Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Friends: We believe that the time is right to build a New Fellowship Hall. Since the early 50's, Kokomoor Hall has served our church family and our community, providing a functional fellowship hall and meeting room. However, with its limited occupancy of about 35 persons, we struggled to accommodate four Sunday school classes and a nursery service. We strained to seat our growing congregation for monthly potluck dinners, watching about two-thirds of our congregation drive away after services.  We came short of offering an inviting meeting place for community groups, and the moisture problems and structural conditions of the building worsened with each passing year. Although it is with nostalgia that we watched it come down, we are elated that the fellowship hall we have outgrown will be replaced with a beautiful new Fellowship Hall to match the occupancy of our sanctuary.

For Fellowship... For Community... For Kanapaha...   A New Fellowship Hall will provide much-needed space for our expanded Christian Education program, accommodate congregational meetings and dinners, and attract current and new community groups to utilize this glorious space.  Couples eager to plan their wedding here, for love of the Sanctuary, have long been equally turned off by the inhospitable old fellowship hall.  The New Fellowship Hall will enable Kanapaha to host Weddings, Receptions, Association meetings, and Conferences for both Presbyterian organizations and community groups.  Kanapaha will be able to host Catillions and Talent Shows for area youth, adult Singles Nights, Art Shows, Musical Performances, and Start-up congregations- (afterall, Kanapaha has been the mother church for no less than five subsequent churches!)  Oh yes, and Fellowship!  There will be an open chair for every church goer in the bright, clean new Fellowship Hall on Potluck Sunday.  Room for Everyone, and quite a few more!   With each imaginative new Fellowship Hall use, Kanapaha Presbyterian Church gains new exposure, new visitors, and new members. It is very rare in this age that a small church finds itself with a future so full of promise120 years after its founding.

Handicapped Accessibility The design of the new building has carefully considered the needs of those who have difficulty with mobility.  Restroom facilities have been specially-designed with wheelchair access in mind, and with the floors of both buildings at one equal height, connected by a covered colonnade, wheelchair access to all points between the Sanctuary and the New Fellowship Hall will be effortless in all types of weather.

Thank You! We are thankful for the enthusiasm of the Kanapaha church family for our New Fellowship Hall. The monies pledged thus far have given us an uncommonly sound footing as we embark on fulfilling the dreams our founders never lived to see- But the need for your family's Pledge is of critical importance as we strain our resources to complete this new hall.  At the core of our vision is a desire to serve others as we seek to do the will of Christ. We are convinced that the spirit is at work among us, giving us the energy and inspiration to do far more than we can imagine. Yours in Christ, Capital Campaign Committee

Our Celebrated Past Kanapaha Presbyterian Church was established in 1857 in the sparsely settled countryside of Arredondo. The church was founded by a small group of South Carolina cotton farmers with the Reverend W.J. McCormick as its founding minister. Kanapaha became the mother church of the area, providing leadership to the larger congregations within Gainesville and surrounding communities. Although the 1859 church building no longer remains, the 1886 church is now 118 years old. It boasts traditional wood-frame architecture, original long-leaf pine pews and beautifully refurbished stained-glass windows. Kanapaha’s charm has endured for over 150 years, remaining a cornerstone of an ever-changing community. It is with the utmost respect for the cherished, historic Kanapaha Church that a carefully-designed, carefully planned Fellowship Hall be created.  Consideration has been given to preserve the open greenspaces, to style the new building with the same architectural traits that lend such simple elegance to the sanctuary.  To design a building in such a way as to complement any celebrated historic structure is to adopt the mindset of the original architects- to relate to that undeniable moral character that echoes in each and every hand-cut, hand-crafted timber and trim.  "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and another person is building upon it." I Corinthians 3:10

The Present Exponential growth in the Arredondo region of Gainesville compels our modest church community to find our place in the ever-changing population of business and residential development. Our church is being thrust into the center of a ready-made community, complete with the immense challenges related to growing pains. These challenges will be a major factor in Kanapaha’s future and must be met with open hearts and minds. One critical step in this venture is expanding our physical space, affording us the opportunity to extend the word and love of Christ to our entire community.  "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also." Luke 12:34

Our Glorious Future The idea of a new fellowship hall has been carefully crafted for three years. With Rev. Dr. Graham Hardy reestablishing the building committee, our own Warren Thomas and others designing the plans for our new facility, and our called full-time pastor, Rev. Dawn Conti, continuing the vision, we are ready to proceed with God’s plan for Kanapaha’s future. Our Architect, Gene Davis, and our Engineer, Ralph Eng have signed on to professionally design and engineer our new fellowship hall.  Contractors, Scott Tonnelier and Tom Hunt have lent an invaluable point of view throughout the planning process.  Their expertise has led us surefootedly through a fog of regulations and red tape. Tom Cottingham of North Florida Contracting has agreed to be our General Contractor. The New Fellowship Hall is a perfect marriage between the timeless beauty of our sanctuary and the functional aspects required of a new building. A covered walkway lined with wrought-iron railings will connect the hall with our sanctuary. A gazebo will act as a unifying feature between the buildings, adding to the southern country charm. The building will be crafted in the same architectural style of the sanctuary and will include a large kitchen, much-needed restroom facilities, several individual classrooms, and an open space for multi-purpose activities. "They are to do good,  to be rich in good works, generous and ready to share, thus storing for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life." I Timothy 6:18-19

Commissioning Sunday,  November 13th, 2005 On this important day, Kanapaha Members who agreed to serve their church as Visiting Stewards, are called upon to make their gifts to the New Building Fund and the General Fund.  It is imperative that those who lead in this effort be willing to put their faith and their actions where their words are. Your Capital Campaign Committee's goal is to raise $200,000 over the next four years.  If we receive even half of the gifts typical of Presbyterian Capital Campaigns, we will achieve this goal.  By so achieving, the entire new building will be paid for, fully, in this short amount of time!     Capital Campaign Success Beating Expectations!! The Capital Campaign has witnessed some remarkable pledges.  In the first year alone, Congregation Members and Friends of Kanapaha have made considerable sacrifices, pledging a total of: $371,000. With these gifts and promises, and your participation in the three remaining capital campaigns, Kanapaha Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall will be constructed with a minimum of long-term debt. Thank You, Everyone