Staff Report
An extensive renovation is taking place at Destiny Church to accommodate growing children and teenage ministries. On about 14 acres of property, the church can be found on the corner of 11th Ave. SE and 24th Street SE in Ruskin. In addition to the Worship Center, Fellowship Hall and Administration Building, the church owns four houses on the campus. Due to the scope of the project, it will be done in phases and has started with a section of the former Fellowship Hall that will be designated for Extreme Student Ministries under the direction of Pastor Elias Peña.
Pastor Jerry Lubrano, the lead pastor of the church, said that the renovation has been planned for some time and that ministering more effectively to young families with children is the goal.
“Our reason for being is to be a place for everyone to experience God and to express His love,” he said.
The area will include stadium seating with state-of-the-art sound and lighting for over 100 teenagers for youth services on Wednesday nights. There will also be an area for ping pong and pool tables and a separate arcade area. An existing commercial kitchen will be used for food items that will be available after school.
Additionally, there will be space for young people to do homework after school, and the church intends to offer tutoring services for students needing help.
Phase Two of the project is the renovation of a former residential property that will house some of the church offices.
The final phase is the renovation of the existing administration building that will become the home of Kidz Factory ministry for infants to sixth grade. The children’s ministry under the leadership of Pastor Sarah Sheppard will have up to date touch screen registration kiosks for all the children’s ministries that will be in one building, creating a safe and secure area.
There will be a designated area for family parking and to drop children off in a one-step process to register and attend Kidz Factory services. Infant nurseries will also be available and there will be security cameras throughout the facility. The entire project will take several months to complete.
Destiny Church is known in the SouthShore area for outreaches and support of other ministries such as The Community Cupboard Food Bank, Choices Women’s Center and Shoes for Children at local elementary schools. For more information, call 645-3337 or email jlubrano@destinyag.org.
