ELYRIA, OHIO—Approximately 130 people gathered on August 9, 2007, for the Dedication Service of the new facilities of Baptist Church Planters (BCP) in Elyria, Ohio. Dr. Kevin Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, Minnesota, was the keynote speaker for the all-day event. Throughout the day, BCP missionaries gave reports and testimonies. BCP retired missionaries also gave stirring testimonies of their church-planting experience and God’s provision. Former BCP President Frank Hartwig reflected on the beginning days of BCP. In the evening the final service in was a time of thanking the volunteers who worked for more than a year to build the facility and a time of dedicating themselves and the facilities for the advancement of church planting in the United States.
“Moving Forward” became Baptist Church Planters’ theme when the Council and Administration first voted to proceed with the needed addition to the facilities. This major step has now been completed. Praise the Lord! Some statistics of the new addition are as follows: total square footage is 6,500; total finished square footage of complete building is 13,500; total cost of the new addition is $400,000 or $61.50 per sq. ft, totally debt free; The project provides a new council/conference room, new restrooms, lobby, designated dining room, executive wing, elevator, four trailer sites with full hookups, and additional parking.
