LEWES, DE - The First Baptist Church of Lewes and City Council continue to clash over conditions for constructing a new 2.8 million dollar facility. The church received premilitary approval for the project in early 2023, but has since had to change several aspects based on conditions set by the council.
While the plans have changed in result of such - the church is seeking removal of conditions to include several sidewalks.
One primary concern for the council is safety and connection to surrounding neighborhoods. The current conditions ask for a sidewalk built along the rear of the property and along Bay Breeze Drive.
But Pastor John Reddick says the church does not have the finances to support the addition, especially as costs continue to rise since initial discussions,
“The church doesn’t sell a product, we minister freely to the souls of people and we receive freely from the generosity of people. Any ability of ours to pay for a new facility is gonna come from members of the First Baptist Church," said Reddick.
First Baptist Church of Lewes, initially consisted of a converted basement built and utilized for worship. Over the years, the church expanded, but primarily maintained a subterranean presence, leaving it with a lack of proper ground-level accessibility. The architectural challenge has necessitated the use of a wooden ramp for older members and has led to periodic flooding in the lower levels, according to Pastor Reddick.
On January 25th, the City Council revisited the plans. Mayor Andrew Williams acknowledged the financial challenges faced by the church but also the potential benefits of sidewalks for surrounding communities and how it's location differs from other churches.
“There are communities connected, and it’s a private road – there are some hurdles here that don’t make it typical," said Williams.
Pastor Reddick says he is confident they will come to a solution soon,
“Our request to the city is to recognize the position that we’re in, and to work with us to be able to complete something, and that means removing a few of those conditions.” he said.
The church's plan is expected to be discussed again at the February 12th council meeting in Lewes, but no vote is currently expected.