Cover Story
February 12, 2021
Finding a home in Hendricks County:
By Lindsay Doty
When leaders of Traders Point Christian Church look at the old Marsh grocery building off Stafford Road and 267 in Plainfield, they see much more than an empty supermarket. They see new beginnings.
“Our hope is that Traders Point West will be a light to the Plainfield community, that we will be a place where people can find hope in Jesus, where people can be inspired and equipped to be true disciples of Jesus and that this move will help make Plainfield a place where people will want to live, work and raise their families in,” said David Cupp, campus pastor for Traders Point West.
The multi-site Chrisitan church that has four physical locations across Central Indiana, along with Traders Point online, announced in January the purchase of the former Marsh Supermarket property at 2002 Stafford Road in Plainfield.
The 49,904 square-foot building sold for $1.65 million, according to records from the Hendricks County Assessor’s Office.
The church plans to start redeveloping the space in March for its permanent west campus.
“While we are certainly excited to have a permanent home for Traders Point West, we know that this building is simply a tool that God has given us to bring the hope of Jesus to as many people as we can,” said Cupp.
The former Avon High School teacher turned full-time minister has led a temporary west campus for nearly four years at Avon North Middle School.
The church started renting the space in 2017 after Cupp pitched the idea to Avon Community School Corporation leaders. He says it was much needed.
“The west side of Indianapolis had one of the largest groups of people driving up to our campus in Whitestown on a weekly basis to attend church. Having to drive longer than about 15-20 minutes to attend your home church really limits the ability of our people to get connected at a greater level through being in a group or serving and really hindered their ability to invite their neighbors, co-workers, family and friends to attend church with them,” said Cupp.
Kevin Carr, ACSC spokesperson, praised the partnership.
“From the outset, TPCC West has said they want to be a blessing to our school community, and they have backed that up. They’ve always been great to work with,” said Carr.
The school district has no plans to host another church at this time.
According to church leaders, Traders Point identified Plainfield as an ideal location for the permanent home of its west campus because of the number of people who are traveling more than 20 minutes to attend church and its proximity to the Interstate. According to its demographics, there are 160,000 people in the Plainfield area who aren’t connected to any local church.
“Locating our west campus in Plainfield enables Traders Point to reach thousands of people on the westside of Indy who are not currently connected to a local church as well as remove a distance barrier for the many regular attenders and volunteers who travel from Plainfield to our temporary location in Avon,” said Aaron Brockett, lead pastor of Traders Point Christian Church. TPCC West will start renovations of the Marsh site in March and make the transition to the Plainfield location in 2022. The new church campus will be primarily used for Sunday services. It will also include an auditorium, kids and youth spaces, along with areas for outreach and community programs.
“At the end of the day, our hope is that whether or not someone would ever attend a church service at Traders Point West, or even if they don’t believe in what we believe, that they would be glad that we are a part of the Plainfield community,” said Cupp.
While some Plainfield residents who shared their opinions on social chatter pages said they would have rather seen a business (that would generate tax dollars) go into the vacant space, others praised the announcement.
The Marsh building has sat empty since the grocery chain filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2017.
Details of the property renovation are still being discussed with town leaders.
“We are pleased to hear that Traders Point Christian Church has acquired the former Marsh property. We look forward to working with Traders Point as they prepare plans for the facility and the future of their west campus. It will be great to see the building put back into positive use,” said Plainfield Town Manager Andrew Klinger.
Getting to know David Cupp, Traders Point Christian Church West Pastor
Hometown: Bluffton, Ind.
What are you currently reading or binge-watching? I’m currently reading “Deep Discipleship” by J.T. English and “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown. I’m not really binge watching anything now that “The Office” is no longer on Netflix.
Name a Bible verse that speaks to you today: 1 Peter 1:6-7: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So, when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
What song gets you motivated? That depends on what I’m being motivated to do … When I’m needing some motivation while I’m working out, anything Metallica. When I’m trying to fill my heart with hope, and to connect to Jesus, “Egypt” by Bethel Music and Cory Asbury.
What has the past year taught you? Patience and grace (for myself and with others)
What is the best advice you ever received? From my high school basketball coach, “The only two things in your life you can control are your attitude and your effort. Worry about those two things and everything else will take care of itself.”
If I could travel anywhere post-pandemic, it would be … southern Spain.
What is something your kids (or spouse or friend) did that recently made you laugh? I have three kids, and my 7-year-old son pretty much makes me laugh with just about everything he says or does. He has ZERO filter, and I love it.
Do you have pets? Nope. I have three kids, and that’s plenty of mouths to feed