The former Par for the Course driving range will be transformed into a church, if the city’s planning and zoning commission agrees to a change at its Aug. 18 meeting.
Buyers have agreed on a price with the sellers, Kyle and Penny Hickman, and a contract has been drawn up pending the zoning commission’s decision.
“If they give us the variance we asked for, we’ll sign it and go,” said the Rev. Roy Ferguson, pastor of the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Emporia.
The church needs permission not to install pavement, and Ferguson is optimistic the request will be approved. The property is across the road from the TRYSA soccer complex, which also does not have blacktop.
The city’s involvement in the property came after the city commission annexed an island of property in the county, at 4602 W. 18th, so the driving range could be built and serviced with city water.
“All the land around it is in the county,” Ferguson said.
He believes one day all of that property on 18th west of the city limits will become part of the city of Emporia, but for now, he and members of the church will be content with a variance that will allow them to open on Sept. 1.
It’s a date that is significant for Ferguson’s ministerial career.
“It will be the start of my 40th year,” he said.
Ferguson graduated in 1969 with a degree in theology from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., and spent most of his career in the ministry as a pastor in Illinois.
He came to Emporia about 10 years ago and started the Lighthouse church about 2 years later.
The congregation met for 3 weeks in the club house at the Holiday Resort Care Center, then moved to the Emporia Senior Center, where it rents the building on Sundays for services, Sunday school and fellowship activities.
Ferguson said he has watched the Senior Center improve and grow under the leadership of director Susan Riley.
“It’s been a great working relationship,” he said.
But the church needs a place of its own, where members and friends can use the building every day, without conflicting with other groups’ activities.
The Par for the Course building fits Lighthouse needs, with about 1,200 square feet of space, an office, a kitchen and an eating area. The building sits on 4 acres of land that will provide ample space for parking and outdoor activities.
“So we’ve got room for fellowship, activities, and meeting area,” he said. “As soon as we grow, we’ll add on. ... You just don’t really grow in a rented facility.”
A dedicated building also provides visibility and credibility to the church, and gives flexibility to its scheduling.
The brick and steel building will need minimal maintenance, and the property already is well-landscaped, Ferguson added.
Maurice Schmidt of Ek Real Estate was listing agent for the property; Lee Garriott of ReMax Realtors was the selling agent.