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Religion

Church seeks rebirth

First Baptist Church of Dunedin is for sale. Its leaders hope to use the money to make a fresh start elsewhere in town.

By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published May 28, 2005

DUNEDIN - For 95 years, she has been the quiet, unassuming matron of Wood Street and Highland Avenue.

She has hosted hundreds of weddings and thousands of Sunday services.

But for more than a decade, she has been in a steady decline.

Now First Baptist Church of Dunedin is considered simply outdated.

And, as of this week, for sale.

The asking price? Three-million dollars - or best offer.

"Three-million is what we'd like to get," said the Rev. Greg Varndell. "But that remains to be seen."

The property is made up of just under 2 acres and is zoned for commercial use.

On Monday, when Varndell put the for sale signs up, he received at least half a dozen phone calls. But most weren't from interested buyers. They were from surprised Dunedin residents.

"They were asking, "Is it true?' " Varndell said.

Hoping for a fresh start, the Southern Baptist church has decided to sell the property and use the money to move elsewhere within the city limits and build another, more modern worship center.

Varndell said the city "is excited to help us find a buyer and help us find a new home in Dunedin."

Indeed, City Manager John Lawrence said he is "keeping a close eye on it."

"It's really centrally located," he said.

But he cautioned that it was premature to start talking about what kind of business would be a good fit for the property, which is just off Main Street.

Varndell, 43, came to the church two years ago from Sheffield Lake, Ohio - "snow country" - he said. He runs it with his newly installed ministry team of Brian Brown, 32, who grew up in Pinellas Park, and Kennon Wiley, 31, who is from Davenport, a one-stoplight town near Winter Haven.

The church is casual. Nobody really has a title.

"I took them from a buddy's church," said Varndell, laughing. "First Baptist of Davenport."

They knew immediately that to reach younger people, they would have to get on board with other churches and open themselves up to the community by offering sports, concerts and other activities, all of which would be nearly impossible at the downtown property.

A "10,000-square-foot sanctuary that gets used for two hours a week" isn't going to get the job done, Brown said.

"We're transitioning," said Varndell. "That's what it amounts to."

The church has lost members since 1991; First Baptist now has a congregation of about 250 active members.

Many are seniors. About 30 are youth. The rest are somewhere in between.

"One member said our church is like a tree, very top-heavy, but with a root system that's dying," Varndell said.

Wiley, whose father was a church deacon, said there is a critical, narrow window of opportunity for a church to inspire a young person and keep him or her attending for life. Many stop going to services at age 18.

"If you don't reach them by age 21, you lose them," Wiley said. "That's why we want to mobilize our efforts."

As it is now, young people don't like to come to First Baptist with its stuffy, dreary-looking rooms. With the original wood chapel long gone, the church is an uneven maze of block structures built in the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s, all melded together.

"If you walk around these buildings, it's not very user friendly," Varndell said.

Even some church members know it's time for a change.

"I think it's a good idea," said Linda Grover, who has been attending First Baptist for four years. "We do have to think of our future."

Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 28, 2005, 00:09:12]