Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think… (Ephesians 3:20)
Northway Church traces her roots to a vision the Lord gave to Ben Haygood, the pastor of Vineville Baptist Church from 1990-2002. In the late 1990’s, Ben led that church to plant a satellite location at our location on Zebulon Road. Ben envisioned purchasing 3-4 acres for a small campus of a couple hundred gathered worshippers.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
The first worship service in the building was held on July 5, 1998. The location was known as “Vineville North Baptist Church”; however, there were no members of that church. This 28-acre campus was the second location of a very innovative, “One Church, Two Locations” model. The original building consisted of a worship center, commercial kitchen, and a few classrooms for preschoolers, children, and students. The hope was for a few members of Vineville to worship and do ministry at this location, reach young families with children, and then utilize the space at the main campus for other ministry activities.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
In July of 2002, there was a separation within the membership of Vineville Baptist. A portion of the church stayed at the main campus, and another portion joined the newly incorporated, “Vineville North Baptist Church.” There were 227 charter members who joined the church on Sunday, July 7, 2002. These new members represented a sizable congregation for our area.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
This brand-new church secured a loan for $2 million. $1.8 million of this loan went toward the note secured by Vineville Baptist for the purchase of land and the campus construction. $200,000 was required for operating capital. For a season, this debt seemed to be an overwhelming financial weight on the church. The hope was that the church would have the funds to simply make the required monthly payment.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
On Easter of 2009, the congregation voted to change the name of the church to “Northway Church.” That same year, during the depths of the Great Recession, the church faced a seemingly insurmountable problem. For years, our KIDS ministry gathered in a trailer located behind our main building. Our local P&Z had offered a variance for this trailer, but the church was told this would soon end. Our children’s ministry would lose their large group meeting space. On faith, the church rallied together and pledged funds toward the construction of additional preschool classrooms, children’s classrooms, and a large KIDS worship space. This space opened in January of 2011 and added 11,000 square feet to our existing 39,000 square foot campus. The church secured a loan in the amount of $1.75 million for this project. The goal was to eliminate this debt within six or seven years.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
From 2002-2018, our current Overflow Room served as our student ministry space. As our student ministry grew, this room became inadequate for the ministry. Moreover, it was a shared space, with numerous other activities and events happening in this room. In May of 2017, the church began construction on a new student center, expanded foyer, and what would become Cathedral Coffee. The total cost of this project was $7.3 million. This project was completed in May of 2018 and added an additional 17,000 square feet to our campus. The loan for this expansion was $4.95 million. These new spaces, it was believed, would allow us to reach more students and more people in our community.
But the Lord would do abundantly more.
We are so thankful and humbled by the Lord’s faithfulness over all of these years. Every time, in every season, the Lord has done abundantly more than we dreamed or imagined.
This Sunday at Northway will be a special time of worship as we observe our third note-burning in the 21-year history of Northway Church! The first note-burning, on January 26, 2014, marked the elimination of the $1.75 million debt on the preschool and children’s additions. The second note-burning ceremony, on January 10, 2016, celebrated the pay-off of the original $2 million loan secured in 2002.
For the last several months, we have encouraged our congregation to give generously to our Faith for the Future Fund so that we could become debt free by the end of 2023. You faithfully responded to this call! This Sunday we will celebrate the Lord’s provision that has allowed us to retire the $4.95 million note. In just five and a half years, our church has eliminated this debt!
Please join us at either 9:00 or 10:30 AM as we look back on what the Lord has done, celebrate His faithfulness to us, and look forward to an incredibly bright future!
I can’t wait to see you this Sunday!
Your Pastor,
Kevin