First Assembly Plans Community Center

Robby BradfordChurch life, community development, First Assembly Community Ministries, outreach, redeeming the community, vision, vision statementLeave a Comment

The inside of the former Payless will receive significant renovation.
First Assembly Community Ministries has recently secured a strip mall on Old 231 in Lafayette, Indiana for developing a self-sustaining community center that will serve the surrounding areas.


The vision for the new property, with its seven acres and 68,000 square feet will involve keeping commercial uses of the strip mall so that the property can sustain the non-profit community center.


The plans, as they are now laid out, involve meeting soon with different groups from Greater Lafayette to come up with a clearer idea of what is desired by the community’s residents and leaders from the church, education, business and government sectors.  The property seems like a great asset for meeting the needs of children, youth and families, as well as reaching out to the underserved of the surrounding neighborhood.

Clean up begins tomorrow from the church side, as dozens of volunteers from the church will convene on the property for work from 8AM to 12 noon.  This property has for years been an eye sore, but we believe it can become a beacon of countless good things in our community.  We’re moving it from blight to light!
Empty for 11 years, the space is fit for many purposes!
The exterior of the former grocery store.
Beyond the significant renovation plans for the interior, the property needs a facelift on the outside, as well as a new roof, parking lot paving, etc.  The end result will be a big improvement for the look of this busy part of Lafayette’s south side.


In the first part of 2015, a funding initiative is planned that will cover the cost of the property, the renovations and a number of significant project on First Assembly’s property at 108 Beck Lane in Lafayette.

Our mission as a church is expressed in this way, “To create a community where waves of people are transformed by the love of God.” I believe God has opened this door to enable us to fulfill that mission with greater effectiveness and clarity. We are on the verge of entering a season of expressing God’s love for our community in to heights we never have reached as a church!

If you are interested in being a part of this project, contributing to it some way through work, finances or in some other tangible way, please feel free to reach out by email by clicking here or calling us at (765) 474-1432 and asking for First Assembly’s executive pastor, Tim Parsons. Those interested in leasing space in some of the empty places can inquire at Consolidated Property Management Lafayette at (765) 412-9628.

Commercial leases will be kept, providing a revenue stream to sustain the property.

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