Huber Heights voters not impacted by sale of church

Unmatched coverage: We are committed to covering community development in the city of Huber Heights.

The Church of the Carpenter in Huber Heights has sold its building — a move that will not impact 3,000-plus registered voters on Nov. 3 who use the church as a polling location.

New Season Ministry purchased the building for $770,000, and the closing was last week. The property at 5711 Shull Road, which is nearly 10 acres, was initially listed at $950,000 when it went on the market about a year ago.

Three Huber Heights precincts (1A, 2B and 2D) cast their votes at the Church of the Carpenter, according to Jan Kelly, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. A total of 3,242 registered voters go there, she said.

Those voters will still be able to vote there on Nov. 3. The county’s agreement with the Church of the Carpenter expires at the end of the year, Kelly said.

“Hopefully the new owners will still allow us to use it as a polling location,” Kelly said.

Kent O. Johnson, pastor of New Season Ministry, said the church would be willing to make it available for the county to continue using as a polling location.

The 15,000-square-foot building was completed in 1995, but the property is too large and expensive to maintain, according to an announcement on the Church of the Carpenter's website.

The church — which has about 32 members — intends to relocate in Huber Heights, said Tom Baker, an elder. The last service there will be on Nov. 8, he said.

“This is the best move for our congregation, because of the limited number of people we have right now and the size of the property,” Baker said. “For a couple of years, we want to lease and get our finances in order and get re-established.”

New Season Ministry’s current property at 4925 Fishburg Road is about four acres and the building is 12,000 square feet, Johnson said. The church plans to put its building up for sale, he said.

The church’s first service in the new building is tentatively set for Jan. 10, with a grand opening in March.

“This will be a spiritual upgrade,” Johnson said. “This is a strategic move, not necessarily because of numbers, but because of our ministry. There will be a greater opportunity to serve in that location, in that building.”

The property at 5711 Shull Road is zoned planned public and private buildings and grounds.

Huber Heights assistant city manager Scott Falkowski said it would not be necessary for the property to be rezoned since another church will be moving in.