First Baptist Church of Amarillo provides update on youth center construction

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The new youth center for First Baptist Church of Amarillo is beginning to take shape as construction continues.

The new center, nicknamed The Loft, will be over 77,000 square feet and is funds for the $40 million project came directly from the church.

“Well The Loft has been a long dream, you know any project of this size takes a lot of planning and paperwork, but actually now we’re kind of seeing it rise from the earth,” said Pastor of First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Howie Batson.

While the first two months of construction consisted of mainly underground work, major progress on the four story building has been made.

“We have a sizeable structure that will continue to grow and there’s a lot of excitement at First Baptist, but quite frankly there’s a lot of excitement down town period. This is not just for First Baptist students, this is for all the students in the community,” said Pastor Batson.

Preparation for the sky bridge, which will connect to the church as well as the senior center, is also under construction.

“We’re very excited, we think it’ll be the next big thing down town. We really think it will be a game changer, not just for First Baptist Church but for the entire city, and we’re doing all we can everyday to get this thing open and ready,” said Pastor Batson.

Pastor Batson says the center will be open for all of the youth of Amarillo, whether you attend First Baptist or not.

“A safe space where Christian values and Christian culture is advanced and encouraged, but any child, Christian or not would be welcome as long as they’re willing to follow the rules,” said Pastor Batson.

The Loft is still expected to be completed by late 2024, however, the finish date has been pushed back slightly because of severe weather over the summer.

Copyright 2023 KFDA. All rights reserved.