Gateway Franklin Church held it’s first public service on April 1st, 2007 at Oakview Elementary School on Henpeck Lane. Two years later, the church purchased the property at 1288 Lewisburg Pike. And now, they will be expanding again thanks to the help of a team of Allard Ward -Architects, Bell and Associates -General Contractor, and Pinnacle Bank.
Their current facility was opened for services in September 2013. But as the community has grown so has the need for space.
“The current building is 8500 square feet divided into 3 main areas: kids worship and education, a gathering area we call the Great Hall and sanctuary. One year in we added a second worship service and a year or so later added a third. The growth of the area plus the effective mission of our church are to what we attribute the growth,” said Pastor Charlie Weir.
With the projected new footage, it will add an additional 13,500 square feet which will allow for a dedicated student space, increase the fellowship area, triple the size of the children’s area, allow for more room in the sanctuary.
In asking Pastor Weir how he sees this impacting the community, he shared.
“Buildings don’t serve the community as much as the people who make up the church serve the community. The building is a tool used to shape people and it becomes a hub for service and hope. I think we all need more shaping, serving and hope!”
Weir continued by saying, “The question I like to ask people is, ‘is your life what you dreamed it to be?’ Most people answer no. Life has a way of knocking the breath out of us. But God sent His Son to breathe new life into us. Our mission statement can be boiled down to six words: Fresh Starts, Great Friends, Real Purpose.”
Gateway Franklin Church plans to break ground on the expansion in November 2018 with a projected completion date of December 2019.
See renderings of the new project below. To learn more about Gateway Franklin Church, visit their website here.
