Freedom Fellowship’s plans for a new church building got a boost from the Wildwood City Commission on Monday as commissioners granted its request to be annexed into the city.
The church has been meeting under a big white tent on its seven-acre property on County Road 462 north of NE 81st Boulevard. Before the annexation vote, the property was part of unincorporated Sumter County and just outside Wildwood city limits. Becoming part of the city will allow the church to apply for a zoning change that will enable it to move forward with plans to build a 500- to 600-seat church and parking lot on the site.
The land is currently zoned Sumter County RR5C, the county’s designation for low-density rural residential with conventional housing. Churches are permitted uses in Wildwood’s “institutional zoning” category as well as in all its commercial districts and most of its mixed-use districts. Other zoning districts would require special exception hearings for churches, said Wildwood Development Services Director Melanie Peavy.
If all goes well, construction could be underway in the next four to five months, said Freedom Fellowship lead pastor Melvin Whittington.
A new building will help the church grow beyond its current 300-plus member congregation, which includes a large contingent of Villagers. The opportunity to worship in an air-conditioned environment also will be a welcome change for members who have been braving the summer heat with the help of four large fans positioned around the existing tent.
“We can’t wait,” said Marty Fields, 64, who joined the church nearly two years ago, attracted by its unabashedly conservative and patriotic stance on moral and cultural issues.
In addition to its Sunday morning services, which also are livestreamed, the church produces a Wednesday night podcast on news and prophecy titled Getting Ready, which reaches 4,000 to 5,000 homes weekly.
Founded in 2017, the church previously held services at the Lady Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church under a lease agreement.
For more information, visit the church website at www.ffctv.info.