Hey Family,
We have some fun changes coming down the pipe. Here’s some info about one of them.
We started our journey together, pursuing Christ, at Buchanan Elementary School. Filling and emptying and refilling the trailer every Sunday morning. Some of you remember setting up chairs in the gym and UKids in the hallway and UFIT in the front doorway early on Sunday mornings. It was fun, but A LOT of work.
Last year in September we made the move to The EDGE. We described it as us “crashing on our big sister’s couch”, The EDGE very generously opened their home to us and it has been a great run. We have grown in attendance, grown in giving, and grown in our structures and systems as a church during our time there. What a blessing. Well, the time has come for this baby church to get her own space.
The EDGE has been meeting on Saturday nights since they started 7 years ago. During that time they have worked hard to help folks become committed and dedicated to the ministry and community of The EDGE and have determined that a Saturday night gathering may be a contributing factor to the challenges they have faced in that goal. So with much prayer and many meetings they have decided to switch to a Sunday morning gathering. Of course, that means we too would need to make a switch. Pastor Troy Evans - lead pastor at The EDGE- has shared how tough this decision was for them knowing that we are currently using the space on Sunday mornings and I have assured him that there is no reason for a heavy heart. Our use of their space has been a tremendous blessing to us and this change provides the right push at the right time for us to move into the community and reach the people that God has called us to. It is an exciting change of season for Unison.
We have always felt uniquely called to reach the 49507 community and over the last year and we have sensed a great rapport with the Garfield Park Neighborhood. All of our community service has been there on purpose as we have intentionally sought to cultivate that relationship. That being said, it’s time to make it official and move into the neighborhood now.
Don’t worry, we are still pursuing the Unison Theater project but we have always known that it will be a longer process (likely another 18 months or so). In the meantime, we are processing a couple of great options to rent: one of which is most ideal - I’ll share that in a moment.
I talked a little about one space at 1537 Division Ave. on Sunday which we have found will not work. Sunday afternoon, though, another Division Ave. option rose to the surface: 2040 Division Ave. It is a little over 8,000 square feet with two floors and the ability to renovate and the owner may be open to working with us to make the prices affordable for us. He is a fellow believer, having done some missions work. He is also a neighbor and friend of a Unisonian.
While that is a great potential and certainly could be the way we go, the most ideal would be the option I mentioned earlier. It is the building at the address 1922 Division Ave. It is a little under 10,000 SF spread over three floors. The best part is, it shares the parking lot with the Theater! We have had our eye on this space for some time to potentially purchase and develop as we grow. The long term vision would be to see this building with a coffee shop or bakery in the front and the Unison Uth spot in the rear. Perhaps the Lord has a vision to see us work out of both these spaces sooner than we planned…
We are still waiting on the following details on this space.
Affordable Price
Rent
Utilities
Insurance
Ability to remodel
This is a strong possibility but nothing firm has been settled on this.
While the 1922 building is the most ideal, it will also come with the most work so. Either way, clear your schedules for Oct because we are doing the remodeling of whichever space ourselves. We are blessed to have licensed, skilled and generous builders, architects, plumbers and overall handy-folk in our Unison Family. And those of us who don’t possess these skills (like me)… we will follow directions and do what the skilled folks tell us. I look forward to us building community around making this space our very own. We get to laugh together, work together, sweat together and build into our future as a ministry at the same time! CAN’T WAIT!
Also please commit to praying for The EDGE and Unison during such big transitions.
We will continue to gather at The EDGE on Sundays through October with November 6 2016 being our first Gathered Worship in our new home!
Pray and get ready to work family! We are moving!