“We had kicked around a few different ideas – by ‘we’ I mean the board – of how to enhance the property, how to make best use of the house. The house was old and there were numerous things in disrepair,” says Brent Powell, senior pastor at Victorious Living Church.
Rather than tearing down the property to start from scratch, the board decided to enhance the original framework. The parsonage renovations included all new floors, new drywall and a fresh coat of paint. And the exterior got a face-lift as well. The board fenced in the backyard to create a private space for worship and leisure, re-sided the house and installed a partial tin roof. Perhaps the most dramatic change, however, was the porch, which saw renovations to create a full wrap-around porch, completing the authentic farmhouse look.
“It’s such a large porch. It reminds me of those open-air porches where people can just sit out and enjoy company and enjoy the weather,” Powell says.
The renovations not only enlivened the building but also allowed for new growth in the church. The former senior executive pastor transitioned to a global pastor role, and Powell became senior pastor. By transforming the property into a livable parsonage, the renovations have also allowed for pastors and ministers to now live inside.
“Being able to build the farmhouse allowed us the flexibility to offer the house as a parsonage, or reutilize it as a parsonage, and allowed us to make some of those structural staff changes within the church,” Powell says.
The new building has created a buzz in the city, Powell says. Joe Keiffer, who originally grew up in the house, even paid the building a visit and shared old pictures and memories of the house.
Ed Akers, founder and Oversight Pastor at Victorious Living Church and Victorious International, says that he was grateful for the work that AIS was able to do on the property. He was also thankful for the efforts of Park Davis and R.A. Long & Associates.
"AIS was the only contractor out of four who were contacted that was willing to take the project on.," Akers says. "AIS was great to work with and made something special out of something others thought should be demolished."
“Everything that we’ve heard has been super positive. A lot of people love that instead of tearing it down, we took the opportunity to reinvest,” Powell says.
Victorious Living Church takes pride in being part of the Grove City community and hopes to continue giving back to the community for many years to come. In the future, the parsonage may even be used as a ministry house for people recovering from addiction or others in need, Powell says.
“The whole property including the house was a renaissance for our ministry and taking the next steps and getting back to doing more missions work and impacting our community at a greater level,” Powell says.
Claire McLean is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
