First Baptist Umatilla Set For $13.5 Million Expansion

    As soon as this coming fall, the First Baptist Church of Umatilla is expected to break ground on a $13.5 million expansion project. Church members on Sunday voted to proceed with the construction of a new sanctuary and classroom space, culminating years of fundraising, planning, and preliminary site work.
    "We are very excited as a church family," said Brooks Braswell, lead pastor at the church. "This is a historic moment in the almost 157-year history of First Baptist Church Umatilla."
    The project, coming in at around 45,000 square feet, will feature a 1,270-foot sanctuary, classroom space, video and other IT spaces, a water feature for baptisms, a guest center, a warming kitchen, a bookstore, and enough open space for banquets, weddings, and other special events, and more.
    The new sanctuary, which will be located on the east side of the church's current buildings, is just the first of two phases announced this week. Once the new building is finished, the church will turn to its existing events center, which will be renovated to expand its children's ministry, a project that will include adding second-floor facilities that were only roughed in when that building was originally constructed.
    The church has been raising money for the expansion for several years, and officials have reported over $6 million is currently in that fund. In previous months, the church has undertaken some underground utility work in anticipation of the project.
    “Our desire isn’t just to construct a building,” Braswell said. “With God’s help, we are going to build a ministry center that will open doors for us to reach the world with the gospel message from right here in Umatilla!”
    The building project is expected to take around 15 months to complete, with another several months needed for the events center renovation.