Samaritan buildings tell the story of God’s provision

The story of the buildings Samaritan Ministries has occupied over the years is the story of God’s amazing provision.

Many of us probably don’t remember that Samaritan began with no building at all. The meeting to incorporate the ministry was conducted at the dining room table of founder, Ted Pittenger’s home. He was a painting contractor, and in the early 1990s while he was trying to get the ministry started, he bartered painting work for printing and enlisted his children to help stuff mailing envelopes.

Samaritan’s first administrative headquarters was created when one corner of a chicken coop, 50 feet from the Pittengers’ home, was made into an 11’ by 15’ office. There were several years of struggle to gain enough members to start, but by the beginning of 1997, more than a hundred households were joining each month. Also in 1997, the first staff were hired (and Ted received his first paycheck) and a small rental house, also on the Pittengers’ property, was remodeled to provide additional space. As growth continued, the rest of the chicken coop was remodeled.

By January 1999 there were more than 3,000 member households, and the need for a larger building was apparent. Ted asked members to pray and give while the ministry looked into options for expanding. One member replied, “It’s time for you to fly the coop!” The Board of Directors agreed that owning a property would be better than renting, but everyone remained committed to not incurring debt for the ministry.

The members gave generously, and by January 2000 there was $50,000 in the building fund. Ted wrote to the members again, explaining that the crowding in the facilities was getting serious, and some important but not absolutely critical work had to be postponed until enough funds could be raised for the necessary staff and space to do them. The leadership team sought properties where arrangements could be made to lease with an option to buy.

With membership swelling to 5,500, God provided a building just in time that fit the needs of the ministry well and could be leased. An added blessing was that it was owned by a church that needed to move to a larger building, so Samaritan’s lease payments funded the Gospel going forth.

The lease arrangement provided that if the funds to purchase the building could be raised in the first year of the lease, it would save the ministry $10,000. An unexpected three-month surge in new memberships provided the funds needed to refurbish the building without incurring debt. The members again gave generously, and strong growth in new members provided income as well. In March of 2001, Samaritan purchased the Marquette Heights church building, debt-free.

Steady growth in membership continued until the ministry was again needing to look for another building. At Samaritan’s 10-year anniversary, in September 2004, there were more than 10,000 members and the newsletter told members of a building that God seemed to be leading toward. It had an ideal computer network setup, four times the office space, and a warehouse that could potentially be used for future expansion. The cost seemed a bit out of reach, but the sale of the Marquette Heights building, donations from the members, and a buyer’s market made it possible. God had provided again! The Altorfer Drive building was purchased debt-free in January of 2005.

Public policy challenges arose soon after moving into the Altorfer building, when the State of Massachusetts began an effort to pass a law mandating that all residents have health insurance. After it was passed in 2006, our prayers for an exemption for members of health care sharing ministries in Massachusetts were answered, but then it became a model for other states and a national plan in the run up to the 2008 election. The newsletter asked members to contact legislators, give to the public policy effort, and above all, pray. The warehouse portion of the Altorfer building was first rented and then sold to a neighboring company, providing much needed funds for the first year of above-budget public policy efforts.

Throughout 2009 and 2010, a national mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance seemed like an overwhelming threat to all Americans’ freedoms, including the possibility that it could shut down health care sharing ministries. We wondered how we could possibly have any influence on such heavily lobbied federal legislation, and also began to realize that growth in the membership meant we would be needing to finance another building. In the newsletter, Ted urged us to continue to pray and try to make our religious freedom concerns known to legislators, explaining that he had been reading Scriptures such as II Chronicles 20, where God had given his people victory even when facing overwhelming odds.

God amazed us again when some language was added to the Senate version of the bill, so that members of health care sharing ministries could meet the requirements of the individual mandate. We were still fearful that the language could be removed since it was not in the House version, but the surprise election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts caused the Senate version to be approved in the House. Although major concerns about how the law will affect Americans’ health care freedoms remain, we are grateful that God has protected members of health care sharing ministries.

As God continued to bless the ministry with strong growth in members over the past couple of years, Ted believed that the trends were likely to continue. He thought a larger building would become necessary and didn’t think we could afford to wait until the building was again bursting at the seams.

We again asked the members to pray for God to provide a larger building. It was still a buyer’s market, and there were many commercial properties available at a good price, but we had some concern about whether we would be able to sell the Altorfer building, or at least rent it to someone.

After investigating several properties that proved unacceptable for one reason or another, it seemed that God was leading us toward a great building on Forest Park Drive. It was at a convenient location in Peoria, yet surrounded by timber and a nature preserve with hiking trails. We could hardly believe how large it was and how well suited it was to the ministry, with excellent networking and internet service, and even backup generators. A burst of generous donations from our members confirmed to us that we should make an offer on the building.

In December of 2010, Samaritan Ministries was able to purchase the entire 13 acre property debt-free, at one-third the amount for which the building was insured! And, a few months later, in the spring of 2011, we received an offer on the Altorfer building. We were able to sell it for a good enough price to recover our original purchase cost, shortly after moving into our new building. God’s timing is perfect! The strong growth continued and the ministry passed the 19,000 member household mark in November of 2011.

As we reflect on 2011, we again thank God for His generous provision in many ways, including our wonderful new building. At recent board and staff meetings, Samaritan Chaplain DeWayne Arington has reminded us to be thankful for God’s provision, while also challenging us to consider that His provision brings increased responsibilities. As we begin 2012, we believe God is providing a way for Samaritan to serve many more believers, and pray that we will be faithful stewards of what He has entrusted to us.

We welcome you to come visit us, to see what God has given. Our street address is 6000 N. Forest Park Drive, Peoria, IL 61614.