Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater is on the market, but pastors are keeping mum about potential developers.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published May 31, 2003
CLEARWATER - What will become of this church that started out as a simple log cabin with a good view 136 years ago?
When church members move out of Calvary Baptist Church in 15 months, somebody else will move in.
Who that somebody is, no one knows - or no one is telling.
Developers have been looking around the 4-acre property on Cleveland Street as a place for condos or retail stores.
One unnamed major company wanted to build a hotel on the property, but the deal fell through, said Skip Dvornik, an assistant pastor.
One thing is for sure: Senior pastor Jerry Tidwell and Dvornik are tight-lipped about the subject when asked for an update.
Tidwell said only, "We're talking with different people who have approached us. We want to do something that people are very pleased about.
"We have not rushed to sell the property," he said. "We want to give the city time. We want the members of Calvary Baptist and the city (residents) to be pleased in the future with what we have done."
The church is next door to City Hall, which Clearwater commissioners agreed to sell if a developer comes up with a good plan for its use.
The combined properties, which both overlook Clearwater Harbor, could be developed into a property that would draw visitors downtown.
How much does the church want for the property? "We have not published a price," Tidwell said. "We are in the process of getting appraisals."
As of last year, the property was on the market for $20-million.
The church is in the process of raising the estimated $24-million it needs to move into its new home, being built on nearly 28 acres of land at McMullen-Booth Road and Drew Street in Clearwater.
It will be huge, a self-contained Christian village.
The campus will be 200,000 square feet with a worship center that seats 3,000 people.
It will have high school classrooms, a preschool, a gym, fellowship hall, a multipurpose space, kitchen and a parking garage and surrounding lots with 1,570 spaces.
"Everything is going very well," Tidwell said. "The church is in the process of finalizing construction plans with the contractor."
A groundbreaking ceremony was held last month. Construction is set to begin in July. "We hope," Tidwell said.
Fourteen months after the first batch of concrete is poured, the facility is expected to be ready for Sunday services.
By having a larger, more centrally located facility, the church hopes to reach more people.
The greatest challenge, Tidwell said, was to stay within the $24-million budget.
Money is being raised through a capital funds campaign called "Upon This Rock - Building by Faith."
Every congregant is asked to make a financial commitment to the project, to sign a card pledging to give much more than their regular tithes and offerings.
They should ask God for guidance, a brochure says.
Before deciding how much to give, members should pray about it and trust God to enable them to give above and beyond their present level of giving to the church budget. He will reward their obedience, it says.
They can even give stocks, bonds, antiques, real estate and the cash value of life insurance policies.
Dvornik declined to say how much has been raised so far.
