The chair of the fundraising campaign — a key driver behind Christ Presbyterian Church’s vision for creating a lasting presence in downtown Santa Barbara — passed away before the church crossed the financial finish line. Cost estimates had ballooned to double what Christ Pres had expected after years of planning and praying.
Pastor Kyle Wells was wrestling with how to tell members their best efforts and $4 million in pledges were still only half of what the church needed for its new building.
Should the church, with just over 200 attendees, take out a massive loan? Alter the expansion plans? What about simply relocating to cheaper real estate outside the city center?
Wells wished he could talk through these issues with his friend Karl Willig, the campaign chair who had passed away. Willig began attending Christ Pres around 2018 and had become a close friend. Wells knew Willig had been battling cancer, but everyone thought he had more time. After a quick turn in his health, Willig passed on Sept. 10, 2022, at the age of 78.
Minutes before Willig’s memorial service was to begin, in October 2022, a funeral attendee and longtime Willig friend began peppering Wells with questions about the church’s capital plans. With so many people in earshot who did not yet know about the new cost projections, Wells suggested they talk after the service.
The service stretched far longer than expected, and despite Wells’ best efforts to trim verses from songs and shorten his own message, time slipped away. As he hastily finished his benediction, Wells could see the man who was asking about the capital project walk out the back door to catch a flight.
Wells was left to wrestle with God’s will for the project.
A Home in the Heart of Santa Barbara
Christ Presbyterian Church started holding services in Santa Barbara in 1996. The congregation first met in a rented community space and then moved to its downtown home in December 2003. At the time, the church bought two buildings so it could have the corner lot. The church used one building and leased the other to a tenant.
“When they bought the two buildings, it was always the dream to tie the two together when the time was right,” said Jordan Bentley, the church’s director of finance and operations.
After nearly two decades in the building, it was clear Christ Pres was outgrowing it, with closets converted to office space and special services like Easter so full as to violate the fire code.
“We kept kind of bumping up against the ceiling, and it didn’t work to go to two services,” Wells said. “We were going to have to do that, but it would have been a massive detriment to our congregation because in between the services, there’s nowhere for people to go and congregate.”
On a typical Sunday people stay for up to an hour after the service to talk. Changing to two services would have ended this extended fellowship time.
In 2017, the church conducted a study to determine its best next step. Leadership considered whether there were any other properties that would better suit the church’s needs or if God was calling them to expand into the property they already had next door. They found nothing available that was within the church’s price range and did not require extensive renovations.
The congregation also felt that God was calling them to continue being a presence downtown.
“We have a particular role to play in the kingdom here we think God’s called us to,” Wells said.
So the church decided to redevelop the two buildings into something that would fit their needs. In the fall of 2019, the church contracted architects to develop the initial plans. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and slowed down the process. As the church prioritized caring for people and negotiating the challenges of outdoor-only gatherings, the expansion plans were put on the back burner.
Once the church began to gather again for in-person worship, the capital campaign began.
Stepping Forward in Faith
The church quickly supported the project and raised and pledged around $4 million. But then construction costs and inflation rose dramatically. Russia’s attack on Ukraine, for instance, disrupted the supply chain for certain building products and raised the cost of diesel, which is used to operate heavy equipment.
With estimates fluctuating widely, the church decided to hire someone to look over quotes and determine a realistic number. What came back was a new projection of $8 million. It was a devastating blow.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do because our little congregation dug so deep to get to $4 million, and we don’t want to just break their hearts,” Wells recalls.
Wells sought out Willig’s wisdom on this issue, and Willig assured him that everything would work out. But shortly after their conversation, Willig died. In an instant, the project’s biggest champion was gone.
Wells said their relationship had been very much a David and Jonathan type friendship. Willig’s death was a loss of not only wisdom and expertise but also encouragement.
Following Willig’s memorial service, Wells and his leadership team for the project decided they would keep stepping forward in faith. They decided that God still wanted them to remain as a downtown witness and that they should take the next step of getting architectural drawings completed.
“We don’t know how we’re going to get there, but the Lord’s done some amazing things so far,” he said, recalling their thinking at the time. “There might be some detours, and it might take 40 years to get to the Jordan, but we’re going to keep going one step at a time, and see what God provides because we feel like we’re still being responsible in terms of the money, the resources we’ve been given, and the options that we’ve looked at.”
The next week Wells received a text. It was the same man from the funeral. Again, he asked about the capital project. So Wells explained to him their plans and shared some information. He mentioned how much he missed their mutual friend and his wisdom.
“Karl, through sharing his personal testimony of Jesus Christ and sharing what he learned through his continual striving and exploration to know the heart, mind and will of God, was more than a friend for me,” the man responded. “He was an example for me of a life well lived in discipleship to our creator. For me, Karl was a rock, a compass that inspired me to seek God’s will and inspiration more fully.
“In honor of Karl’s love of God, his discipleship and ready testimony of the salvation offered by Jesus, I’m pledging half the estimated $8 million cost or $4 million toward the addition being planned for the church that Karl and Julie love.”
In an instant, God had met the need and wiped away all concerns about whether Chris Pres could or should proceed. The leadership saw the gift as an affirmation of being in God’s will.
“We were all convicted of the original calling and mission of the church to be a presence downtown,” Bentley said. “God’s honored that and made this building project possible.”
The church has moved to a temporary worship space at another location while construction continues. The new space will have seating for more than 350 and include adult and children’s education space. There will also be a large, versatile lobby and a common space for planning, as well as a living room-type area for counseling sessions and prayer.
The art community is important in downtown Santa Barbara, and this rebirth of the two downtown buildings into a new church home will accommodate a gallery space for community events. With increased donations and pledges that have come in, the church has also been able to add a rooftop facility space that can be used by the church and shared with the broader community for special occasions.
“We’re going to just have more opportunities for Christian education and discipleship and opportunities to show hospitality to other ministries in town that don’t have space,” Wells said.
With what has come in already and continued pledges for the project, Wells is optimistic the church can complete the project without going into debt. The projected date for worshiping in the new space is October 2026.
The whole process has been a faith-building exercise for all involved.
“I think we tend to de-emphasize the immediate and present work of God that is active among us, by the Spirit’s power,” Wells said. “It’s been a long journey, but it’s been incredible to watch what God has done.”