FENTON, MI – Moving day for the staff of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) is rapidly approaching. The sale was to the Tyrone Township began simply enough as a check on a zoning discrepancy.
Late last year, the BSCM Annual Convention messengers voted to approve the Executive Board to move forward with the possible sale of the Fenton building. The staff started the process of selling the building by contacting a commercial realtor at the end of January. That’s when the realtor discovered that the property was zoned residential vs. commercial. As the realtor approached the Tyrone Township government about the zoning discrepancies, the township showed immediate interest in purchasing the building. The process moved quicker than expected. The building was listed at $1.1 million, and the Tyrone Twp. countered with $1 million. Executive Board members were given a copy of the purchase agreement to review and bring questions, and on March 7, 2019, the Executive Board approved, and BSCM Executive-Director, Tim Patterson, signed the purchase agreement.
Tim Patterson, with his Executive Leadership Team, Dr. Tony Lynn and Pastor Mike Durbin, looked at several different options for possible future office space. March 4th, Patterson and a transitional team that included: Pastors Jim Nelson, Stan Parker, Herb Harbaugh, and Jimmy Jones toured a potential office space at the Burroughs Building, 41100 Plymouth Road, Plymouth, MI 48170. The Relocation Team voted unanimously to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees to lease the Burroughs Building as the BSCM offices, pending the sale of the Fenton building. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to recommend leasing the office space.
The Burroughs Building office is approximately 1900 sq. ft. Because the office space is being newly renovated, it will be built to BSCM specifications. The cost for the lease will start at $25,000 and move up to $30,000/year, and will be secured for 5 years. The cost of the lease will be less than the annual expenses at the Fenton building. The building has ample parking, common meeting areas, fiber optic high speed internet access, conference rooms that can be reserved at no extra charge, a large meeting area that can accommodate the entire annual state convention (500+), a cyber café, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium. It is located near I-96 and the I-275 interchange. The office building also allows for expansion if needed. It is close to the Detroit airport and the population center of the state. The only current drawback is the extended travel time for staff to the new office site.
The monies from the sale, which are expected to be $925,000, will be placed in a foundation, with WatersEdge, of the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma. A 4% - 7 % annual return is expected (approximately $50,000 return/year). The corpus of funds will not be lost. It will continue to benefit the BSCM with dividend/interest. With WatersEdge’s guidance, the residual of the corpus will allow the state convention to use the funds while still growing the corpus.
Bob Kiger, Michigan Disaster Relief Director, was involved in the discussions on the new office and said, “Once we move the State Office to Plymouth, Disaster Relief supplies and equipment will be more accessible. It will also be conveniently located for volunteers to meet.” The Burroughs building has extra storage space available if it’s needed for BSCM items or DR equipment.
The office hours will be maintained at 4-days a week, Monday through Thursday. The phone numbers also will remain the same. The address will be updated and sent to all the BSCM churches. BSCM churches and members are invited to check out the new office setting on and after June 1st. There is easy access and guests are always welcome.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Lynn is married to Dr. Tony Lynn, with 3 wonderful children & spouses, and 9 amazing grandkids. Jamie works at the BSCM office as Administrative Assistant and Communication Coordinator. She is a part of Grumlaw Church Grand Blanc. She finds serving God in all areas of her life the best thing in the universe.