Lakewood Ranch church seeks to expand

LAKEWOOD RANCH- Barely a decade old, Peace Presbyterian Church of Lakewood Ranch expects to have many growing years still ahead.

A public notice at the entrance of Peace Presbyterian Church at Lakewood Ranch informs passersby of a Manatee County Commission meeting about the church's expansion plans. (Staff photo/Dale White)

To prepare for that growth, the church will present expansion plans Thursday to the Manatee County Commission calling for a new sanctuary and fellowship center at its current location, 12705 State Road 64 E.

The Rev. Elizabeth Deibert, who moved from North Carolina to become the churchs pastor, believes those expansion plans are warranted. Neighborhoods are springing up all over, she said of East Manatee.

Having also started a church in Alabama, Deibert gladly became a Floridian when she accepted the position 10 years ago.

I found starting a new church in Alabama to be a very meaningful experience. Its a challenge and an awesome responsibility to establish the DNA of a church.

Peace Presbyterians brief history is one of rapid growth and change, much like that of Lakewood Ranch and other East Manatee communities.

In 2003, Gary and Junie Miller and other potential parishioners started talking around kitchen tables about a new church in the Lakewood Ranch area in the Presbyterian USA denomination.

The Rev. Elizabeth Deibert on a lakefront portion of property owned by Peace Presbyterian Church of Lakewood Ranch that will be used for a new sanctuary and fellowship center. (Staff photo/Dale White)

The Presbytery for this region approved their efforts, as did our sister churches in the Sarasota-Manatee area, Deibert said.

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Lakewood Ranch church seeks to expand