New England's Warehouse Churches
Riverside Christian Church
Merrimack, New Hampshire

This is the second in a series of interviews with churches who meet in warehouse settings in New England. Ray Pouliot is Lead Minister of Riverside Christian Church, which launched in the Fall of 1991 at the Merrimack High School and moved a year later to their present location--27 Depot Street, Merrimack, NH. Ray is a native New Englander who left his own contracting business to prepare for and enter the full-time ministry.

Ray, why would a new church want to meet in a warehouse?

The warehouse was not our first choice. We looked at many different rental properties but realized that even signing a lease was challenging because we had little money and averaged 40-50 in attendance in this beginning stage. After a six month search we looked at this Business Park.

What was the process like, locating in the warehouse?

What ultimately led us here was the amount of space available at an affordable price. We discovered it was easier for us to purchase rather than lease because by owning the property we would not have to pay property taxes (which are huge in New Hampshire). Even a not-for-profit organization has to pay property taxes if they are leasing from someone else. This currently saves us about $12,000 a year. The unit we were considering was also a new construction which meant there would be no expense of rehabbing an older building. The building was up to code and the 3,200 square feet were designed to fit our needs. Three or four years later, running over 100 in two services, we began the search for a larger facility. At that same time two adjoining warehouse units came up for sale and it was like God telling us to stay where we were. Again the price per square foot was far less than it would cost for build-out in an older building in another location. Of course we did not need two additional units at the time, but part of the property came with a lease for a company already located on the property, so we continued collecting on the lease until it ran out. In 2000 and 2001 we enlarged our space to 12,000 square feet with seating occupancy for 260 in the worship center. In 2007 the church was outgrowing the space used for children and youth and needed adult meeting rooms, so we started considering other properties. Once again another warehouse unit became available--none had come on the market since 2001. Thus, we purchased our fourth warehouse unit which is currently under construction. All four units are in one building and provide a total of 16,000 square feet of space. The newly acquired space will house our Family Life Center: Youth Department, Food Pantry, Fellowship Ministry, kitchen, and additional meeting space for adult ministries. With the relocation of the kitchen and food pantry, the sanctuary will now seat over 300. Once again God seems to be providing for us to stay here.

What have been the advantages and disadvantages of meeting in this warehouse?

In addition to getting affordable space and acquiring more units as we grew, we have had the advantage of being part of a commercial condominium complex where all of the units own the land in common with association fees covering fire insurance, exterior building maintenance, summer maintenance, trash collection, and snow removal. Since some people may be suspicious of a church that meets in a commercial park, even a more high-end park like the one where we are located, we have tried to find creative ways to get people to come inside and check us out. So we have done things like indoor yard sales--a big attraction in our community. Hundreds of people come to our indoor yard sales. We also broadcast our weekly worship services on local cable television, Channel 23 out of Manchester and Channel 22 in Merrimack. In the beginning people would find our church through the phonebook, then it was the internet, but today 50% of new visitors come through our telecast. And a growing number of visitors are saying, "We saw you on TV and thought we would come check you out for ourselves."

With all of the additions to the space we use each week, we have never had to relocate even temporarily while construction was taking place. The Church has a good relationship with the Condo Association and has been viewed favorably with the nice features we have added, like attractive new entrance ways. So the Condo Association encourages the Church's presence in the park because we are good neighbors.

Ray, what kind of relationships has the church been able to develop with the other businesses in the warehouse park?

I have been on the Board of Directors of the Condominium Association from the start and served as the first President. I now serve as the Business Manager for the complex which gives us a significant voice in how the condominium fees are spent and costs have been kept affordable. I know all of the owners by name and see them regularly when collecting the monthly condo fees. As a result, some owners and employees have attended and even become members of our church. One of the large companies in the park is collecting food for the Food Pantry and last year donated a truckload of Christmas gifts to our Angel Tree Program. Another company in the park dealing in high efficiency lighting for commercial properties helped design the lighting for our new and existing units and donated many of the fixtures.

Do you find that individuals are anxious to move on to the next facility, or are they content with where you are located?

The majority of the people at Riverside want to stay here. Last Fall when we announced that we were staying here and purchasing an adjoining warehouse, the people were overwhelmingly supportive. We took a small mortgage to purchase the fourth warehouse unit and asked the congregation to make pledges of $40,000 to do the internal fit-up for the Family Life Center. The pledges were received on Thanksgiving weekend and they gave $79,000.

The Elders are very vision minded and open to the leading of God. Thus, they continue to search for what is available. We have had our eyes on shopping plazas. At one point we were very close to entering into a deal with such a situation.

How will the design and usage of the warehouse layout influence the design of your next structure?

Moving into our first warehouse space 16 years ago gave us permanency in the eyes of our members and the eyes of the Merrimack community at large. Originally, we thought that we would be in this warehouse space for only five years. The church is in a seven-year plan and with our present expansion we should have adequate space for the next five years before needing additional space.

For more information, go to the church's website at www.riversidechristian.com.