations that align with public safety or community goals. He said the center may also be available to organizations such as the Scouts to hold meetings, if scheduling allows, but plans have not been finalized.
Wingbermuehle did say that Rock Fire does not plan to charge community organizations to use the center, but he said the district may consider a fee structure for non-resident use that the Board of Directors would need to approve.
“Our goal is for the property to serve the community that made this project possible through its support and funding,” he said. “It is a community-owned resource, and we are committed to ensuring it remains an asset not only for emergency services but also for those who help support and advance our overall risk-reduction mission.
“As a community-owned asset, residents should be able to benefit from it without being charged again for basic access.”
Rockport
Lee said the church hopes to move to its new location by the end of April or early May. He said the move will be dictated by how quickly some renovation work can be completed and the church receiving an occupancy permit for the building.
Lee said the building will need to be cleaned, classrooms will be repainted and some light remodeling work will be done in the sanctuary, including installing an upgraded sound system.
He also said the church wants to refresh the building’s exterior walls and landscaping before moving in.
“Long term, once we are ‘living’ in that building, we will plan on additional changes to make the space more usable for our needs,” he said. “We aren’t quite sure what that will mean yet. We are looking at the possibility of expanding the foyer in the sanctuary and rearranging the platform area.
“We are Baptist, so of course we will need to add a baptistery. We also plan on updating the rectory for our offices, conferences rooms and meeting space.”
Lee, who has been Rockport’s pastor since 1991, said the church will announce when its final service of worship will be held at its current location through its social media sites.
The Rockport Baptist Church started in 1967 in a rented building on Miller Road, and at the time was more of a preaching point called “Miller Road Mission,” and it was renamed Rockport Baptist Church later that year when it moved to Telegraph Road, according to information Lee provided.
He said there will be mixed emotions when it is time to leave the current location.
“We have lots of young adults who are now married with children of their own who were raised as children here, many of them for their whole lives,” he said. “They’ve never known another church building. That’s why we want to take the time to celebrate what God has done here as we anticipate what he will continue to do in the new location.
“I have also been contacted by several individuals who have been part of our church over the years and yet have now moved on. There are many of them who would like to come visit us at this location one last time before we close this chapter of our church’s life.”
Holy Family
Holy Family launched its capital campaign to raise $5 million to build the new church on Feb. 1.
The parish reported on Feb. 17 that $2,868,947 had been pledged to the campaign. The money collected through the campaign combined with $2.5 million, which includes proceeds from the sale of the Tenbrook Road campus and Holy Family’s savings, totals $5,368,941.
Blessing has said the parish anticipates needing about $7.5 million to build the new church, which will be constructed where the Immaculate Conception Church was located near Church Road.
“It has been optimistic,” Blessing said of the initial response to the capital campaign. “It looks like we are on target. We want to make sure we hit that ($5 million) goal. We are getting good response. We still need everyone to participate. The numbers seem like we are in a good space to hit that number.”
Blessing also said the final cost to build a new church will not be known until the parish starts receiving bids for the work. He said one of his main concerns is that Holy Family only builds what it can afford.
“I don’t want to leave the parish in debt,” he said. “My intention is to not have debt when the campaign is over. I don’t want us to be in that situation.
“We are on pace, and the goal is to break ground by late summer. Completion by end of 2027. I see no reason to believe that we can’t do that.”
Holy Family has been holding Masses in the Parish Center since April after the Immaculate Conception Church was damaged in March when a tornado ripped through Arnold. The church was demolished in October.
Holy Family stopped using the St. David Church in 2024 after its HVAC stopped working.
Blessing said he understands there are mixed emotions about selling the Tenbrook Road campus.
“There is a certain level of sadness by the community,” he said. “There is some excitement that this helps us in our mission moving forward. In that regard, that is fair. That is balanced with the sadness.”
Blessing said it is good that a Baptist Church is moving into the Tenbrook Road campus.
“It will still operate as a place of worship for Jesus Christ,” he said. “That was our mission from the beginning. The mission does not change with the property. Even though it is not a Catholic mission, it is still a mission of worship of Jesus. We are happy that the mission in some ways continues, and that its use is similar to what our founders and those who dedicated time and energy to that space is consistent with what the church was built for.”