The Covenant Stories #4: The Land

The first big decision Covenant Baptist Church faced after Kenny’s departure was what to do with the land. The early members had managed to save $37,000 toward the purchase of a piece of property. Knowing that they would need a mortgage on a building, they hoped to buy the land with cash. During most of 1992, Danny Scheel had been searching for property in or near Garden Ridge. There were 7 or 8 families from New Braunfels in the church. The rest were from San Antonio. Garden Ridge was in the middle, so it seemed like a logical choice. Two pieces of property were considered but rejected. One was a 5 acre plot right on FM 2252 in the village of Bracken. It was, coincidentally, adjacent to the Bracken Volunteer Fire Station were the church had met for a few months. Unfortunately, this property was completely cleared. There were no trees. This wasn’t a problem for some of the members but others had in mind a church that was more than asphalt and buildings.

The other piece of property was 13 acres that was the same price as the 5 acres in Bracken. It was cheaper because it was not on a major road. If the church bought this land, there would have been a quarter of a mile road from FM 2252 to the church property. I remember that Jeanene and I and a few others loved the idea of the church being a bit off the beaten path. But still others held a more traditional view and felt we should be visible from the main road. Without a clear agreement, the search continued.

Then someone discovered a small tract of land, right on FM 2252. It formed a rectangle with a short side fronting the highway. Five and a half acres, fully wooded. Actually, it was more than fully wooded; it was almost completely impassible. The land was a tangled knot of trees, native shrubberies – generously armored with thorns, brush, and cactus. There was a narrow road down the right side of the property to a small clearing at the back. It appeared that this road and clearing were the only places on the property where a person could go without crawling. Everyone agreed that this seemed like the right place for our church. There were certainly plenty of trees so that whatever we built would be beautiful. And it was right on the main road.

The land was $52,000, roughly $9500 an acre. We were $15,000 short.

One of Kenny’s natural abilities was attracting well-to-do people to the church. At that time the our community included a fair number of people who made good money. A lawyer, a CPA, a very successful New Braunfels realtor, and a number of businessmen and entrepreneurs. One of the wealthier members offered to loan the church $15,000 so we could buy the land before someone else did. The church agreed to pay that family back over the next 12 months with no interest.

With the money in hand, all we had to do was sign the papers. We were a few weeks away from doing so when Kenny fell apart and left.

We were facing our first serious crisis, and it carried with it a thorny dilemma. Should we sign the papers and buy the land without Kenny there to lead us? Would it be responsible to spend the money, particularly since some was borrowed, not knowing what the future held for Covenant Baptist Church without Kenny at the helm? We were forced to ask some hard questions. Why does this church exist? Do we believe that our church has a mission to fulfill? If so, shouldn’t we go ahead even without Kenny? As I said in my last story, a good number of people disappeared almost immediately when Kenny left. But they were mostly people on the fringe of the community who only came because of Kenny. They didn’t provide much help and support for the church. The leadership of the church seemed solid and determined. There was discussion, prayer, and a vote. With or without Kenny, we decided to move ahead with this church. We signed the papers and bought the land.

At the time we thought we were just on the verge of beginning a building project. We simply needed to attract 15 or 20 new families with publicity and flyers, get plans drawn up, and get to work. Even with Kenny gone, we were hopeful and felt that we were beginning something wonderful.

And we WERE beginning something wonderful. In hindsight I see that. It just didn’t turn out to be the kind of wonderful thing we were expecting. We couldn’t see into the future, so we didn’t know that most of the present congregation would be gone in two years. We didn’t know that we were going leave the Duckblind Lounge and wander, homeless, for 4 years. We didn’t know that though we would eventually construct a church building, it would be 8 years before that would happen.

There have been many lessons that our journey with Covenant Baptist Church has taught me. God is not opposed to his children wandering for periods of time. The Children of Israel wandered. Jesus wandered through the desert and on mountains. Even Paul wandered around Arabia in the years after his conversion – his great dark period for which no scholar can account. If you think you know where the Creator of the Universe is leading you, there is a good chance that you will be wrong. And even if you are right about your ultimate destination, you’ll likely be surprise by the wandering route that God has in mind.

The original property, circa 1994 (Click for a larger view)

Our land today. (Click for a larger view)

Tracy Rogers and I at a garage sale at my house, raising money for the land. Probably 1993 I later lost those sunglasses in the ocean. (Click for a larger view)

I looked around yesterday and found the foundation for our original sign. (Click for a larger view)

Uncovering it I found that Ben Chappell, Roy Poston, and I carved our initials in the concrete. I remember thinking, “Someday someone will find this.” (Click for a larger view)

Tagged as: San Antonio Texas, The Covenant Stories