Thanks for Checking in on the Progress of Our New Campus! 

Scroll through the photos, videos, and more below to stay up to date or catch up with what you may have missed recently!
For more details on this building project , you can download the informational booklet HERE. In it you will find details about the purpose,  the design, and the process surrounding our very first campus. We invite you to take a few minutes to read through and join us as we Move Together!
If you would like to make a financial contribution towards our building fund, please click HERE. You can choose to give a one-time gift or create an account for recurring giving. If you have any questions, please EMAIL our Office Administrator, Liz Becker.

October 14, 2021

T-MINUS - TWO WEEKS!  Can you believe it?!

We have big news for you... we have officially moved into the farmhouse.  It has been a LONG time coming.  We have spent the better part of two years renovating this 110+ year old home.  So many of you have helped us with this house.  From demo work, to replacing flat roofs, and stripping electrical, plumbing and so much more.  THANK YOU! This was a massive undertaking and we are finally into our new offices and ministry center.  There are still a few things to be completed (shudders, landscaping, etc), but we are in!

The farmhouse provides offices for all of our staff (seven total).  In addition, there is a full kitchen, dining and living room to be used by both our staff and small groups.  Not only is the home beautiful but so is the surrounding property (old trees and plenty of lawn).  Check out the pics.  Also, if you scroll to the bottom on this page, you can see some of the early pics of the demo.

We have more big news.  We now have a TCO (temporary occupancy permit) on the main building!  We should be getting out permanent occupancy permit in the next week or so.  Meanwhile, we are wrapping things up and knocking out our punch list of things to complete in the next two weeks.  We are about 98% complete with the building.  On the site work, landscaping continues to go in and the place is coming alive with new grass and new plants.  Like I mentioned in my last post, I am going to hold off posting pictures for another couple of weeks.  I don't want to ruin the moment for anyone.

This week, we were honored to have Two Drummers Smokehouse bring over their food truck to our property so that we could thank all the workers who have worked so hard to bring this property to life.  They have been wonderful and it has been great spending the last eleven months with all of them on our site.

This evening, as I sat in the main building, I could not help but reminisce about the past fifteen years and the road to get here.  This is not our finish line (we will talk about that on November 14th), but it is a mountain top moment and one we will pause to celebrate.  I hope you will join us in a couple of weeks as we celebrate (services at 8am, 9:30am, 11am).

Much Love,
Phillip

October 14, 2021

Hey Everyone!  

I have not done an update in a while and that has been partly intentional and partly unintentional.  It’s unintentional in that myself and our staff have been swamped and have had little extra time.  We are in the final stretch and there are a million tasks to complete in the next month.

It is intentional in that, the place LOOKS AMAZING and as tempted as I am to show you a million pictures, I want to leave some of the “WOW!” factor in place.  The carpet is going down throughout the main building this week (it has been down in the Student Center for several weeks).  All the final touches are going in and the place is simply stunning.  The main building is flying through inspection after inspection and we believe it will basically be complete in the next two weeks.  Two weeks!  Can you believe it?

Out on the site side of things, landscaping has started to be planted and it transforms the look of the site almost immediately.  The site is still a bit of a mess at the moment but it will come together quickly in the coming two weeks.  The paving out on route 60 is set to take place this week as well.  Landscaping will actually be the last thing completed on the project.  The property is beautiful and I am so excited for you to see what it looks like with grass and plants.

The farmhouse is ALMOST done!  IN fact, our staff is set to move in next week.  We cannot tell you how excited we are to get on-site with our offices.  Even though we are only five miles away, it sometimes feels like a hundred.  Being on-site will really help us lock-in to what needs to be done and we can literally walk across the parking lot to do it.  I will be sharing some pictures of the farmhouse in the next few days.  It looks amazing!

I want to encourage you to please help where you can in the coming weeks.  We have so much to do.  Hanging televisions, blinds, moving chairs, assembling furniture, and so much more.  It is honestly overwhelming for this guy who has OCD.  However, I know it will get done and we will be just fine.  However, we need your help to make it happen.

In full transparency, it is not all positive news.  We got word this week that we experienced some significant price increases when it comes to electrical equipment and labor ($30k+).  On a project this size and in this current economic climate (inflation, supply shortages) it is really minimal in the grand scheme.  We also know we have been blessed to have avoided most potential price increases but this one stung a little.

We also discovered that we may be able to add some MUCH NEEDED overflow parking during this phase at a minimal cost (comparatively speaking), but it is still an additional cost to the project.  This is work that would have to be done in phase two, so by doing it now there is a cost associated, but it was a cost that we would have had to pay at some point either way.  It would be much cheaper to get it done now, while the big trucks are on site, than to have them come back later.  Most importantly, it would provide room for growth on day one.  

When it comes to the finances of this project, I can tell you, our staff and leadership have painstakingly watched over every penny during this project along with our partners. To a fault at times, we have agonized over every price increase and/or change order.  To be fair, we have celebrated every cost-saving idea and opportunity as well.  We know that we are blessed but we also know we are called to be good stewards and we have strived to respect the Lord and our church family during this building process.

So there you have it.  Things are going great.  The place is beautiful.  We can be confident that we have done all we could/can do to protect costs during the project but we could not avoid them all. In just a few weeks we will enter into a new chapter in the story of what God is doing through LifePointe.  I am excited and I hope you are too.

Much Love,
Phillip

September 16, 2021

Forward, full speed ahead.

Things continue moving forward at the farm.  In the main building, we have moved into the finishes stage of the project.  This involves hanging doors, paint, sound, lights, screens, millwork, technology, carpet, etc.  These things will take a while to complete as they are many and sometimes very tedious.  A few things of note, the countertop and pendant lights are up at LP Cafe (see pic).  This new building does not have a full working kitchen, however it does have our cafe area which can heat food, serve coffee, ice machine, etc.  The decision to not have a full working kitchen was driven both by cost (500k+) and space constraints.  If you look through the pictures, you will see this space coming together.

In the auditorium, you will notice the back wall of the stage area taking shape.  This wall is made up of reclaimed wood that was once the floor of the Case Tractor Factory in Racine, WI and dates to 1911 (see pic).  We acquired this wood from ET Moore in Richmond, VA and it looks incredible.! This reclaimed wood idea was actually a cost saving solution and we think it looks a hundred times better than our original plan.  Also in the auditorium,  Amplio (our audio/visual/lights contractor) is set to arrive next week and begin rigging and wiring for our sound and lights.  This will take more than a month to full complete.

The site work is coming together as well as the big trucks arrived back on site a couple of weeks ago.  New concrete went in this week for sidewalks and medians and the work on route 60 started this week on the deceleration and turn lanes.  This work will take several weeks and will soon move into the actual landscaping of the property later this fall.  Remember, other than the handicapped parking spaces, the parking lot will be gravel.  This was a cost saving solution saving of approximately 300k.

In the stables building, most of the stables and all their accessories (water bowls, heaters, etc) have been removed.  These were sold to a horse riding organization that works with youth and the disabled.  This was a win-win for us in that we were able to have the items removed at no cost to us while helping a local organization.  In the rear of the stables building, we have been clearing the ground of weeds and adding fencing in preparation of using that space as our KidPointe playground area.  In phase 2 of our master plan for this property, this building will serve as our preschool and nursery building to completed in the coming years.

The farmhouse is moving quicker than anything on the property.  Sheetrock is up and painted.  Doors are hung and trim (doors, window, baseboard) is going up this week.  The HVAC system will come to life this week and the phone system will be installed next week.  We are also hoping flooring will be going in starting sometime next week.  Our goal is to be in the farmhouse sometime in mid-October.

Tomorrow, LifePointe celebrates 15 years since our first service together at Stonehouse Elementary in 2006.  We are excited at what God has in store in the next 15 years and beyond.  This building is not the finish line but simply a new chapter with a new resource to use to make Jesus known in our community.  We look forward to welcoming you into our home!

Talk to you soon.  - Phillip

August 25, 2021

We are now in the fourth quarter of the project!  Wow!  So many things are happening out at the farm right now.  Let me give you a quick update.

First, the main building is now buttoned up and the HVAC is on.  The spray foam insulation is doing an amazing job of helping with the energy savings.  On a 95 degree day, we only had 1/3 of the units on in the building and it was comfortable.  That is a good sign!  With the building now being air conditioned, we have started dropping in ceiling tiles, hanging doors (we have doors!) and bringing over the millwork.  All of those things started arriving in the last couple of weeks and it has really started to pull the look of the place together.  The carpet arrived last week, however, it will be a while before we are ready to put it down.  There is still plenty to complete.  As we begin putting the finishes on the building, now is also when we begin to install a lot of the technology.  Things like lights, sound system, projection, sound and video distribution, phone system, Wifi distribution, etc.

SIDENOTE - Now that the building is being climate controlled and big ticket items are arriving on site, we are now locking all the exterior doors when the site is vacant.

On the site side of things, the septic system is currently being installed.  It is a fairly complex system that will take weeks to complete.  We continue to work on grading the site and two weeks ago our parking lights went up (they look great!).  This week, we are working on replacing a privacy fence that was falling apart as well as addressing some trees and stumps that need to be removed.  Work should start soon on the deceleration lanes on route 60.  I know we have been saying that since June, but it has honestly worked better to kick that a little further down the schedule.

At the farmhouse, things are flying!  Plumbing, HVAC and electrical are all installed and passed inspection.  Framing and insulation are complete and this week, sheetrock is going up!  The outside of the house has received all new doors, windows, vinyl siding, roof and it will get new gutters and shudders in the next couple of weeks.  It looks amazing!

We are in the fourth quarter of this project.  We are still on track to be in sometime late 2021.  Stay tuned!


August 2, 2021

Where To Begin?

Let's talk about the inside of the building.   It is amazing to see the progress we are making inside the large building (formally a dirt floored riding arena).  In the past few weeks, we have really started to shift from the "big things" to the smaller detailed things.  Sheet rock has been completed (for the most part) throughout the building.  An initial coat of paint is up throughout a majority of the building.  The plumbing, electrical are  both 90%+ completed.  It is exciting to walk in and see that the "work lights" have been removed and we now have  our permanent lights up and functioning.  

We are waiting for Dominion to complete installation of the three-phase power distribution to the building.  Once this is complete (hopefully this week), we will be able to begin bringing the HVAC units online and begin conditioning the building.  This will allow us to move towards bringing in and setting millwork (doors, cabinets, etc) as well as ceiling tiles.  Carpet arrives later in August and likely starts going in sometime in early September.

Last week, we met with the team that will be installing all our lights, sound, projection, and other technology throughout the building.  We are really excited about the technology going into this building.  Our team has worked hard to design a responsibly priced solution for this building while also giving us some great features.  I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised at some of the features in this new building.

Site work has been slow the last several weeks as we have been really focusing on the inside.  However, that all looks to change in the next few weeks as the big equipment returns to our campus for major work on route 60 as well as the septic.  In the next couple of weeks, we will be replacing the privacy fence to the right of the entrance when you enter the property.  This is one of many upgrades to the fencing and landscaping that will bring that property to life in the next few months.  It's going to be beautiful!

Things at the farmhouse are moving along as well!  We have completed our electrical, plumbing and HVAC inspections.  Insulation should be going in soon (next week) and then the sheetrock should be going up shortly thereafter.  On the outside of the farmhouse, we have ALL NEW siding and gutters going up this week and next.  We are hoping to be in the farmhouse sometime in mid-September.

There are so many other things happening.  I may do another video in the next couple of weeks (with a steady cam).  Stay tuned!

July 8, 2021

Progress. Progress. And more progress.

Do you have ten minutes for a tour?

Come inside and see all the progress that is taking place inside the main building.

FYI - You may want to take a half a Dramamine prior to watching.  Our steady cam was out on vacation. :-)

June 10, 2021

So. Much. Happening.

Let's begin with the Student Center first.  The Student Center is the portion of the building that will be used by both KidPointe and our Student Ministry (grades 6-12).  This portion of the building has had the most dramatic change over the last two weeks.  The walls have been painted and the classrooms now have the drop ceiling grid in place.  You can really start to see the vision for this space!  This portion of the building is moving much quicker than the rest of the building because of how it is laid out (drop ceiling versus open trusses).  

Throughout the rest of the building, things are continuing to move forward.  The large spiral duct work continues to go in as well as other HVAC elements.  The stage in the worship room has been framed out and all of the bathrooms now have tile installed (see pic).  There are a million other smaller details taking place with the HVAC, electrical, and plumbing.  Throughout the rest of the building, the walls have been prepped and sanded and are almost ready for their first coat of paint.

Outside, site work continues to move forward.  We have a new power pole installed in front of the farmhouse and space around the main building continues to be shaped and formed to accommodate storm water.  In the coming weeks, we expect work on route 60 to ramp up.

At the farmhouse the electrical, plumbing and HVAC (first floor) are almost completely roughed in and we are expecting BIG TIME movement on things there in the next couple of week.  All our subs are lined up and we are ready to make our move towards the finish line before the end of the summer on the farmhouse (stay tuned).

Our selection teams continue to knock out one selection after another.  So many choices!  Acoustical wall panel color, wall base, tile grout, counter tops, exterior wood stain, and so much more.  I am telling you, this place is going to be beautiful when it is done!

Remember, on June 27th, we are inviting you to visit the site and write prayers, Bible verses and other encouraging words on the concrete foundation.  We want the foundation of this building to literally be covered in prayers and Scripture.

Check back in with us in the next week or two for more updates!

May 27, 2021

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from the project this week!  

Things continue to go well out at the farm.  The big news this week was the arrival of the "spiral duct work."  There is a nationwide shortage of this material and we need it for the HVAC.  These are the large round tubes that will be located high up in the ceiling and will carry heat and air throughout the building.  We have been waiting on these since early March!  They arrived this week which is perfect becuause the HVAC team set the large HVAC units this week behind the building (see pics).

Lots of other things happening as well.  Check it out!

May 20, 2021

Wow!  The last two weeks have been HUGE!  Big changes on the site as sheetrock nears completion, stone has gone up on the fireplace, sample paint swatches are up, the stage in the worship room is being framed, the front portico is being built, and SO much more!

There is so much going on right now, that every day things look a little different!  This week we also ordered the chairs for the main worship room, carpet for the building, tile for the bathroom and more.

Next week, we start work on the Route 60 deceleration lanes.  Still LOTS of site work to do.

After what felt like months of little movement at the farmhouse, things kicked back off in a BIG WAY this week.  We have electricians, plumbers and HVAC all in the house together this week.  Meanwhile, we are getting the insulation installers, sheetrock, flooring, etc., all lined up in the coming weeks.

May 8, 2021

Wanna take a tour of the main building and see what is happening?  Join our Lead Minister, Phillip Murdock, as he takes you on a ten minute tour of our new campus.  Lot's of things happening inside!

April 29, 2021

WOW!  Things continue to move along well at the farm.  Check out these pictures we snagged this afternoon.  Sheetrock, wiring, HVAC, painting and SO MUCH more.  Did we mention "Lake LifePointe" in the back of the property?  Ok, it is not a lake but the retention pond is impressive.

April 16, 2021

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since we last updated everyone to things on the farm (sorry, last week was spring break).  Things continue to move along really well.  Here is a quick update and some pictures for you to enjoy.

MAIN BUILDING - There is so much happening in the main building right now.  Five days a week, from 8am-6pm, this space is busy and loud.  Insulation, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and now we have sheetrock being hung! The large timbers for the front entryway were positioned this week (see pic).  They also continue to paint the trusses and insulation overhead in the foyer and worship spaces.  
Our various teams have been sorting through color/product samples for things like bathroom tile, bathroom partitions, carpet, millwork, doors, chairs, stone and so much more.  This week, we had a group of ladies in the facility sorting through boxes of samples to help us in our selection of several different items.  We are really excited about how the interior look is coming together.
DID YOU KNOW, that the company doing our millwork (cabinets and such) is the same company that does the millwork for the Smithsonian, Mt. Vernon , Monticello and many Fortune 500 companies.? Nicewood Inc. is a local company out of Toano that is creating some amazing pieces to be used in our facility.
REMEMBER THAT KICKWALL that went around the riding arena?  Well, we salvaged all of those boards (hundreds of them) and they will be returning to the building in the coming months but they will look a little very different. Stay tuned for some really cool repurposing.
SITE WORK - The retention pond in the back of the property is nearing completion.  The size of this retention pond is impressive.  This is all necessary and required by Chesapeake Bay regulations.  The regulations require us hold a percentage of the rainwater that falls on our property for a period of time and then slowly release it into the streams around our property to control erosion.
FARMHOUSE - We are in another holding pattern for the farmhouse as we wait on some of the permitting (electrical, plumbing, etc).  We have the "master permit" but the sub permits are taking a little longer than we thought.  All good though!  We believe that once things get rolling again, they will move along quickly. 

April 1, 2021

Here is your weekly update!

OFFICE SPACE - Our hope was to have the farmhouse ready in early spring for our staff.  However, once we got into site work, we discovered an issue with the septic.  The good news is, the final plan will be BETTER than the original and will not cost us any more.  The bad news?  We won't be able to get into the farmhouse until late summer.  So, this week, we secured temporary office space in the Norge Business Park (7151 Richmond Rd - Suite 202).  Our staff should be getting settled sometime after spring break.  We know the rest of the world has figured out how to work from home and we considered doing the same. However, we need a location for counseling, meetings, and a place for all the samples and supplies for the new building to be stored and viewed.  In any other season, we would have figured out how to make it work from home, but this is not a regular season of ministry.  This space will allow our staff to press forward together as they prepare for the opening of our first campus.
FARMHOUSE - Speaking of the Farmhouse... we have NEW WINDOWS to go with the new roof.  Next, new vinyl siding and then we turn to doing electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc., in the interior.  It's going to be beautiful!
MAIN BUILDING - Wow!  Walls continue to go up, fast.  The Student Wing and Foyer are almost completely framed in and the ceilings are almost completely insulated.  Electrical, plumbing, and even the HVAC are going in as well.  This week, we had a special delivery... the baptistry (see pic)!  Things are really going well.
SITE WORK - This week, the retention pond in the back really started to come together.  All of this rain has made the site work a challenge but our teams are pushing forward.

All in all, we are looking good.  We hope to be hanging sheetrock in the next couple of weeks!  The stage in the main worship room should begin next week as well.  Check back next week for more updates.

March 25, 2021

Check out this drone flight through the new facility.

March 18, 2021

WE HAVE BIG NEWS!  Our closing date (on the sale of 8251 Richmond Rd) got moved up and we officially close  tomorrow morning (3/19).  Our staff have been busy this week getting all our stuff OUT of the building and into storage (or our homes).  We are currently looking to lease temporary office space while we continue to work on the farmhouse.  
SITE WORK -This week, the site crews continued to move dirt and rock to develop our storm water management system (aka - drainage) and parking lot.  They also continued work on the retention pond in the back of the property.
MAIN BUILDING - At the large (main) building, this week was spent installing plumbing, running electrical, continuing framing of walls and applying spray insulation.  The spray insulation is being applied to the underside of the metal roof (see pic).  The HVAC team has been in the building constructing duct work for the HVAC system.
FARMHOUSE -The farmhouse got a new roof this past week!  Which is huge.  In addition, we have finished the re-classification of the building with the county (from residential to business) and we also pulled the master permit for work.  Next week, new windows will begin to go in!

March 11, 2021

Another week of progress!
This weather is really helping our construction crews get some things accomplished.
SITE WORK - This week, the site team moved quite a bit of dirt as they begin to level out the property.  They also brought in rock/gravel as they continue to stabilize the soil and prepare it to be our parking lot and entrance.  Work on the retention pond on the back of the property started in earnest this week.  You can really see the site beginning to take shape!
MAIN BUILDING - At the large (main) building, things are really ramping up as well.  The final section of concrete slab was poured on Thursday (3/11) in the main worship room.  Framers have started to frame up walls in the foyer.  Electricians are beginning to pull wires throughout the building.  The final firewall was completed this week.  Insulation of the rafters/trusses should begin sometime next week.
MEETINGS and MORE... MEETINGS - Our team meets out at the construction site each Monday with our construction partners and architect to review progress.  In addition, we get almost daily updates.  We are beginning to move into a phase where we will begin meeting with various vendors to select things like door hardware, carpet style/color, chairs, etc.  In addition to our staff, elders, and construction partners, we have a team made up of LifePointe family members who are advising us in those selections.
FARMHOUSE - This week, we had the county out on the property and in the farmhouse as we begin to secure the permits needed to pivot from demo work to "putting it back together" work.  Things like "trade permits" and building classification are all being discussed with the county.
QUICK UPDATE ON THE OLD PROPERTY - We have received word today that they have moved up the closing date to March 26th!

March 4, 2021

Sunshine makes the heart (and the wet ground ) happy!
SITE WORK - This week, site work on the property really ramped up as the main entrance was stabilized and  rock was added for a construction entrance.  The pool was ripped out and filled in.  The large trees near the farmhouse were removed and what was left of the garage was crushed and hauled off.
MAIN BUILDING - At the large (main) building, work continued  reinforcing the trusses to meet code (see pic) as well as other framing features that are necessary.  The dirt floor in the  main worship room was leveled and prepared for the slab pour (next couple of weeks).  Plumbing lines were run outside of the building in preparation for the install of the septic system later in the project.
FARMHOUSE - All work on the farmhouse has been paused for a week.  This is because we had to remove the power line to the house while trees were being removed.  In addition, significant site work was taking place around the house.
QUICK UPDATE ON THE OLD PROPERTY - We have received word from the buyers bank that we should be closing in late March!

February 25, 2021

We have concrete!  168 yards of it to be exact.

This week, things continued to move at the farm.  In the building, two-thirds of the slab was poured this week (Kid's/Student's Area and the Foyer).  Interior framing and firewall construction continue as well.  The carpenters have been reinforcing the trusses and preparing for insulation in the next couple of weeks. Windows have been removed and some of the large sliding doors have been disassembled and the sheet metal salvaged for later use.

As for site work, things really kicked off this week.  The big machines started moving dirt, breaking up existing concrete, and laying stone as the site dried out a little bit this week (just in time for rain this weekend).  Trees will begin coming down later this week into early next week.  Many will stay, but several will have to be removed to make way for the main entrance and parking.

Progress continues at the farmhouse as well.  However, with some of the site work taking place so close to the house, we had to pause some of the projects.

Be sure to check out the drone flight through the main building (below).

BIG THINGS LIFEPOINTE!

February 17, 2021

Big week out on the farm!   We had team members from Chicago, Denver and other locations, on-site for a meeting and tour of the facility. Lots of progress being made despite lousy weather.   Fire walls are going up and we are hoping to pour some of the slab and more footings next week.  Insulation will also start going in sometime in the next week or two.  

We also had a team who helped disconnect and relocate the generator on the property.  This generator will later be reconnected to be used at the farmhouse to power our offices in the case of a power outage.

Get ready LifePointe! Big things are around the corner. 

February 2, 2021

WALLS! Actual walls are being built as dividers between the three main areas of the building - Worship Center, Foyer, and KidPointe!

January 30, 2021

Another productive work day at the farm.

January 25, 2021

Footers have been poured for the firewalls that will separate the building into three main areas. Up next? Walls!

January 18, 2021

It's officially GO TIME! Materials have been dropped off by the contractor and construction now begins.

January 11, 2021

BIG NEWS - We announced on Sunday (yesterday) that David Nice Builders will begin work on the farm (riding arena) a week from today (January 18th)! We will be sharing pictures in the coming weeks!

DID YOU KNOW? From the beginning of the process on the farm, we have looked for ways for us to save money without impacting the overall integrity of the project.

We took on much of the work at the farmhouse ourselves, saving close to $100,000!

In December, a group of people from LifePointe spent time doing demo work at the riding arena and stables, getting things ready for construction. This involved the removing of the spray system, kick wall, pavers and more. By putting forward our sweat (and sore muscles) into the project, we were able to save well over $10,000 additional dollars.

We were also able to salvage much of the lumber (have you seen the price of lumber these days!) during our demo work, as well as all the pavers. We plan to use the lumber and the pavers in the new building. This will save us even more money!

Thanks to all of the individuals who have come out and worked with us on this project (you know who you are!). We have kept the teams small due to COVID. However, in the coming months, there will be additional opportunities for you, our LifePointe family, to help us get some work done while also saving us $$$$. Stay tuned.

November 21, 2020

Another day of demo work at the Farmhouse. New roofing, new trusses, new flooring, lots of brush and trash being picked up and many hands - both young and "not so young" - helping to make things happen.

January 25, 2020

Demo work begins on the Farmhouse. This building will be completely renovated and will become the new Ministry Center, housing the LifePointe staff offices, meeting spaces and more.

August 15, 2020

Demo work continues in the Farmhouse. Walls come down and the basement gets an overhaul - prep work for filling in the foundation.