NEW KENT — A New Kent church that is building an “Ark Complex” to pair youth baseball with the gospel is seeking a rezoning to allow signs on its property.
The New Kent Planning Commission gave a favorable recommendation on Aug. 21 to Journey Christian Fellowship’s application to rezone its land at 3020 New Kent Highway in Quinton from residential to business.
Construction is already underway on Journey’s Ark Complex. It will include four baseball/softball fields, a soccer field and a playground and concession stand.
“The Ark Complex will be a complete gospel learning experience with interactive gospel learning stations that will teach the Bible from Genesis to the Cross,” Journey states on its website, arkcomplex.org. “Little league sports bring healthy and broken families alike together in support of the next generation and their growth.”
Amy Jo Martin
Journey Christian Fellowship’s Ark Complex at 3020 New Kent Highway in Quinton will include four baseball/softball fields, a soccer field, a playground and a concession stand. Amy Jo Martin/freelance
Journey hosts a tailgate church on Sundays at the Ark Complex. It also runs a coffee shop, Safari Coffee.
Greg Pulling, the church’s pastor, said the rezoning would bring signs into compliance. Churches can operate on residential property.
“A church is permitted to go into any zone there is,” Pulling said. “At this time, to further promote our ministries with our signs and direct people to us, we feel that zoning business is the best practice for us.”
Pulling said Journey bought the land in 2018.
“Here we are five years later, about $7 million later and we are dying to get our ministry started. We are dying to get the right signage to point people to our ministry,” he said.
Pulling said the ministry has “saved lives” and the mission’s coffee shop has helped addicts. “I have led kids to Christ in uniforms on baseball fields,” he said. Pulling said he has also seen marriages saved on baseball fields.
“We are not in business. We are in the business of saving lives,” Pulling said.
New Kent Planning Director Amy Inman said the rezoning application was submitted because the signs on the church’s buildings are not permitted on residential property. The signs were moved to the new site from a former location.
Ron Stiers, a county supervisor who spoke at the public hearing, said voting against rezoning would not affect the activities.
“Wouldn’t you rather see all these kids out there playing on a ball field than going home after school and getting on the streets, on their video games, and smoking dope?” he said.
Eileen Blixt, who lived near the present church site when she was 5, said she later ran on the fields and holds the cross-country record for New Kent High School. “That was my field. In 33 years I’ve seen it be all kinds of things but all I see now in that field is opportunity, the opportunity for my girls to train in the same field,” said Blixt, who is a member of the church.
The planning commission backed the rezoning with no dissenting votes. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the application.
David Macaulay, [email protected]
