What’s the hold up?: An update on construction
Posted September 24th, 2025
When we created The Clarksburg Yard, our hope and vision was that it becomes a landmark of hospitality and community life. A place people point to and say, “That’s where I found friends, where my kids grew up playing, where neighbors came together, where I encountered the presence of community and kingdom that is altogether different.”
In 5 years, we envision families making memories in the play space and a thriving coffee shop drawing people into connection. In 10 years, we imagine deep community partnerships and people finding a spiritual home through relationships built at The Yard. In 20 years, we hope the next generation of Clarksburg will have inherited a place that has shaped their identity, their sense of belonging, and their faith. When Jesus announced his mission here on Earth, he stood in the synagogue and proclaimed:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
If the proclamation of Jesus is good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, and sight for the blind, what is good news for our Clarksburg neighbors? How do we love them in a way that they too experience this good news? What would good news be for them? It was these questions that gave way to an explorative journey to figure out how our Clarksburg neighbors might experience love and recognize the Good News of Jesus. What kind of thing could we do/bring that would be GOOD NEWS to people in Clarksburg.
Bringing Our Vision to Clarksburg
Over the past 20 years, Clarksburg has grown from 3k to 46k residents. This growth has outpaced the necessary infrastructure for community development, resulting in disconnected residents and limited opportunities for community engagement, youth development, and social interaction.
We made a hypothesis: If we could strengthen local connections and provide more opportunities for engagement, we could aid in fostering a resilient and more connected community—this would be good news to residents.
In response to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, we believe that our 9-acres of land, located in the heart of Clarksburg, was the talent that we as servants of the King had been given. The Clarksburg Yard is Clarksburg Church’s way of investing what we have been given for Kingdom purposes of proclaiming good news to Clarksburg residents.
Our hope is that The Yard will give neighbors a place to be loved and connected regardless of their background, story, or religion. Ultimately, we are hoping that the foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven’s welcome and love that people experience at The Clarksburg Yard might lead to their desire to know more about this great King. If this leads them to other places where the Good News of Jesus is proclaimed, great. If this leads them to journey with those who call Clarksburg Church home, we open our arms to them.
where are we in the process right now?
We’ve moved from dreaming and design into the early stages of implementation. Permits, site plans, and funding pieces have all taken time to align, but the groundwork is being laid for construction to begin.
We currently have secured about $400k for Phase 1 (this includes the two outdoor spaces that immediately surround the future cafe and the cafe itself). Right now we are waiting on civil and MEP drawings to be finished for the outside space, while simultaneously working to select a General Contractor to oversee the entire project. Once the drawings are completed, we will apply for permits for the outside area. The construction of this space will take 3–4 months to complete after construction begins. This puts us in a good position to see this completed outside space in full use by next spring.
The Café is a bit of a different issue. In order to realize its full potential, we are waiting for our zoning to be changed by the county, which should happen as a result of larger county conversations. The timeline for this has been postponed, so it is unlikely we will see the Café break ground until Fall of 2026—but I hope for sooner.
What’s Next
While we wait on permits and zoning, the work doesn’t stop. We will continue applying for grants and each new partnership strengthens our momentum. We’ll also keep developing programming like our farmers market, yoga classes, festivals, trivia nights, and community walks. And this spring, Clarksbrew Coffee Cart will return with regular weekly hours on the church porch, growing both a team and a customer base that will carry into the Café.
The vision remains the same, even if the construction timeline has stretched. Every step forward is still a glimpse of the Kingdom welcome we dreamed of from the start.