Brian Vanderhoff's North Fulton Real Estate Blog

Church buys 51 acres on Webb Bridge
by Bob Pepalis.


October 10, 2007
Downtown Alpharetta won't look the same in several years, with Alpharetta First Baptist Church's move 2½ miles east to a much larger property next to Big Creek on Webb Bridge Road just the latest change.

Church members overwhelmingly voted buying 51 acres of land on Webb Bridge road just west of Big Creek and across the street from Alpharetta High School. The 102-year-old church plans a worship center, school, daycare, recreation center with baseball and soccer fields on the site.

Church board member Richard Wernick told Alpharetta Planning Commissioners Oct. 4 that it will take at least three years before the first dirt is turned at the new site.

"Right now our focus is on purchasing the land, then have a fund raiser help us to build the buildings," he said.

The church plans a 1,750-seat worship center, more than double what its Academy Street building can hold. That's important for the 1,800-member congregation, which is growing.

The planning board, led by its chairman, Mike Tomy, offered strong support for the church's plans. Tomy said he advocates larger churches being built in larger master-planned areas rather than shoehorning them into densely populated downtown areas.

The Planning Commission recommended approval for Alpharetta First Baptist's rezoning request. City Council will consider the application Oct. 22.


A connection to Edison Drive on the back of the Webb Bridge property must be gated under a condition approved by the Planning Commission in answer to concerns of the Windward Homeowners Inc. (WHI).

Butch Dumbleton was the first WHI representatives who said while group strongly supports the church's plans, it wants the city to forbid any connection to Edison Drive from the church property which they fear could become a new link between Windward Parkway and Webb Bridge Road.

"We do have a major concern about the access road to Edison Drive. We are trying to prevent any kind of cut through project," Dumbleton said.

Tom Miller, WHI president, chimed in with the opposition. He said even circuitous routes do little to prevent cut-through traffic. Any gate should be a significant structure and secure, he said.

But Wernick said the Edison Drive connection is important, especially to members reaching the church from Windward Parkway. Cut through traffic concerns the church as it is a problem at its existing Academy Street site. A gate may be acceptable, he said.

Alpharetta First Baptist has much work to do before it can move the 2½ miles down Academy Street to Webb Bridge Road.

"We would have to sell our existing facility. Obviously get more detailed plans done, architectural drawings, costing – it just takes time to do all that," Wernick said.

He said preliminary estimates are that the building process will take 18 months.

The church began discussing the property with the seller in May or June. It did not become available until August. Three weeks ago church members voted to buy the land.

Church leaders and members wanted to stay in Alpharetta.

"I think the thing that this site does for us is it keeps us in Alpharetta. We really want to be known as a church that is doing something for the community," he said.

Labels: Alpharetta, Church, First Baptist Church

River church, Milton public safety hold food drive


by Jason Wright write

Summer can be a rough time in the charity business.

Just ask Karen Rupp, the new volunteer coordinator for North Fulton Community Charities, a Roswell-based organization dedicated to helping out local families. During the warmer months – devoid of such charity favorites like Thanksgiving and Christmas – NFCC's food shelves can be bare.

That leaves the roughly 85 families a day who come to the group for dietary staples out of luck. But thanks to Milton-based The River church and the city's Department of Public Safety, this summer was different.

During the month of August, The River teamed with NFCC to sponsor a food drive. Since the new church doesn't have a permanent home yet – parishioners worship at Mill Springs Academy – it used Milton's fire stations, police precincts and City Hall for collection points.

"We were so depleted this summer, and they helped fill us up," said Rupp. "There's a tremendous need a lot of people are not aware of. This is a very affluent area, and people just don't think there's a need."



Want to set up a food drive?
New volunteer coordinator Karen Rupp said anyone who would like to set up a food drive is welcome to call her. North Fulton Community Charities is a wealth of information on collecting food for the needy and how to maximize the impact of the drive.
Call 770-640-0399 X230 or e-mail krupp@nfcchelp.org




Pastor Scott Seeke of The River said that was one of his young congregation's main goals in holding the summer food drive – showing that the need is out there. The pastor had a previous relationship with NFCC from previous congregations and was aware the organization serves 12,000 families a year, so it seemed like a good place to partner up.

"We're the new church in town, and we were looking for something to do," he said. "We went to NFCC ... and they basically said they almost run out of food in the summer."

From there, Seeke said his church started thinking strategically about the best way to have the most impact. When the idea came up of possibly partnering with Milton's new Department of Public Safety to make the drive happen, it all just made sense.

"It's a new city, with these new fire stations, so we figured people would be curious," he said. "They had the facilities and the resources to be a collection point."

All it took was one e-mail to Interim City Manager Chris Lagerbloom, also former head of the Public Safety Department.



advertisement
"He said, 'It sounds great,'" said Seeke. "Within 30 minutes we had it hammered out."

The River had no idea the response the food drive could garner.

"This was a unique partnership that worked out really, really well," said Seeke. "Once the businesses heard about [the drive], they started taking food to City Hall – it really started to get bigger."

Lt. Danny Elliott of the Milton Department of Public Safety said whenever police or firefighters would go to grocery stores, they would tell the managers. He said this word of mouth also helped out, but the lion's share of any credit goes to The River and NFCC.

"The need was identified and the Milton Department of Public Safety wanted to help," he said. "Helping is what we do best."

Rupp said NFCC needs all the help it can get. Though the 85 families a day the charity feeds can only get food once a week, that's still a lot of mouths.

"[The River and Milton] came just at a time when we needed it," she said. "But we give it out as fast as we can get it."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So how much did they raise?

Pastor Scott Seeke said in one month The River church and Milton's Department of Public Safety were able to raise about 200 cubic feet of various food items from four collection points.

"That's a lot of stuff," he said.

Seeke said he knew the basic dimensions of the collection because of how the church stored and shipped the goods. Next year, he said they might try and weigh it.

"I guess we'll just put everything on a big scale when we get it," he said.

Labels: Alpharetta, Birmingham, Charity, Church, milton, Roswell

Francesco Ruffatti's fingers effortlessly glided across the keys and the organ's sound boomed from above. A smile crept across the Italian man's face as he achieved the sound he searched for in the Johns Creek Baptist Church sanctuary.And then he moves on, searching for just the right sound to fit the acoustics of the church."Voicing the organ is a work of diplomacy," said Ruffatti as he peered up at the organ. "Everything has to agree in terms of sound. No sound can contradict another."This has been the work routine for Ruffatti since the 5,696-pipe organ was delivered from Padua, Italy, 12 to 14 hours every day to prepare for the Oct. 21 dedicatory concert when world renowned organist Joyce Jones plays in what is expected to be a packed house at 6 p.m.The organ itself is an exquisite blend of old and new, blending classic craftsmanship and cutting edge technology.Ruffatti and his brother, Piero, operate the Fratelli Ruffatti pipe organ factory in Italy, workplace of 30 employees. They expertly construct the organs from scratch, utilizing techniques perfected since the 1500s.All wood used in the construction is aged five years before it is used.



Glenn Crosthwait, the Johns Creek Baptist Church minister of music, stands in a sea of pipes that comprise a portion of the Fratelli Ruffatti Pipe Organ in the new sanctuary. The dedicatory concert is scheduled for Oct. 21. "It's the old way, but it's the best way," said Ruffatti. "Some of these techniques have been used since the 1500s."The Oct. 21 concert will mark the end of a long journey since the decision was made in August 2004 to purchase an organ.Glenn Crosthwait, the church's minister or music, said they had signed the contract for the organ before the building was completed."So we had the organ before we had the building," Crosthwait said.Crosthwait said very few members of the congregation have actually heard the organ.



"The congregation has seen it go up," he said, "but the console has not been open during a service. I believe the church is awaiting this with great anticipation."The organ arrived from Italy in massive shipping containers and was spread out in the church gymnasium. The pipes range in size from the largest at 22-feet to the smallest that is smaller than a pencil.Crosthwait said seeing the boxes in the gymnasium was the easiest time for him."It's hardest for me now," he said as he looked at the organ. "When it was in the gym that was fine, but it's tough to wait now."Church member Glen Sloan, who will also get the chance to play the new organ, said this type of organ is rare."I don't think there has been one placed in Atlanta since the 1980s," he said. "It's not the largest organ, but I believe it would be in the top four largest in the United States."Sloan said the difference between a pipe and electronic organ is the "feel.""You really can get a sense of the sound with a pipe organ," he said.

The congregation will soon get a chance to "feel" the sound of a pipe organ when Jones performs in the dedicatory concert."We are so pleased that Dr. Jones accepted our invitation to play the dedicatory recital," Crosthwait said. "From the early planning of the new sanctuary and organ until now, it has been our desire that this landmark instrument be used for the praise and glory of God."Senior Pastor William Self said he wanted the new sanctuary to be equipped with an "outstanding pipe organ.""I believe that the pipe organ continues to play a prominent role in vital, relevant, and inspiring worship for today's mainline churches," he said. "Johns Creek Baptist is indeed fortunate to have three gifted organists as members of our music ministry team. I believe that great musicians need extraordinary instruments to deliver inspiring worship leadership, and with the inauguration of the Fratelli Ruffatti organ at Johns Creek Baptist Church, our worship services promise to bring new levels of awe and inspiration in our worship of God."

Labels: Baptist, Church, Johns Creek