Midland churches swap buildings for better fits
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___MIDLAND--While the fit seems to be as comfortable as the glass slipper of Cinderella, it wasn't a magic wand but God's hand that led a Midland church to its new confines.
___Calvary Baptist Church once was a thriving congregation, and with the growth in numbers came a growth in facilities.
___"The old Calvary Baptist Church was at one time almost as large as First Baptist, but it was on the southeast side of town and everyone moved to the west side," Pastor Dick Dickens said.
___Those moving to the west side of Midland included church members, most of whom gradually found other churches to join. As a result, Calvary's membership shrank over the years to a couple of dozen faithful.
___The building, however, retained its 32,000-square-foot size. And the bills for the upkeep grew even larger.
___When Dickens came to the church last November as interim pastor, there already was talk that the congregation ought to move to the city's west side.
___The church had made efforts to reach out to the Hispanic and African-American families now living in the community surrounding the church, but these efforts had been fruitless, Dickens said.
___After Dickens was called as pastor in March, the talk got serious about selling the property and moving. Dickens, who also is a real estate agent, set about finding a buyer for the property and looking for land on the west side of town.
___Meanwhile, Victory Family Christian Center, a non-denominational church on Midland's west side, heard Calvary was selling its property and a contingent from the staff came to see if it had any children's play equipment to sell.
___When the pastor saw the gymnasium and bountiful education space, however, the talk changed from toys to trading property. The Baptist congregation was just as excited because the move would put it in the area it desired and in a smaller building.
___Since the trade gave both congregations exactly what they were looking for, negotiations went quickly. By the first Sunday in June, the congregations were in their new homes. Calvary made a completely fresh start by changing its name as well. It is now Hillcrest Baptist Church.
___"This all had to be God's doing, because in the last two weeks we've added nine members," Dickens reported.
___"God led us through every bit of this thing, and as we walk out the other side we are still seeing his guidance. We're just excited and happy with how things have worked out."
___
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