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Conference takes new approach to campus ministry centers

Jul. 29, 2005

NOTE: An artist's rendering is available at http://umns.umc.org.

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.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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