The Growth Gathering Fellowship: Church Grows by Transforming Homes & Lives
Story and Photos by Jonathan Turner
Loan Product: Affordable Housing Loan
Loan Product: Affordable Housing Loan
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Pastor Andre’ LaNier, leader of The Growth Gathering Fellowship (TGGF) on the South Side of Chicago, embodies a mission that goes far beyond the four walls of his church.
The inspirational, boisterous bear of a man lives his faith by reaching deep into his neighborhood to help change their lives for the better. TGGF is in a residential neighborhood at 10441 S. Racine Ave., Chicago. LaNier’s “Promote Jesus Chicago” ministry marries the Golden Rule to serve and make a tangible, transformative impact on the community. With the help of frequent Bridge Investment financing, TGGF has been able to achieve ambitious housing plans by acquiring, restoring and revitalizing homes in the surrounding neighborhood, bringing optimism and renewed value to the community as part of what he calls the “holy trinity” of community service: hope, housing and help with the heart of Christ. LaNier’s philosophy is simple but profound -- “You can’t just be in the community; you have to be part of the community.” The neighborhood around TGGF has had many abandoned homes, vacant lots, and housing in disrepair that need revitalization. One property at a time, TGGF has restored formerly dilapidated homes to be livable and productive parts of the community. All the homes rehabilitated to date were formerly abandoned and uninhabitable, leading to an impact of $1 million to date. TGGF has a goal to make a $5-million total impact in costs and benefits, house by house and block by block. “We just made a decision, we’re going to impact this community for the Kingdom of God,” LaNier says. He explains that funding of the school system is tied to tax dollars, and increasing the home values boosts the tax base, which in turn improves the quality of schools. To support this, TGGF purchased what were once referred to as “zombie houses,” some of the worst houses in the community, and restored them to like-new condition. These homes are sold for market-driven prices, LaNier says. “We don’t out-price the neighborhood, but we aim to raise property values of other homes,” he says. “If someone pays $250,000 for a home, they’re going to cut the grass, they’re going keep it clean. And when one person does that, it encourages others to do the same.” “It’s so much more than building a house – it’s building a real community,” he says. LaNier describes it as a “SUPER” community: an acronym for Safe, Upwardly-mobile, People-focused and Economically Resilient. Before these home improvements, the TGGF neighborhood primarily consisted of older residents – many on fixed incomes, Social Security, and renting. Now, the area is becoming more diverse, with younger homeowners moving in, LaNier says. “We want to increase the pride of homeownership.” He also highlights the difference between renting and an ownership mindset. “In communities with higher levels of homeownership, there is often a strong sense of responsibility and investment in their community.” LaNier further explains the importance of diversity of housing, noting that if there’s a high concentration of rentals, it may limit opportunity for upward mobility. “Children often model what they see,” he says. “That’s why it’s also very important to provide market-driven housing, because we want to economically diversify the community and foster a more inclusive environment by advancing efforts to make improvements in our aged housing stock, restoring it for young families that are seeing this type of owner-occupied housing, helping to ensure long-term success.” “You can’t commoditize care or compassion,” LaNier says. “Brian, Frank, and the entire Bridge Investment team show that they care -- about their clients; about the community; they care about seeing the transformation, and making a lasting change. “It’s evidenced in their loan commitments,” he says. “In all my years of lending, experience, I’ve never experienced a lender that delivers their community development commitments like Brian and Bridge Investment does.” - Pastor Andre LaNier |
A passion for business and development
LaNier has long held a passion for business, stretching back to his childhood.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s with a concentration in community development venture capitalism, from DePaul University. Later, he completed a master’s in ministry studies from Grace College and Theological Seminary, graduating Summa Cum Laude. LaNier holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Christian Leadership and Renewal from Regent University School of Divinity.
He was a congregant at his previous church (at 37th and King Drive in Chicago), which was also economic development oriented, emphasizing housing redevelopment, focused on “the tangible manifestation of Christ, evidenced through building communities.” TGGF started as a prayer group and Bible class in 2009, meeting once or twice a month in the south suburbs. In 2010, LaNier got inspired to launch TGGF as his own church, in the back room of a breakfast house in Country Club Hills, with a vision “to become a suburban church with an urban feel,” LaNier says. They moved to a small room in the Tinley Park Convention Center for a while. He had previously worked structuring loans for churches across the country. His ministry gained its identity and maturity when the church moved inside the gymnasium of Medgar Evers School at 98th and Lowe. LaNier and his congregation were there for six years.
Growing up in the Baptist church, the model was heavy on emotion and not as much on transformation. “We wanted people to grow, every Sunday,” he says of the roots of the TGGF name. “We want people to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their lives. That’s why growth had to be the core of everything we do. And how do we grow? We gather together in multiple ways. The fellowship is manifest by making people feel welcome in the church, cooperatively building toward a common mission. An African proverb says, “It’s important what you name a thing,” LaNier says. “Growing, gathering, in the spirit of fellowship were all very intentionally defining and descriptive.” TGGF has been in the current Racine Avenue site since 2017, close to a high school, three grammar schools, and it gave them the chance to reinvest in the community.
“Churches are the largest owner of real estate in their communities,” LaNier says, noting they often are in low-income, economically depressed areas, with high incidence of crime. “I was financing growing churches in crumbling communities,” he says. “I grew up in the area and we were referred to this building.”
Community development is a manifestation of tangible faith, “to build kingdom” that’s outside the church walls, LaNier says. “We call this the command center,” he says of the church. “You learn the strategy here and leave to implement it everywhere.” Promote Jesus Chicago was created as part of the vision of creating SUPER communities. “In order to for communities to be safe, they need to be saved,” LaNier says. Statistics show, the more committed a person is to a church, the less likely the person is to be involved in criminal activity or other negative influences. As a result, they experience a higher quality of life, stronger sense of hope and purpose, lasting relationships and improved financial stability, LaNier notes. “We knew in order for us to really make an impact, we needed to bring it closer,” he says. As they redevelop and improve vacant homes and sell them, TGGF can reinvest in the community and fund initiatives that build hope, such as after-school programs, and giveaways of clothing, bikes and backpacks. Promote Jesus Chicago also addresses the tangible needs of the community, providing hundreds of new gym shoes to children starting school, and hundreds of new bikes for children as Christmas gifts. They’ve also given coats, hats, and gloves to families in need, and host a free summer creativity camp for area children.
Partnering with Bridge Investment
The church’s initial lender providing the financing needed to purchase their first property (for $13,000), but didn’t offer financing for renovations. That’s when LaNier was introduced to Bridge Investment, a CDFI, through Brian Hollenback and their mutual connection working in LaNier’s capacity as director of corporate development for a community development corporation in Chicago. Hollenback had recommended Bridge Investment’s loan program to LaNier for future opportunities. Hollenback asked, “Do you have any projects outside of this? If so, we’d love to work with you,” LaNier recalls. “I said, ‘Well, as a matter of fact I do,’ referring to the first house renovation, which had a buyer lined up before half the work was completed,” the pastor says.
With Hollenback’s initial support, LaNier has worked closely with Bridge Loan Officer Frank Perez, and has secured six loans through Bridge Investment as of August 2024, with two homes under construction (all located in close proximity). Additionally, a commercial property (a retail strip mall) is in the process of being secured as a seventh project. “Every lender’s marketing collateral will say they’re the best lender for you,” LaNier says. “However, Bridge Investment and their team are genuinely community-development oriented. You bring them a challenge, and they will work with you to find a solution, because they see the vision. “They help you navigate through how to get the vision working,” he says. “They don’t put obstacles in your way. They figure out, who else can we bring to the table, to help minimize the obstacles and maximize the opportunities, so the vision can move forward? They are specialists in their field, and they want to collaborate with you so you can achieve the greatest impact possible.”
“You can’t commoditize care or compassion,” LaNier says. “Brian, Frank, and the entire Bridge Investment team show that they care -- about their clients; about the community; they care about seeing the transformation, and making a lasting change. “It’s evidenced in their loan commitments,” he says. “In all my years of lending, experience, I’ve never experienced a lender that delivers their community development commitments like Brian and Bridge Investment does.” Bridge Investment has financed all TGGF’s home renovations, making it unnecessary to seek additional lenders. Since TGGF focuses on purchasing, renovating and selling the homes, long-term funding isn’t required. The below-market interest rates from Bridge Investment are “indescribably valuable,” LaNier notes. “None of us are in this to become real-estate moguls. We’re all here to make an impact. Bridge Investment’s favorable terms – interest rates, payment structures – minimize what we have to spend and maximize what we can invest. That’s a true partner. They epitomize what partnership should be.”
Largest investor in the area
TGGF, with around 100 members in average weekly attendance, has become one of the largest investors in its immediate community.
“That’s what makes it so phenomenal,” LaNier says. “Think about the businesses in the community outside the schools. We are one of the largest investors in our immediate area.” With an ambitious goal of renovating 100 properties, including rentals, TGGF aims to be the largest investor not only in their community, but in surrounding neighborhoods as well. While 80% of the residents in the area are African-American, LaNier notes that African-American business ownership is in the single digits. “Part of why we do what we do is so that children can see people who look like them, rebuilding their communities.” All the homes in the program have been sold to first-time homebuyers, an achievement LaNier describes as “incredible” and “indescribable.”
One of those new homeowners is Jealissa Presswood, a 25-year-old member of the congregation who purchased her first home in January 2024 across the street from the church. One of the first homes renovated through the program is just behind hers. Previously living with her mother, Presswood (who works as a police officer) describes the moment she walked into her new renovated home. “I think what got me was, when I first walked in, it felt right,” she says, noting her home has three bedrooms with two and a half baths. “It wasn’t too big, wasn’t too small. I have an upstairs, I have a downstairs. I didn’t have to fix up anything myself – everything was already fixed, remodeled. It was move-in ready.” The transformation of the house amazed her, comparing it to moving into something brand new. “It means a lot,” she says, noting she’s the youngest person in her family at that age to buy a home. “The neighborhood is cool; it’s quiet, it’s respectful.” After looking at about 10 other houses, none of which were move-in ready, Presswood also loves being just walking distance from her church.
To learn more about the TGGF housing programs, visit www.promotejesuschicago.com.
LaNier has long held a passion for business, stretching back to his childhood.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s with a concentration in community development venture capitalism, from DePaul University. Later, he completed a master’s in ministry studies from Grace College and Theological Seminary, graduating Summa Cum Laude. LaNier holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Christian Leadership and Renewal from Regent University School of Divinity.
He was a congregant at his previous church (at 37th and King Drive in Chicago), which was also economic development oriented, emphasizing housing redevelopment, focused on “the tangible manifestation of Christ, evidenced through building communities.” TGGF started as a prayer group and Bible class in 2009, meeting once or twice a month in the south suburbs. In 2010, LaNier got inspired to launch TGGF as his own church, in the back room of a breakfast house in Country Club Hills, with a vision “to become a suburban church with an urban feel,” LaNier says. They moved to a small room in the Tinley Park Convention Center for a while. He had previously worked structuring loans for churches across the country. His ministry gained its identity and maturity when the church moved inside the gymnasium of Medgar Evers School at 98th and Lowe. LaNier and his congregation were there for six years.
Growing up in the Baptist church, the model was heavy on emotion and not as much on transformation. “We wanted people to grow, every Sunday,” he says of the roots of the TGGF name. “We want people to take what they’ve learned and apply it to their lives. That’s why growth had to be the core of everything we do. And how do we grow? We gather together in multiple ways. The fellowship is manifest by making people feel welcome in the church, cooperatively building toward a common mission. An African proverb says, “It’s important what you name a thing,” LaNier says. “Growing, gathering, in the spirit of fellowship were all very intentionally defining and descriptive.” TGGF has been in the current Racine Avenue site since 2017, close to a high school, three grammar schools, and it gave them the chance to reinvest in the community.
“Churches are the largest owner of real estate in their communities,” LaNier says, noting they often are in low-income, economically depressed areas, with high incidence of crime. “I was financing growing churches in crumbling communities,” he says. “I grew up in the area and we were referred to this building.”
Community development is a manifestation of tangible faith, “to build kingdom” that’s outside the church walls, LaNier says. “We call this the command center,” he says of the church. “You learn the strategy here and leave to implement it everywhere.” Promote Jesus Chicago was created as part of the vision of creating SUPER communities. “In order to for communities to be safe, they need to be saved,” LaNier says. Statistics show, the more committed a person is to a church, the less likely the person is to be involved in criminal activity or other negative influences. As a result, they experience a higher quality of life, stronger sense of hope and purpose, lasting relationships and improved financial stability, LaNier notes. “We knew in order for us to really make an impact, we needed to bring it closer,” he says. As they redevelop and improve vacant homes and sell them, TGGF can reinvest in the community and fund initiatives that build hope, such as after-school programs, and giveaways of clothing, bikes and backpacks. Promote Jesus Chicago also addresses the tangible needs of the community, providing hundreds of new gym shoes to children starting school, and hundreds of new bikes for children as Christmas gifts. They’ve also given coats, hats, and gloves to families in need, and host a free summer creativity camp for area children.
Partnering with Bridge Investment
The church’s initial lender providing the financing needed to purchase their first property (for $13,000), but didn’t offer financing for renovations. That’s when LaNier was introduced to Bridge Investment, a CDFI, through Brian Hollenback and their mutual connection working in LaNier’s capacity as director of corporate development for a community development corporation in Chicago. Hollenback had recommended Bridge Investment’s loan program to LaNier for future opportunities. Hollenback asked, “Do you have any projects outside of this? If so, we’d love to work with you,” LaNier recalls. “I said, ‘Well, as a matter of fact I do,’ referring to the first house renovation, which had a buyer lined up before half the work was completed,” the pastor says.
With Hollenback’s initial support, LaNier has worked closely with Bridge Loan Officer Frank Perez, and has secured six loans through Bridge Investment as of August 2024, with two homes under construction (all located in close proximity). Additionally, a commercial property (a retail strip mall) is in the process of being secured as a seventh project. “Every lender’s marketing collateral will say they’re the best lender for you,” LaNier says. “However, Bridge Investment and their team are genuinely community-development oriented. You bring them a challenge, and they will work with you to find a solution, because they see the vision. “They help you navigate through how to get the vision working,” he says. “They don’t put obstacles in your way. They figure out, who else can we bring to the table, to help minimize the obstacles and maximize the opportunities, so the vision can move forward? They are specialists in their field, and they want to collaborate with you so you can achieve the greatest impact possible.”
“You can’t commoditize care or compassion,” LaNier says. “Brian, Frank, and the entire Bridge Investment team show that they care -- about their clients; about the community; they care about seeing the transformation, and making a lasting change. “It’s evidenced in their loan commitments,” he says. “In all my years of lending, experience, I’ve never experienced a lender that delivers their community development commitments like Brian and Bridge Investment does.” Bridge Investment has financed all TGGF’s home renovations, making it unnecessary to seek additional lenders. Since TGGF focuses on purchasing, renovating and selling the homes, long-term funding isn’t required. The below-market interest rates from Bridge Investment are “indescribably valuable,” LaNier notes. “None of us are in this to become real-estate moguls. We’re all here to make an impact. Bridge Investment’s favorable terms – interest rates, payment structures – minimize what we have to spend and maximize what we can invest. That’s a true partner. They epitomize what partnership should be.”
Largest investor in the area
TGGF, with around 100 members in average weekly attendance, has become one of the largest investors in its immediate community.
“That’s what makes it so phenomenal,” LaNier says. “Think about the businesses in the community outside the schools. We are one of the largest investors in our immediate area.” With an ambitious goal of renovating 100 properties, including rentals, TGGF aims to be the largest investor not only in their community, but in surrounding neighborhoods as well. While 80% of the residents in the area are African-American, LaNier notes that African-American business ownership is in the single digits. “Part of why we do what we do is so that children can see people who look like them, rebuilding their communities.” All the homes in the program have been sold to first-time homebuyers, an achievement LaNier describes as “incredible” and “indescribable.”
One of those new homeowners is Jealissa Presswood, a 25-year-old member of the congregation who purchased her first home in January 2024 across the street from the church. One of the first homes renovated through the program is just behind hers. Previously living with her mother, Presswood (who works as a police officer) describes the moment she walked into her new renovated home. “I think what got me was, when I first walked in, it felt right,” she says, noting her home has three bedrooms with two and a half baths. “It wasn’t too big, wasn’t too small. I have an upstairs, I have a downstairs. I didn’t have to fix up anything myself – everything was already fixed, remodeled. It was move-in ready.” The transformation of the house amazed her, comparing it to moving into something brand new. “It means a lot,” she says, noting she’s the youngest person in her family at that age to buy a home. “The neighborhood is cool; it’s quiet, it’s respectful.” After looking at about 10 other houses, none of which were move-in ready, Presswood also loves being just walking distance from her church.
To learn more about the TGGF housing programs, visit www.promotejesuschicago.com.