The Coastal District of the United Methodist Church soon will have a new home in Richmond Hill.

District leaders broke ground Thursday for the Coastal District’s new office building on the grounds of Richmond Hill United Methodist Church.

The search for a new district office location began after the South Georgia Conference of the UMC adopted a change from nine districts to six, according to Coastal District Superintendent Rev. Wayne Moseley.

The Coastal District was one of the six new districts established. It consists of nearly 90 Methodist churches in Bryan and 10 other counties.

“That’s a big chunk of territory,” Moseley said.

Brunswick and Ludowici were two potential sites Coastal District leaders looked at before deciding on Richmond Hill as the best spot, according to Moseley. Two factors in Richmond Hill’s favor were its proximity to Interstate 95 and distance from other churches in the district.

“I’m convinced Richmond Hill is the right place for us to locate our office complex,” Moseley said. “We are grateful for just the privilege of being located here. It’s a good location.”

The 2,400-square-foot office will be built on the corner of Rushing Street and Buford Cook Drive. Richmond Hill United Methodist Church is leasing the lot to the Coastal District. 

Construction of the new Coastal District of the UMC office is scheduled to be completed in the spring, according to the contractor, Fulford-Swinney Construction.