Batterson is the pastor at the National Community Church, which is developing a new location on Virginia Avenue in Southeast Washington. Why did you acquire that land?
In 1996, we were one church with one location. About 25 people attended on an average weekend. We started small. […] We didn’t think we would ever purchase a piece of property. Now, we’re one church with 10 services at six locations. We’re a multisite church. We love meeting in movie theaters. Last year, we got a $3 million gift. That gift put us in a place where we could look for property. We found this property at Eighth and Virginia Avenue SE. It’s strategically situated between Capitol Hill, the Navy Yard and the riverfront. […] After months of praying and negotiations, we got a contract on that property.
