While he became adamant about finding more space within the first year , he changed his focus in 2019 . “ My prayers started shifting from wanting more space , to focusing on strategy and systems and processes , and making sure that the way that we did ministry had a great flow to it ,” he recalls . “ We made sure that outreach , children ministry and life groups were being maximized . “ We really started taking an assessment of how we were doing ministry ,” Travis adds . “ That opened the door for the favor of God for this new building .”
“ We really started taking an assessment of how we were doing ministry . That opened the door for the favor of God for this new building .” — Travis Greene
“ Everything was supernatural ” Indeed , by 2020 , Forward City was looking for a new , much larger space . Uniquely , retrofitting a retail store was on Travis ’ s radar from the beginning . In fact , he says he felt like he ’ d “ looked at almost every vacant commercial building in Columbia .” Ultimately , a former Best Buy emerged as the best fit . For one thing , at 45,000 square feet , it was huge . Plus , parking was already established , and the roof was in good shape . Last but not least , Forward City got a great deal on the space . Critically , the building also had high ceilings and was a standalone building , both of which would be vital to maximizing Forward City ’ s nationally regarded music ministry . “ It was going to be loud in there , and we weren ’ t really close to anything ,” Travis explains . “ So , that was super attractive for us .” He certainly knows what to look for in this respect : in addition to pastoring , Travis is a two-time Grammy-nominated gospel artist and winner of several Stellar Gospel Music Awards who performs and speaks around the world . Perhaps not surprisingly , then , the first expertise he enlisted for the new building was audio / video / lighting / acoustics ( A / V / L / A ) systems integrator AE Global Media , Inc . — in particular , CEO Donnie Haulk . Whereas much of the original church building ’ s AVLA setup was done in-house by Travis and some other staff members , he and Haulk have worked together for years , touring and putting together other music projects . It makes sense , then , that Travis sought AE Global Media ’ s trusted experience when he shot for the moon with the AVLA quality in the new church home . The result is a state-of-the-art , 900-seat worship space that ’ s perfect for concerts and special events . It includes several LED wall units and , as Travis puts it , “ crazy light packages ” and “ sound that ’ s out of this world .” There is even a recording studio in the space . The new sanctuary is also ideal to host Dr . Jackie Greene ’ s popular , widely lauded women ’ s ministry groups and events , including Permission World , Dig Deep , and Dr . Jackie Greene Ministries ( DRJG ). An accomplished author , Dr . Greene has written Permission : Returning to the God-Created You and Dig Deep Devotionals : Remain . Her audiences , too , are vast .
Much more than music But these are just a few of the ministries Forward City prioritizes ; the Greenes are also highly committed to youth and children ’ s
Travis and Dr . Jackie Green
discipleship . The new building needed to put these offerings frontand-center . Having never led a building project , Travis again relied on Haulk for his insights . Haulk recommended
Churches by Daniels — namely , CEO Charlie Daniels — and the three gentlemen met a few times . Travis says he knew early on that Daniels was the right choice after Daniels wholeheartedly bought into the vision from the beginning , including the call to retrofit a massive retail space . “ Retrofitting seems to be a trend ,” Daniels acknowledges . “ I didn ' t do anything like this early on in my career , but we ’ ve finished several such projects in the past few years .” He says there are several reasons why retrofitting is gaining momentum . Chief among them : it often delivers the best value for the monies available . That part was critical for Travis , because the church started the project with less than $ 100,000 in the bank . That cash was earmarked to help pay for the former Best Buy . Amazingly , the church then raised an additional $ 2 million-plus for the project . It ’ s an ambitious feat at any time , but especially during a pandemic .
“ We had no idea how much we ' d be able to fundraise ; there ' s just no way to predict that we could raise that much within six months ,” Travis says . “ It was really divine how it all happened .” With these funds in hand , the conversation changed . A lot . “ We were , like , Wait a minute . What does it look like if we actually own the building outright ?” he explains . “ Once we were able to make that shift , it gave us more leverage .”
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