Southside Assembly of God, now called Lineage Church, pulled a permit to build in Southpoint after selling its San Marco area property for apartment development .
The last service at the Kings Avenue church in San Marco was on Father’s Day, said Senior Pastor Milton Dykes.
“It was emotional,” he said, but also visionary.
“We had older facilities and we felt after a lot of prayer it was time to move toward the future.”
Southside Assembly of God bought the Southpoint land Aug. 8 for $1.45 million.
Sonlight Construction Inc. of St. Cloud will build up to a 450-seat church at 6851 Southpoint Parkway at a cost of $2.7 million. The city issued the permit Monday.
Construction could take up to a year, Dykes said. The total project cost is $6.2 million.
The structure, comprising 22,623 square feet of enclosed space and 1,918 square feet of enclosed space, is planned on 5.15 acres.
Dykes said that in addition to the sanctuary, the building would include areas for children’s activities; Sunday school and educational rooms; a multipurpose gym; and a large gathering room with a coffee bar, among other features.
Until the new building is completed, the church meets Sundays at the Jacksonville Marriott hotel in the Southpoint area. Small group meetings are held throughout Southeast Jacksonville, Dykes said.
He said Sunday morning worship comprises about 120 people. The new sanctuary initially will seat about 325 people but it can be expanded up to 450 seats.
Along with the new construction comes a new name - Lineage Church, whose mission is “Growing His Family.”
“We felt the Lord was directing us in a more focused vision as it relates to family and growing his family,” Dykes said.
He said “lineage” speaks to heritage from a spiritual standpoint and to a generational connection, bringing together worshippers of all ages.
Dykes said the church began in the 1920s on the Northside and moved to the San Marco area in 1950 and expanded. “We were there for about 68 years, give or take.”
The church sold its San Marco area property for $6 million in March 2018 for development of San Marco Crossing and continued to worship there until June of this year.
Chance Partners LLC can demolish the former church and other buildings on the site for development of a two-building, 486-unit multifamily housing community.
The city issued permits last week for Lockwood Quality Demolition Inc. to take down six structures at 2118 Kings Ave. and 1855 Bertha St. at a cost of almost $178,000.