By Shannon Caughey

The more we learn about the Scott Park area of our community/campus, the more excited we get. If you haven’t yet read Erika Nelson’s excellent article, “Scott Park: A Gold Mine on the Brink?” in TCBC’s most recent newsletter, I strongly encourage you to do so. Erika did some research on the Scott Park area and what she discovered is quite intriguing.

A few highlights to whet your appetite…

• The Scott Park area has grown by almost 30% since 2000
• The growth rate of the Scott Park area is 4x that of Champaign County in that time period
• Over 17,000 people live within a half mile radius of Scott Park
• There are currently only two churches within reasonable walking distance of the Scott Park area
• The Scott Park area is currently in the midst of a $12 million renovation as the city of Champaign seeks to make it an attractive section of town that will draw many people

A year ago, the “plan for growth” task force took an interest in the Scott Park area before any of this information was known. They were drawn to the Scott Park area because it seemed to fit TCBC’s ministry niche: a place where community and campus come together, a large population of students with walking distance, and evidence that it is home to a number of international students. Plus, they noticed the lack of many other churches in the area.

As we’ve continued to learn more, our excitement has grown. Undoubtedly, there are many challenges to establishing a second site in the Scott Park area. Even so, many of us cannot shake the notion that this may very well be a door for ministry that God is opening for TCBC.