The Sanctuary—Opening Easter 2024
In September, we acquired an amazing property at 676 Maryville Pike. And, boy, do we have plans for this 930 sq. ft. space in the heart of Vestal, which we’re calling The Sanctuary.
The Sanctuary is directly across from the Candoro Marble Building. We envision a pay-as-you-can café open for coffee, light meals, and conversation fashioned after the For the Light of the World Café in Cincinnati, which will serve our Vestal neighbors and others passing through on their way from Maryville to downtown or elsewhere in South Knox. It will provide opportunities for job training as our first Teaching Kitchen. There will be a patio and raised garden in the back. We’ll also use the space for after-school programming, small groups, spiritual direction, Bible studies, and other community-oriented activities.
How You Can Help
Bring the Sanctuary to Life
The Sanctuary came to us needing a lot of TLC. We’ve made great progress in clearing trees and getting the grounds ready while we’re waiting on the interior plans to be finalized. We know there will still be a lot of work to do to bring The Sanctuary to the welcoming state we envision. We’d like to secure either through donations or discounts the labor, services, and materials to bring the property back to life. Our target Grand Opening is Easter 2024! Bring some friends and spend some time rehabbing the building or clearing the grounds, or consider helping us with our Sanctuary Wish List. Contact Ben Paddock if you can help.
Projects and Wish List
- Wood and labor to repair wood-damaged exterior
- 80 tons of gravel, which will also need to be spread
- 120′ of 4″ gutter, 60′ of downspouts
- Group(s) to install gutters
- Group(s) to paint interior
- Group(s) to paint exterior
- 30 gallons of exterior paint
- 15 gallons of interior paint
- Group(s) to refinish interior floors, including sanders, sandpaper, polyurethane, and tools to put down the polyurethane
- 6—2″ x 6″ x 8′
- 2—sheets of plywood
- Lumber for an ADA-compliant entrance ramp and a group to install the ramp after the ramp is designed
- 1-2 Dumpsters for renovation work
- Materials for raised bed gardens
- Labor for garden preparation
- Group(s) to help with wall removal on the interior and foundation support
- At least one window replacement
- Group(s) and materials for possible bathroom tear out and rebuild
- Commercial toilet, vanity, mirror, towel holder, toilet paper holder, soap dispenser
- 4 fan lights
- Stove, refrigerator, washer, dryer, quick cook ovens
- Cabinets and hardware
- Alarm system
- Tables, chairs, and interior design items
- Chalkboards and/or whiteboards
Give Financially
This property was not listed, and we had to act quickly to purchase it. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we secured $75,000 of the $156,000 purchase price. Help us complete the purchase to ready The Sanctuary for our neighbors! Gifts can be given online using the link below, or they can be mailed to the attention of Jenna Martin, BLOC Ministries, 911 W. 8th St., Cincinnati, OH 45203. Please designate “BLOC Knoxville Sanctuary Project” in the memo line. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
We’re so excited to create this space of connection, community, and transformation in Vestal. We’ve created a downloadable brochure with more information and to make it easy to share the vision with your family, friends, and colleagues. Click the button below for your copy.
