Peace Presbyterian Church expands to accommodate growing parish

Peace Presbyterian Church started out as a group of faithful, peace-loving Christians gathered around a kitchen table. Now the church is adding an additional 7,400 square feet to accommodate its growing parish.

Peace Presbyterian Church Pastor Elizabeth Deibert said the new, separate building will seat 350 people and be attached to the existing structure by a covered walkway. The current sanctuary seats about 120 people and they’re “packed in like sardines,” Deibert said.

The group started around a kitchen table more than a decade ago. They moved to regular planning sessions in different locations around the Lakewood Ranch area. After Deibert and her family moved from North Carolina and she was named pastor, the group assembled regularly at Living Lord Lutheran Church on State Road 70.

Over the next few years, staff expanded and Sunday morning worship was moved to State College of Florida, when it was still Manatee Community College. Peace Presbyterian Church moved into its current home at 12705 State Road 64 E., four years ago, which used to be the home of Aurora Ministries.

The church, which currently spans almost 13,600 square feet, is open to host concerts, community group meetings and gatherings for other faith groups. Deibert hopes to host more events after the additional square footage is finished. Construction starts in mid-September and they hope to move into the new sanctuary space by next summer, Deibert said.

The congregation “continues to grow steadily and is drawing a group of people who want to be serious about the Christian faith, but also be peacemakers in the world.” Members travel from all over Manatee County to attend services.

“We do have people who travel from Bradenton and from University Park and we have folks coming from Parrish,” Deibert said. “When the Fort Hamer bridge goes in I'm sure that will make it easier for people from the Parrish area to come this way. But Lakewood Ranch, and just East County, is growing fast.”

From worship services to hosting community events, Deibert hopes the expansion will further the church’s mission.

“We hope to make God known in this hurting world and help build peace in a fractured world, and care for people who are hurting,” she said.

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 10:57 AM with the headline "Peace Presbyterian Church expands to accommodate growing parish."