History of Creekside Church and the former Elkhart City COB

DECISION TO MOVE

At the May 1998 Council meeting, it was recommended by the Discernment Committee and accepted by the congregation that the church board should appoint five task groups:

• Prayer Task Group was to seek God's will as Elkhart City Church moved toward a decision of location and future ministry.
  
• Property Task Group was to review the physical facilities including the necessary renovation to resolve safety issues, to improve the building's potential for ministry as well as make needed repairs, and endeavor to obtain approximate costs involved from contractors stopping short of the expense of blueprints.
  
• Relocation Task Group was to identify one or two appropriate locations should there be a decision to build a new church and contact recently constructed churches to learn the cost of construction and the date completed, the average worship attendance of the church, and the square footage built.
  
• Neighborhood Telephone Canvass Task Group was to do a telephone canvassing of the neighborhood around the church to learn about the church involvement of households in the neighborhood, ages of children and youth in the household, the degree of openness to church involvement from those who are not active in the church, and the concerns residents had about the needs in the neighborhood.
  
• Neighborhood Outreach Task Group was to identify at least one specific outreach strategy for the neighborhood and involve others in carrying out that strategy.

At the November 1997 Council meeting the Discernment Committee reported setting up more cottage meetings beginning November 16.

On February 1, 1998, approximately 125 persons attended a specially called Congregational Business Meeting with Carol Waggy as Moderator. Nelda Risden, Executive Board Chair, read the following recommendation from the Church Board: "It is the recommendation of the church Board that the Elkhart City Church of the Brethren move to another location." After discussion ballots were passed out. The resultant vote was to move.

It was reported at the May 2 Council meeting that the New Location Task Force was looking at available real estate, planning fund-raising activities and accumulating ideas for design. Two appraisers were to review the building, but the church was not listed for sale. The church property was appraised at $72,000 for the parsonage; church and parking lot, $220,000 to $365,000; and the lot across the street from the church $17,000. It was also reported that a request had been made by the Immanuel Apostolic church, a group with about 25-30 members, to share the church building for worship and church school.