As Ridgecrest Baptist Church shifts its philanthropic focus, its senior leadership made the decision to close Remington’s as a community event center.
What could become of the building is up in the air, said Brian Hatcher, Ridgecrest’s executive pastor.
“As our focus begins to change as a church, sometimes those things that were a focus have to change a little bit, too,” he said. “We’re just seeing God kind of shape us a little bit.”
For Ridgecrest - which has participated in mission trips to achieve its ministry goals and in the past used Remington’s for student and other church services - a change in its senior pastor about a year ago to Chad Grayson meant a shift in its mission to helping orphans across the world, a passion of Grayson’s, Hatcher said.
“Some awesome stuff is taking place,” said Hatcher, who leads the staff and administrative arm of the church. “What we’re doing is launching an orphan care ministry. Part of that move is connecting with both local and international orphanages and helping families adopt children.”
What that means for the more than 30,000-square-foot Remington’s building, 1655 W. Republic Road, has not been determined. It could mean a sale or a separate use for the facility.
“Rather than surprise people in 2016 and force them to scramble, we didn’t want to do that,” Hatcher said of the church’s decision to close the facility to events Dec. 31.
Hatcher declined to speculate how much could be raised for the church should it decide to sell the building. The 9-acre property visible from James River Freeway, which has over 700 parking spaces, does not have an assessed valuation listed on the Greene County assessor’s website because it’s owned by a religious organization.
Once Missouri’s largest nightclub, Remington's was purchased by Ridgecrest in 2004 for $3.3 million, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
Hatcher, who works at the church two blocks away, said events at Remington’s range from 20 to 40 a year and events have held steady in recent years. Events have included concerts and clothing sales.
