Soaring between the Anderson University campus and a working-class neighborhood, the steeple of Park Place Church of God has towered as a beacon of hope for 64 years.

Our original mission to be a community-centered body has never changed, but this treasured landmark needs significant restoration. To assist in addressing the situation, Park Place Church was recently awarded a matching-grant of $300,000 by Sacred Places Indiana. We are grateful to be one of seven churches recently accepted into this prestigious statewide program.

SPI helps preserve buildings they believe are architecturally and historically valuable to their community. Moreover, they understand that grant recipients can’t complete these special projects without the assistance of others. Their plan is for members, local governments, businesses, clubs, foundations, and friends to participate in the restoration of these community assets.

In May of 2024, krM Architecture prepared a building-condition assessment for the church. The current cost estimate to repair the steeple and lintels nears $650,000. If we do nothing, the steeple will continue to deteriorate and fail. The cost to remove it is estimated to be 2-3 times the cost to restore it.

Park Place Church is a healthy, growing, and self-sustaining congregation, working hard to ensure this historic building is preserved, fully used, and able to serve our community as a civic resource. Repairing the steeple will help maintain the integrity of the building, but the work of Park Place Church has always been about much more than a steeple.

The Church has been an important community center, not limiting assistance to parishioners, but also serving many in our area who need help the most. Incredibly, last year we provided a direct economic impact on Madison County in excess of $836,000 and served more than 31,000 people through church and hosted ministries such as those listed below:

• Christian Children’s Center (with income adjusted tuition)

• Park Place Food Pantry (largest in Madison County)

• Grace Horizons (helping women and men recover from violence and exploitation)

• Crossings School (equipping at-risk students with job training and character education)

• Christian Counseling Center of Madison County (since 1985)

Please consider the possibility of providing a gift to help with the restoration of one of Madison County’s most treasured landmarks. Gifts may also be made in honor or memory of a friend or loved one. Any amount you provide will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $300,000 by Sacred Places Indiana. Park Place Church is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.

Why are we doing the Steeple project?

An assessment of the steeple has shown that it is in need of repair so there is no further water damage to the Welcome Center and other parts of the church. Water likes to find its way along any and every possible crevice. As a result of falling bricks we are not able to fully utilize our courtyard for the Children’s Center and kids ministries. We looked at what it would cost to simply tear down the steeple but that cost is prohibitive. It seems that the best use of resources, and this specific matching gift from Sacred Places of Indiana, is to restore the steeple. The good news is that with this grant funding for the project our church resources can go toward other ministries.

How can I help?

Prayer is always helpful! But your financial contributions will definitely help too. Because we have a “matching grant,” every dollar you give toward the project will count double!

How long is the campaign (or how long can I spread out my giving)?

The campaign’s official “Kick Off” date is August 18, 2024. However, pledges and gifts may extend into the 2024, 2025, and 2026 fiscal years. We will need to have raised 100% of our matching dollars by February 2026.

Park Place Church of God has been serving Christ at the crossroads of 5th Street and College Drive in Anderson, IN since 1960. We strive to reflect the light of Jesus Christ through our Children’s Center, a partnership with the Christian Counseling Center and the Crossings School, meeting food insecurity through the largest Food Pantry in the City and Country, and other avenues of sacred service. Our landmark steeple symbolizes this crossroads as we build bridges across spiritual, cultural, and socioeconomic divides. This steeple is more than brick and limestone – it is symbolic of our commitment to “follow Jesus” and “love our neighbors” at the crossroads and beyond.

Park Place Church of God is one of seven Hoosier congregations chosen to share in a matching grant program created to solve bricks-and-mortar problems. Representatives from Indiana Landmarks, sponsor of the Sacred Places grant program, met with us, walked our halls, studied our history, and declared that our facility clearly was designed to be “a center of community service and outreach.” Lofty terms, but true. Our piece of the grant package is $300,000, earmarked to restore our majestic steeple—all 160 feet of it—that is shedding bricks and in need of major repair. The matching grant is an unprecedented gift to help us preserve a treasure. Now the heavy lifting begins—raising money to meet the match. We need only to look up, step out, and meet the challenge. For us, at Park Place, this project is about more than a steeple!

• Campaign timeline

• Financial updates