We Are For Flagler

Since the beginning of Epic, we have been defined by who we are for—we are a church for people who don’t do church. Whether people believe in what we do or not—no matter their religious background, political opinion, or lifestyle choices—we want Epic to be a safe place for people to come and explore the teachings of Jesus and grow a real relationship with Him. Over the last decade, we’ve led hundreds of people to make a decision to follow Jesus and are seeing many of them connect with God through our church family.

Since Epic started in 2009, we have also been for our community. We asked ourselves if Epic’s doors were ever to close, “Would our community miss us?” The answer to that question is beginning to be “yes” as we’ve served families, children, students, the elderly, addicts, victims of domestic violence, our first responders, our educators, and others in our county. We’ve served our community through hundreds of projects with strong local partnerships.

Now a new opportunity is before us in this next decade in Epic’s story. We are at a point where the needs of those who attend and those who reach out to us from the community outweigh the capacity of our current resources, staff, and rented facilities.

We believe God is leading us to take even greater steps to impact our community and beyond for Christ. As we enter this next chapter, we invite you to join us. Here is what God has been doing.

FOR THE FUTURE – A Current Timeline OF the major moments towards a permanent home!

• April 2022 – Currently in the phase of making revisions and drilling down on all the details to the floor plans over the next couple of months with all partners for further details involving the floor plan, construction, AVL, and more.

• April 3, 2022 – For Flagler / For the Future – As we enter this next chapter, we invite you to join us in prayer for… 

• April 3, 2022 – For Flagler Celebration Service! Be sure to watch it to hear and see all God did through your faithfulness in generosity these last two years in being For Our Community, For Our Families, and For the Future!

• April 1, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – Let’s Celebrate!

• March 30, 2022 – Met with Space to go over the first round of revisions.

• March 29, 2022 – It was determined that we can’t link to the access road behind the property as it is airport owned.

• March 25, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – Generosity changes lives!

• March 18, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – For Our Families

• March 18, 2022 – BJ’s Wholesale is coming to Palm Coast. It was announced in the press that this regional store which will bring people from within the county and outside the county will be built just around the corner from Epic.

• March 14 to March 30 – Epic staff made their first revisions of the new floor plan

• March 14, 2022 – Kick-off of the Revision Process! All external partners (Space, Collage, Summit, Civil Engineers) are brought into the loop of the direction of the new floor plan.

• March 11, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – How can a space help to transform a life

• March 9, 2022 – Space sent back to us the floor plan and renderings of Epic Church. They nailed it!

• March 4, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – How can I help?

• February 25, 2022 – For Flagler Friday –Faithful behind the scenes

• February 18, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – Lights! Camera! Action!

• February 11, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – Words are powerful

• February 10, 2021 – AVL Company: Summit – We entered into a partnership with Summit as our AVL Company. AVL stands for Audio, Visual, and Lights. Summit understands the power of communicating the life-changing message of Jesus Christ through technology. They work with churches to understand the needs within each of the environments and spaces of the church from the outside to the lobby to the auditorium to children’s and student areas, as well as those joining us online from Flagler County, our state, the nation, and beyond.

• February 4, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – What is the total square footage?

• February 2022 – Space worked on making the changes to the floor plan.

• January 28, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – The Prayer of a Godly Man!

• January 27, 2022 – We sent our major revisions back to Space and they agreed that our changes hit it!

• January 21, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – How was the property selected?

• January 14, 2022 – For Flagler Friday – What is happening at Epic?

• January 2022 – The staff reviewed the floor plan from Space and from it and our meetings in November, we came to great clarity during the month on what the floor plan should be for Epic as we met.

• December 17, 2021 – Space (Architect Company) delivered their first concept of the floor plan.

• November to December 2021 – We vetted several AVL companies that will be used to provide all the necessary audio, video, and lights for our services, children and student areas, and our online service.

• November 3, 2021 – Council approves development south of airport, plans for Citation Boulevard extension to connect Seminole Woods and Belle Terre roads. 

• November 2021 – Space (architect) and Collage (builder) came to meet with us to further define what we want in a building.

• October 2021 – Church Tours – As we got closer to working with our architect, we thought it would be good for us to tour four churches in Jacksonville just to make sure we were comfortable with what we want in a building. We are so grateful we did as it helped us solidify with confidence what we want in a building and prepare for our meeting with Space in November.

• October 2021 – Construction Company: Collage – In October, we added Collage as our construction company. While vetting architect companies, we came across them. It turns out the owner is a Christ follower and has been building commercially so that he can also help to build churches. He has been doing this for almost 40 years.

• September 2021 – Civil Engineer – In September, one of our friends who helped to start Epic said he would help us by being our Civil Engineer.

• September 2021 – Architect Company: Space – After our vetting process, it became apparent that Space was the best selection for our architect company. They were so impressed with the work we had done in our vision document that they took off $22,000 from their normal fees because no one they had come across had done that much work to put their vision into words and diagrams.

• February to June 2021 – From all our research and reading, we came across a book that helped us begin the work of envisioning what we want in a building and what it would be used for. We created a vision document so when we entered talks with an architect company, it would tremendously help us. The document we compiled as a staff came to be about 50 pages. We would use this vision document to help in the vetting process of architect and construction companies.

• March 2021 – For Flagler Revisited Message Series

• January 2021 – In January, we began to reach out to our networks to find at least five architectural firms to begin our vetting process.

• July to December 2020 – We began to work with some of our civil engineers to see about submitting a master site plan so we could at least clear the land. After several roadblocks, it became apparent that we were going to need to start hiring an architect.

• August 2020 – We placed #ForFlagler signs on our new property at 4535 Seminole Woods Blvd., Palm Coast, FL 32164.

• May 25, 2020 – We closed on the 16-acre piece of land in cash!

• May 7, 2020 – We moved into our new offices which would not only be the home base for Epic’s daily operations, but it would help people to easily access our new Care Network. During this time, we were able to help many hurting people during COVID. God knew what would be needed and people continued to be faithful to give! (Office Tour) 

• April 5, 2020 – Total Amount Given in Advance – On this Sunday, the advance gifts given towards the purchase of the land totaled $650,009.86. We had met the goal with $9.86 to spare. Every gift that was given mattered!

• March 29, 2020 – Celebration Sunday – On this Sunday, we shared the results of all the intentions that people had turned in. Our goal was to raise $2.5 million over the next two years and everyone committed to giving $2.8 million.

• March 22, 2020 – We began having Sunday services only online that would last until July 12.

• March 15, 2020 – COVID-19 Strikes – We had our last live service and the schools shut down with COVID. Fortunately, we had started to show our services online. We were given Monday afternoon to come and get our equipment not knowing when we would be able to return. This was in the final crucial month of launching our For Flagler initiatives.

• March 1, 2020 – All intention cards were turned in at the services. (Epic’s Pathway to Generosity) and (Intention Card) 

• February 2020 – In February, we began the For Flagler message series. (For Flagler message series)

• January 2020 – We began to meet with all the volunteers, small group leaders, and everyone who considered Epic their home to inform them of everything we were about to do with the For Flagler initiatives. (Anchor Piece)

• December 2019 – We approached the Elders and the Staff about the For Flagler initiatives. We were about to ask the entire church to participate and we believe that the leaders should go first. At the end of December, these two groups made their commitments.

• September to December 2019 – Before the contract on the land was finalized there was a 90-day due diligence period. We had two civil engineers donate their time to do a thorough review of the property and everything checked out.

• September 20, 2019 – Ten Years of Being Epic! (Ten Years of Being Epic) 

• Second Defining Conversation – As we started to process everything before us with the land, a building, the need for staff, and the need to start a Care Center and Counseling Center, a person said isn’t that the picture you need to let everyone know about? If God is leading you to do those things, then shouldn’t that be what’s the next step for Epic. From that conversation, the For Flagler initiatives were born. We were going to be For Our Community, For Our Families, and For the Future (For Flagler video)

• August 12, 2019 – After much negotiating, we arrived at a price of $650,000 for the Seminole Woods piece of property. The owners originally started at $1.2 million.

• September 2019 – We launched our online services! A great team of people made this happen!

• Defining Conversation – As we talked with the three different property owners, an Executive Pastor from Texas gave us a piece of advice that helped us. He said, “Do you want to be a neighborhood church or a regional church?” As soon as he asked that question, it gave us direction. Our desire has always been to be for Flagler and beyond. That question helped us to zero in on the piece of property that we selected.

• April to August 2019 – We met with three different property owners to begin conversations about purchasing their land. (Church Land Proposal)

• March 2019 – We selected three pieces of property we thought might be the location for Epic.

• February 2019 – After considering what it looks like for a person to drive 25 minutes from anywhere in our county, it confirmed that the Hwy 100 corridor was the best option.

• January 2019 – We began to seek out churches and wise counsel on how we would go about securing a future home for Epic.

• January 2019 – We began looking for property again!

• End of 2018 – We are close to having almost 700 people attending regularly.

• January 3, 2016 – We begin a third service at Buddy Taylor Middle School with almost 600 people attending regularly.

• 2016 – We started looking at several pieces of land, but it was apparent it was not the right timing and some doors closed.

• September 2, 2012 – We began services at Buddy Taylor Middle School with over 400 people in attendance.

• June 2012 – We toured school buildings and Buddy Taylor Middle School became available to rent the day we were touring.

• May 2012 – Major Roadblock – Epic is notified by the Flagler County Association of Realtors building will no longer rent to anyone because of a change in their liability insurance. We only had three months to find another place with over 300 people attending.

• Beginning of 2012 – We realize we may need to go to three services in the Realtors Building.

• January 2011 – Epic moves to two services.

• Starting in 2009 – The Elders began to pray that one day Epic would have a future home!

• September 20, 2009 – Epic began services at the Flagler County Association of Realtors building on Hwy 100 between Bunnell and Palm Coast. We always felt like God wanted us along the Hwy 100 corridor because there were so many churches on the northside of the county. (The History of Epic Church) 

• Ephesians 3:20 – Our prayer before Epic began services has been Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” This was our prayer for this community and beyond!