Conference takes new approach to campus ministry centers
July 29, 2005
By Mayerene Barker*
LOS ANGELES (UMNS) — Area United Methodist officials hope they have discovered a revolutionary new way of financing the rebuilding of decaying campus Christian centers and expanding religious life on college campuses.
Members of the church’s California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference, meeting in June, approved a resolution allowing the construction of a $19 million Wesley Foundation at San Diego State University at no cost to the conference. The resolution calls for the transfer of ownership and control of the two properties the conference owns on Hardy Avenue and Lindo Paseo to a newly formed public benefit corporation, the Wesley House Student Residence Inc., which would sell one of the properties to help finance construction. Other financing would come from the sale of tax-exempt bonds.
Plans call for a four- or five-story building with underground parking and low-cost student housing, with 5,000 square feet for ministerial purposes on 60,000 square feet. Planners estimate rental from the housing units would generate more than $100,000 a year for the conference.
The property is located within the San Diego State University Redevelopment Agency area, and the plan has been endorsed by the San Diego City Council.
“It’s quite a unique concept,” said conference Treasurer Dan Gara. “The use of a project with a separate corporation, together with bond financing, is a proven way to finance projects of this type without risk to the annual conference.”
The conference will not be a borrower or guarantor on any of the development financing.
“We believe it will be a model for other campus ministries, not only for our conference, but in other conferences,” Gara said.
The Hardy Avenue property would be leased to another newly formed public benefit corporation, Wesley House Campus Ministry Inc. The other lot on Lindo Paseo would be sold by the corporation to help purchase two lots next to the transferred land on Hardy Avenue for low-cost student housing and the new Wesley Foundation building.
“This project demonstrates a creative spirit and bold vision to do ministry with and for young people at the university campus in the 21st century,” said the Rev. Keith Andrew Hwang, conference director of connectional ministries. “It will add new energy and vitality to our annual conference, especially to the campus ministry program.”
Project consultant Gil Ontai said what is “really unique” is that two corporations, one non-religious and one religious, had to be created to complete the proposal presented to the Cal-Pac Conference because of federal tax regulations. Both corporations will have the same board of directors appointed by the conference.
“You can’t have any better control than that,” Ontai said. “The conference has become a developer in a sense.”
Wesley House Student Residence Inc. will attempt to acquire two lots next to the Cal-Pac-owned property on Hardy Avenue and Campanile Drive in order to obtain the 60,000 square feet the new Wesley Foundation will occupy.
The project, part of a major redevelopment project at San Diego State, has been in the planning stages for about three years. “Redevelopment areas present unique opportunities to enhance campus ministry with the provision of student housing,” Ontai said. “The university is particularly interested in providing more housing.”
At first, the SDSU Community College Redevelopment Agency wanted to move all religious buildings to a single location as a planned religious community.
“But we didn’t want to move,” Gara said. “We are in an absolute, prime spot right at the entrance of the university.”
The conference convinced the agency that the plan had merit. “The Wesley Foundation has been on the SDSU campus for 70 years, so we’re excited about building a center that will serve our needs, as well the housing needs of 130 or more students for another 70 years,” said Norman Wollitz, secretary of the College Community Redevelopment Project Area Committee last year. Wollitz is a longtime Wesley Foundation volunteer.
Ontai said that once certain legal matters are completed, the agency can hire an architect and start designing the building in two or three months. Construction probably will begin in about a year.
“We’re looking at move-in in September 2007,” Ontai said. “I think this is an important lesson we can all learn … in how to expand campus ministry and be good neighbors.”
The Rev. Beth Cooper, pastor at Wesley Foundation in San Diego, told the conference that her vision for campus ministry is in the form of a “WOW” program — worship, outreach and wellness. Her plans include worship in Vietnamese, Korean and Spanish, a food ministry, scholarships, healing arts and exercises, and a 12-step recovery program.
*Barker is editor of the California-Pacific Annual Conference’s monthly newspaper publication, Circuit West.
News media contact: Linda Green or Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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