By Mark Ambrogi
Traders Point Christian Church keeps expanding its reach.
Thanks to a generous gift by one family from the congregation, who doesn’t want to be identified publicly, TPCC was able to purchase the 104-year-old historic former Jehovah’s Witness assembly hall, 1201 N. Delaware St., for $2.7 million in June and will now add a downtown Indianapolis campus, its third campus. TPCC added services at Creekside Middle School in Carmel early this year.
The downtown services are set to begin in early 2017. The auditorium has a capacity of 1,200. The building is more than 35,000 square feet.
“We really have a heart for the city,” said Pastor Petie Kinder, who serves as the downtown campus pastor. “We love Indy. Indianapolis is an incredible place and we are excited to serve those living and working in downtown.”
TPCC holds worship services at the northwest campus in Whitestown and at the north campus at Creekside Middle School in Carmel. TPCC North will move from Creekside to a permanent location (1242 W. 136th St.) in Carmel in early 2017.
Kinder said the decision to add multiple locations is because people are driving to the Whitestown or Carmel services from all over Indianapolis.
“There are a few hundred people downtown that are currently driving out of downtown neighborhoods to attend the north or northwest Indy Traders Point campuses,” Kinder said. “Opening a campus downtown will provide a local place for those individuals to worship, serve and invite their friends to church. It’s a win-win to us.”
TPCC will spend approximately $2 million to renovate the building, said Erica Thomas, TPCC director of communications.
“We take child safety seriously at all of our campuses and want to assure we offer a safe and engaging environment for families to bring their kids to church, so we plan to renovate the kids ministry space accordingly,” Thomas said.
The average weekly worship attendance is 700 to 750 at Creekside and 5,200 to 5,500 at Whitestown.
“It’s not about attendance numbers to us, it’s about making a difference” Kinder said. “We love the city of Indy and want to help with the work that’s already being done in the downtown area. For us, it’s about the people we will get to know and serve.”
