THE HEART
Over the past several years, Ravencrest has continued to grow! All credit to God for that. In order to better meet the needs of the ministry, our staff team has grown as well, whether by adding children, marriage, or simply brining in new faces to fill new roles. The need for thoughtful, flexible, and suitable housing for the wide range of people who serve here was made apparent.
Our staff body is dynamic, including couples, individuals, small families, and larger families. These realities shift and thus housing needs shift also. Because of this, it has long been on our hearts to provide housing that is not only practical, but also a blessing for those who have committed their lives and time to serving at Ravencrest.
Our hope for staff housing is simple - We want each staff member (and their families) to walk into their living space and feel at rest, glad to be there, and well cared for. While our intention is not to provide luxury accommodations, we do deeply value spaces that are comfortable, functional, and supportive of life and ministry. Much of the ministry here happens around dinner tables, and through hospitality. Our heart is to support that! As we’ve continued to grow, we’ve explored many options for expanding our housing capacity. These have included - building on nearby, Ravencrest own property, expanding on campus, and other creative solutions without clear open doors in any of those directions. One hope/option that consistently rose to the top was the home at 701 Pole Hill Road
THE HOME
701, built in 1989, is a 3,210 sqft, five-bedroom, three-bathroom split-acomidation home. This layout makes it especially well suited for Ravencrest’s needs being able to comfortably house a larger family in the upper level while also accommodating a smaller family or several individual staff members in the lower level with completely separated quarters and amenities. The home has been well cared for and it is move in ready!
The location is also ideal. The home is approximately a five to seven minute walk from the main campus and is a neighboring lot to Ravencrest owned property. Over the years, Revencrest has rented space in 701 to house staff at different times, depending on needs and availability. Now, we hope for that to be its full time use, God willing!
When 701 became vacant and the owner planned to use it as a short-term rental, we reached out to explore the possibility of purchasing it. At the time, the asking price made that option unrealistic, so we continued to pursue other housing solutions.
More recently, with new staff arriving and housing needs becoming more urgent, we revisited the possibility of 701. After renewed conversations, the owner was willing to negotiate on price, bringing the opportunity into a range that felt more reasonable and responsible. This opened the door to take meaningful steps toward securing this home as long-term staff housing.
We are excited that an offer has been accepted and we are on the path to close on 701. No ink yet, but trusting God as we walk in prayer and faith that this indeed is His provision for our need! Your prayers are coveted and your financial participations is equally appreciated. We trust that God will continue to lead the way as we faithfully walk forward in hopes that He entrusts this great asset to our care and stewardship.
