POSSESS THE LAND

FROM PASTOR JOHN LARKAM

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Nine lots (namely, lots 50-58), which amounts to approximately 15 acres of land was purchased along W William Cannon Dr. in January 1989 by Jubilee Christian Center for the purpose of building a Spirit-filled church in southwest Austin.

 

A church building was then built on three of the 9 lots (namely lots 56-58), which is roughly 6 of the 15 acres.  These three lots (6 acres) is on the eastern most part of the property, on top of the hill. This is the property where we are today.  Impact Family Church bought the property from Jubilee Christian Center in July 2019.

 

This all came about because Impact Family Church was looking for our own land and building and the Lord spoke to the Jubilee pastor that when he stepped away from pastoring at Jubilee, that he was to sell the Jubilee property to Impact and that I was to then pastor the Jubilee congregation. It was a divine connection and merging of two spirit-filled churches.  Jubilee needed a pastor and Impact needed a building.  It was a perfect fit.

 

The Lord actually spoke to me a few days before the merge of the two churches and said, “John, You thought that this merger was about Impact getting a building.  It is about Impact getting a building, but it is also about Jubilee getting a pastor.”

 

We had been looking for land and a building for Impact for several years, and in that instant, I came to understand that God’s destiny for me and for Impact Family Church was tied to Jubilee and that was why Impact had been delayed from getting their own land and building for so long.  God wanted me to pastor the congregation of Jubilee as well as Impact.  Our destiny at Impact  was tied to Jubilee.

 

And on that same morning, God dropped a supernatural love for the people of Jubilee in my heart. The two churches gathered together for our first service together on July 21, 2019.

 

Years earlier, before the merger, Jubilee had a site plan drawn up for the development of the remaining 9 acres, which is lots 50-55.  It included two additional buildings as well as additional parking.

 

The city of Austin approved the proposed site plan but Jubilee was never able to finish developing the property because of a lack of funding. Today, we have an opportunity to continue developing the property.

 

Jubilee would like to sell the remaining property to Impact Family Church, and Impact Family Church needs the property for future growth and to fulfill our vision and the destiny of the combined churches. We are still wanting to build the two buildings that Jubilee had planned to build and that the City of Austin had approved.

 

So what will things look like?

 

Our preliminary plans are:

 

The first building will be placed right next to our current building and will connect through the lobby and through the east sanctuary doors that currently open to the outside by the student’s portable.  It will be a three story building with an approximate 8000 sq foot foundation.  It will be situated out where the Students Portable currently sits.

1. First Floor-  Lobby expansion (so we don’t have to reduce seating in the auditorium).  Lobby area will include a Welcome Center; Café and Bookstore.  We will also add additional Classroom Space for our Impact Bible School that we will be starting, as well as our Healing School.  And of course, we will add Large ADA Restrooms.

2. Second Floor- Impact Students Check-in and Auditorium / can also be used as a fellowship hall for large church-wide banquets like Impact Team banquets, Wedding and Funeral receptions; Commercial Kitchen.

3. Third Floor- Administrative Offices and Recording Studio; Outdoor deck

The second building will also be three stories and it will house our Kindergarten through Age 5 Impact Christian Academy, so parents can put their children in a godly environment with academic excellence.

 

We will also have space for our Impact Mother’s Day Out and Impact Child Development Center (for infants through age 5) and perhaps a gym / cafeteria as well.

 

We will also have room for play areas and ballfields for the school / Walking trails / Prayer Gardens to reflect and pray

 

And of course Additional Parking which is our greatest need at this time.  Before Covid, we were parking on the grass and needing to start a second Sunday morning service. We also parked about 60 cars on the grass when Jesse Duplantis was here as well as parking down in the shopping center at William Cannon and Westgate. We also had to park on the grass and in the shopping center during our recent Spring Fest outreach to the community.

 

There is an urgency in my spirit to purchase the property now.

 

The price has continued to go up, and Lots 50-55, is the only land available where the church can expand.  We are landlocked to the east by an apartment complex, to the north by William Cannon and to the south by a nature preserve. The Jubilee pastor has talked about rezoning the property to a commercial type of zoning that would allow for very dense, high capacity buildings and then selling it to a developer who would put a high density high rise apartment or condominium complex on it with 300 apartment units. The current neighbors do not want this type of development, and neither do we as it would change the entire neighborhood, bringing a tremendous amount of traffic, making it difficult for us to get in and out of our driveway and making the area more dangerous with another 300 people right next door and perhaps another 300-600 additional vehicles. And of course, a high-rise condominium complex next door would disrupt the peace and tranquility that we currently enjoy as a church and the beautiful views of the city skyline and the beautiful sunsets that we currently enjoy.

 

People come up here on this property throughout the day because it is so peaceful.  They come to get away from the traffic below and the hectic pace of life to sit and collect their thoughts and for the solitude and solace that is here.  

 

Even our Austin peace officers come here throughout the day because of the tranquility.

 

This property is truly a tranquil refuge from the storms of life and all of that would be gone forever.

 

Purchasing lots 50-55 were a top priority when we first moved into this building.

 

However, after praying about the situation, I felt that remodeling the building was what the Lord wanted us to do first and the response of the congregation has been tremendous.

 

I want to thank everyone for their generosity.  

 

We have paid cash for phases 1-3 of our building remodel project, which includes building 4 new nursery and preschool rooms, a brand new Impact Kids classroom, a NEXT classroom, and replacing several AC units.  We also have completed our pre-service prayer room, which also serves as a counseling room, green room, and will also be used for Spanish Interpretation.

 

Additionally, and we already paid approximately 75% of Phase 4, which is our audio-visual phase.

 

And although the remodeling is going very well and we are making tremendous progress, I sense an urgency to purchase lots 50-55 and to close on that property as soon as possible.

 

The property was originally purchased for the use of the church and is still needed for the use of the church and for future ministry not to mention our immediate need for additional parking.

 

It would be a horrible thing to see the property sold to a developer and no longer available for the kingdom of God.

 

The Jubilee pastor wants to sell the property now, and we are blessed to have the opportunity to purchase it.

 

If we don’t purchase it, they will sell it to a developer.

 

Let’s believe God that He will bring it into our hands, and give us the ability to purchase it.

 

The asking price for the property is: $3.5 million.  It has been steadily increasing due to the current market, so now is the time to purchase it.

 

I have sensed an urgency in my heart that we need to get this done as soon as possible.

 

We have already begun taking steps towards being able to purchase the property.

 

We have moved our offices into the church building to eliminate our monthly office rent.

 

We have had a garage sale to raise funds from items we no longer need.

 

We are selling everything that we don’t have to have and we are looking to cut any and all excess expenses and getting as lean as we can.