Historic town church opens second campus

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September 3, 2009

Osgood Landing home to Sunday santuary

By Bethany Bray

Lack of parking on crowded, busy Sunday mornings has been a growing challenge at the Free Christian Church. Now, it has a solution.

The Elm Street church is opening a second campus at Osgood Landing on Route 125, the former Lucent building in North Andover.

"Overcrowding is a great problem to have," said Jon Paul, campus pastor at Free Christian. "When the parking lot is crowded, that's a good problem. It means people are coming together to gather, to worship, to support each other and serve together."

Starting Sunday, Sept. 20, Free Christian will be a "multi-site church", sharing pastoral staff, a board of elders and overall vision and purpose, said Paul.

"We are saying we'll be one church, two locations," he said. "We feel God is calling us to make this move."

Free Christian has three worship services every Sunday morning at its 103-year-old building at 31 Elm St. On an average Sunday, the church attracts total of about 1,000 worshippers and Sunday School students.

A 10 a.m. service will move to Osgood Landing on Sept. 20, along with corresponding children's activities and classes. The 31 Elm St. church will host services at 9 and 10:45 a.m., and Senior Pastor Jack Daniel alternate every other Sunday between the two campuses.

Campus Pastors Jon Paul, in North Andover, and Andy Wescott in Andover, will preach Sundays when Daniel is at the other campus. Sermons, Sunday school curriculum and even music will be duplicated for both sites, so all members receive the same message and worship themes.

Roughly one-third of Free Christian membership comes from North Andover or towns north or east of Andover, said Paul. Once the North Andover site opens, members may attend either campus, regardless of their hometown.

A group of members ready to begin worshiping in North Andover has been meeting with Paul over the summer.

Free Christian has leased Osgood Landing's 300-seat auditorium, several rooms and a dining hall area for Sunday morning classes and a nursery. The space is roughly the size of the Elm Street sanctuary.

Other tenants in the building have access to the auditorium during the week, said Paul, so Free Christian will set up and break down their church setting every week, storing items behind the auditorium stage. An unforeseen blessing of creating a second campus, said Paul, has been seeing members step up to volunteer for newly-created music and teaching positions.

Started in the 1840s as a gathering of abolitionists - hence the word "Free" - Free Christian members worshiped in several locations, including a church on Railroad Street that is no longer standing, until settling at 31 Elm St. in 1906. In 2001 and 2002, the church added classroom space and expanded its lobby.

Roughly two years ago, leadership at Free Christian knew something had to be done about the church's crowded Sunday mornings and parking issues, said Paul. Adding onto its existing facilities was not an option. Church members also did not feel lead to move their entire church to a new location, or do a traditional "church plant," where a second, separate church is started with members from the first, said Paul.

A multi-site church was decided upon in 2007, and plans were set in motion.

"After a year of praying and listening to the pros and cons, we decided on this type of ministry," said Paul. "We want to continue to be welcoming, inviting people to our faith community. It's primarily about people, not facilities.

"North Andover made a lot of sense. We want to replicate what we're doing here, in a new place," he said.

Free Christian Church is part of the North Andover clergy association, and Paul has been meeting with ministers from North Andover churches over the summer, who have been very supportive, he said. Free Christian's intent is to fill North Andover church with its their own members, and not pull membership from existing churches, said Paul.

Free Christian held an Easter service at Osgood Landing last spring, which went well, said Paul. They had roughly 260 adults in attendance, plus children, for the service - and plenty of parking.

Free Christian Church is a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.