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"We Have a New Home!!!"
August 30, 2005

Pastor Jerry Ashley announced Sunday that DayStar has a new home! A lease was signed today for two units in 75 Old Trolley Rd. Center. Built in 1980 as a garage, the business center has hosted several businesses and offices including food service, entertainment, church congregations and various shops. Today, other active tenants include a hair stylist, a bakery, an insurance agency, an jeweler and a surf shop. And the location, across Trolley Rd. from the Summerville Branch of the Dorchester County Library & near the intersections of Bacon's Bridge Rd. and the Berlin G. Myers Parkway with Old Trolley, makes it convenient, easily accessible and highly visible.

The main unit, #7, has 2,000 square feet of floor space. Most recently home to a consignment shop, it once housed The Coffee Cup video poker room until the legislature of South Carolina banned the games in October of 1999, the same year the present owners purchased the property. The unit has been extensively renovated to be usable and more may changes may be desired over time to help us in our mission. However, because of the portability we have developed, we will be able to make full use of it as soon as we move in. The large open area will serve as the main gathering space with 1 wash room and an office set apart in the rear corners. A large garage type door now borders what will be the front of the auditorium and floor to ceiling windows illuminate the carpeted area of the floor.

The second unit, #6, is home to a baker. The proprietor of the business feels that the 1,450 sq. ft. unit is too large for their needs. In the same complex, a smaller unit becomes vacant soon. So, that tenant will take possession of the smaller space, leaving #6 available by Oct. 1. Besides what is visible from the front door, the unit has a service kitchen with generous counter space, a wash room and has a huge additional room presently fitted as the principle bakery kitchen.

With the signing of this lease, we look forward to ending our time in Rollings Middle School. We appreciate the administration of Rollings and Dorchester School District 2 for renting us the space during the 5 months we have used it. However, there are few who will miss the small, hard seats, the narrow rows or the weekly load-in and out. It will be good to have a place to call our own and to see our own nice padded chairs again.

We also look forward to a facility that we can fully use. This space opens the possibility of a regular meeting place for the Youth, Harp & Bowl prayer times, regular meetings for the Women of DayStar and other community opportunities that the lack of a fixed base of operations has made difficult. In our previous location, we had committed to another fellowship to use the building at least twice a week, requiring that we remove both equipment and ourselves and making a sense of permanence challenging.

Although, the official date of occupancy will be October 1st, there is the possibility that we may be able to begin meeting at 75 Trolley Rd. Center sooner. Please, keep watching this site for developments as they occur.

- dm -