Savannah Christian Prep Sells DeRenne Campus to St. John Baptist Church
Two leading Christian institutions in Savannah announce the conclusion of a major transaction representing growth and expansion of their ministries. In November Savannah Christian Preparatory School and St. John Baptist Church known as “The Mighty Fortress” concluded an extensive agreement. SCPS sold its DeRenne Avenue campus, facilities and equipment to St. John Baptist Church for $3,200,000. The 14.6 acre campus contains four buildings with classrooms, labs, media centers, a cafeteria, two gyms, and two athletic fields.
“We are both honored and proud to announce this important step in the history of these two institutions of faith,” said Bill Daniel, Chairman of the SCPS Board of Trustees. “Our DeRenne Avenue campus has been home for our Middle & Lower Schools for over 30 years. This transaction not only facilitates the final consolidation of our school onto one campus next August, but it also represents the opportunity for our brothers and sisters at St. John Baptist to expand their ministries to their congregation and the community. SCPS is thrilled that our treasured campus will continue to be a center for worship, Christian education and service to our Lord and the Savannah community.”
“What an amazing location for our church congregation to move to so we can grow to help our current and future church population,” said Dr. George Lee, pastor of St. John Baptist Church. “The campus is filled with love and God’s grace and will be a wonderful place for our church family to call home.”
Under the terms of their agreement, Savannah Christian Prep Middle School will complete the current academic year and then hand the campus over to the new owners at the end of July. Beginning with the new 2017-18 school year, all divisions of SCPS will be together at its Chatham Parkway campus where renovations and expansions of existing buildings are in progress. Currently, the historic building, which was mid-century dorms, will be completely renovated doubling its original size to include nine classrooms and three science labs for the Middle School. In addition the school is renovating the original athletic gymnasium and will name it in memory of Doyle Kelley, the late coach who faithfully served for 35 years. Along with existing campus classrooms, the Middle School will have a dynamic, dedicated presence on the Chatham Parkway campus. “All of us at Savannah Christian Prep are excited to have all of our students on one campus next fall. We could not have hoped for a better partner than St. John’s to purchase the DeRenne property,” said Dr. Chris Harmon, Headmaster of SCPS. “We have had a wonderful relationship with the church and we look forward to working with them again in the future on other ventures that meet the needs of our Savannah community.”
ABOUT ST. JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH & SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN PREP
St. John Baptist Church, also known as The Mighty Fortress, is located in the beautiful historic downtown area of Savannah, Georgia led by their pastor, Dr. George P. Lee III. Their mission is “edify the saints, evangelize the sinners, and equip the soldiers.”
Savannah Christian Prep is the largest private school in the southeast serving over a 1,000 families through their Preschool, Lower, Middle, and Upper School. The administration and staff are dedicated to developing the whole person to the glory of God.