By Glenn McGlothlin

glenn.mcglothlin@jessaminejournal.com

After recently purchasing 80-acres of land, Clay’s Mill Baptist Church will be relocating to 1220 Brannon Road in Nicholasville, a process which has been in the works for eight years.

The undeveloped land is situated across from Church of the Savior and the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church. Usher and greeter Kenneth Watts said construction is planned to begin in the next two weeks, weather permitting and the goal is to be in the new facility by September.

Pastor Jeff Fugate, who has lead the church for more than 25 years, said he is looking forward to the move.

“We are excited about the move and about the property and location,” Fugate said. “We had outgrown our church facility and we are still renting on Versailles Road. This is the third year we have had the church here on Sunday.”

When the move is complete, Fugate said the church will change its name to reflect the location change. Once known as Clay’s Mill Road Baptist Church, it will soon be Clay’s Mill Baptist Church, dropping the “Road” to not confuse people of its whereabouts. In the meantime, the church has been renting space at Church of God on Versailles Road.

The move, Fugate said, was necessitated because the church has experienced recent growth.

“We have been out of room for some time,” Fugate said. “This is a large piece of property. We were not looking for 80 acres but this is what was for sale. We found out in October that this property was for sale and was able to get a contract on it in November. We just closed in February.”

When it came to choosing a new property, Watts said location was the most important factor.

“We choose Brannon Road because of its location and ease of access,” Watts said.

Being only a few miles from the church’s campus on Clay’s Mill Road the move will not significantly increase the travel time for its members.

Watts said another reason for choosing the space on Brannon Road was the positive relationship and helpful nature of Jessamine County.

“The zoning board in Jessamine was really nice to work with,” Watts said.

At the new 80 acre location, the church will have space for tennis courts, softball and soccer fields as well as ample space for parking. According to the church’s website, some of their ministries include a bus ministry, camps held near Buckeye, KY, a nursing home ministry and a children’s ministry on Wednesday nights.

Watts said the congregation is also excited and has shown overwhelming support for the relocation.

“They [the congregation] have been very positive,” Watts said. “We have a good leader in Pastor Fugate. The staff is behind it. The congregation is give and give, and even the children are excited.”

Watts said every Sunday, the children come up to the front of the church to lift the roof of a model of the new facility and put their offering inside. Watts emphasized the importance of the younger generation in the project and is excited to see the children’s enthusiasm.