ABOVE: The Community Church broke ground in late October on the first of two buildings planned for its three-acre site on Community Drive. RIGHT: Pastor Matt Shapton and Charlie Fote. STEVE MITSKAVICH/BABCOCK RANCH TELEGRAPH
The Community Church (TCC) broke ground in late October on the first of two buildings planned for its three-acre site on Community Drive. About 200 people attended the ceremony for the first church building to be constructed in Babcock Ranch. When completed, the $3 million, 6,000-square-foot building will serve as a sanctuary for religious services and a hub for the many service projects its members undertake. It will also serve as a meeting place for various community groups, including the local Boy Scout troop, and a safe venue for other gatherings, such as recovery groups, which are currently held in private homes.
The building will have a small kitchen to accommodate the monthly volunteer sandwich-making effort, which prepares and packs food for the Community Cooperative in Fort Myers and Charlotte Cares in Punta Gorda. Annually, the group prepares about 18,000 sandwiches to fight local food insecurity. This operation is also currently conducted at members’ homes, along with other projects they undertake.
According to Pastor Matt Shapton, the building is planned to open in the fall of 2026. Future plans include a second building of up to 16,000 square feet, which will become the main worship center. Also planned on the site are an outdoor prayer garden overlooking the lake at the southern edge of the property and a meditation labyrinth…