Edmond Urbanist sat down at Empire Slice on a rainy spring day with Jeff Lawrence, senior pastor at Redemption Church in Edmond. The church, which has 400-500 regular attendees and six staff members, recently celebrated 10 years in Edmond in January.
He noted that the church has a strategic location in downtown Edmond, as its central to its membership throughout the city and central to the growth happening in the city’s urban core. The church at 117 West Main St. sits next-door to the Oxlley Apartments, which are set to open to new residents this summer.
“We’re along for the ride in a community that’s growing rapidly and adapting through change,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence grew up in Edmond and went on to serve with churches in Texas and North Carolina. His family moved back to Edmond when he and his wife decided “Someone should start a church here.” Redemption Church started meeting at John Ross Elementary in 2014 and then eventually moved to Cheyenne Middle School and later the University of Central Oklahoma.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were closed, the church hosted gatherings at unusual locations like Evoke and the Edmond Railyard. Church leaders prayed earnestly about a permanent home, and the membership began a capital campaign in summer 2020 to raise funds to buy a piece of property.
“God provided. He slammed some doors to open other doors for us.”
Though church staffed had officed in at Vault 405 in downtown Edmond for many years, it wasn’t until they were approached by David Chapman and Matthew Myers that the idea of locating in the urban core took flight. The pair showed Lawrence and church elders a commercial property - the old Jerry's Auto shop just west of the BNSF Railway on Main Street.
“They showed us the building and asked us to pray about it. We did and felt it was the right move for our mission and decided to trust the Lord with the plan.”
Thomas Small was the architect and AC Owen was the contractor on the renovation. Work took about 10 months and the church moved into its new home in October 2023.
“There were initial concerns about access and parking, but folks have figured it organically how parking works in a downtown setting. There’s parking on the streets, and at the Railyard, Icehouse, and Oxlley parking garage.” Lawrence said. “And there’s more and more folks living in the urban core walking here to visit.
The church has maintained a good relationship with Edmond schools, and is now partnered with Ida Freeman Elementary, which doesn’t currently have an organized PTA. In the past, the church has hosted a giving tree for students each year and loaned audio/visual equipment to schools for big productions. At Ida Freeman, they are currently seeking to encourage the teachers and also participating in the school's mentoring program.
Lawrence said the church volunteers with local nonprofits and is looking at how it can maximize the use of its physical location for local mission work.
“We want this building to be used by the community during the week,” he said. “Being downtown puts us in the heart of the city and in the middle of a lot of life.”
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