Ron Termale remembers the year and location where he found the Lord.

It was in 1980 during a service of the Community Chapel at Winman Junior High School in Warwick.

Termale, “Pastor Ron” to those who attend Legacy Church, was back in school this Sunday. This time it was Veterans Memorial Middle School, where he outlined “Building Legacy Together,” a $6.5-million campaign to purchase Buttonwoods Plaza, a 9-acre parcel that includes two buildings, and renovate what is now a Job Lot into a sanctuary capable of seating more than 800, with a children’s center, youth center, nursery, cafe and the list goes on.

As architectural renderings flashed on the screen to give viewers a virtual tour of the proposed church, Pastor Ron outlined his quest to find the location and reach an agreement to buy the property.

“We’ve been looking for a building for 10 years,” he said. The Buttonwoods Plaza offered everything and then more. There’s parking for 350 cars, a building large enough to encompass the church and all it will include, and then a plaza of offices and stores for possible expansion – but for the foreseeable future, rental income.

“It was a gift from God to us,” he told parishioners at Sunday’s 9:15 service.

A lot of prayer went into arriving at a deal, too,

Pastor Ron told the story. The property was listed for $6.5 million. That was too steep. After praying, Pastor Ron made an offer of $4 million. He didn’t hear anything for several weeks and then got a counteroffer of $5.5 million. Pastor Ron held to his initial offer and asked God to give him a sign if he should deviate from $4 million. He didn’t increase the offer.

He then received a call from the plaza’s owner (Stop & Shop), which shaved another million from the asking price. Pastor Ron explained how he had faith in how the Lord was guiding him. The owner dropped the price to $4.2 million, but that wasn’t $4 million.

“And when the owner said, ‘but I’m not going to haggle over $200,000,’ I knew we had an agreement,” Pastor Ron said.

The son of Italian immigrants, Pastor Ron grew up in Cranston and, after graduating from Bryant College, went into banking. He worked in the commercial banking division of Rhode Island Hospital Trust for several years before moving on to Old Stone and Eastland banks. He retired as a vice president in 1992 to devote himself to the New Life Worship Center in Smithfield.

A group of about 10 from New Life set off to create Legacy Church. Sister churches have since grown in New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton and Smithfield. Collectively he estimates they have 7,000 members. Legacy has a church in Cranston, not far from Cranston High School West, where it has offices and holds meetings but is not large enough for services. Warwick is the largest of the sister churches with more than 800 attending Sunday services.

Opened in East Greenwich

Legacy first operated from East Greenwich High School and then during the pandemic relocated to Quonset. Following the pandemic it relocated to Toll Gate High School and then Veterans Memorial.

The church’s use of Warwick schools was questioned by some, prompting Mayor Frank Picozzi to post on his Facebook page: “The School Department is not doing anything wrong. Prior to this year Legacy was renting Toll Gate, but due to construction they switched to Vets this year. They have been respectful of the space and the School Department has had no problems with them. The School Department rents time to other organizations as well. This is in no way a violation of church and state issue.”

Picozzi further notes that the church has acquired the Buttonwoods Plaza and “is opening there after it is remodeled.”

“I met with the leadership, and the church is very community oriented, and I think that they will be very good neighbors,” he writes.

How does Pastor Ron expect to raise the money needed to reach the goal?

He didn’t make a hard pitch Sunday.

“Almost everyone can give something … give according to what is God,” he said to those assembled. He suggested people ask God what would be right.

He asked parishioners to make pledges by the next Sunday with the faith that $2.5 million would be made in “offerings.”

Pastor Ron expects the church will close on the property within a month and renovations will take another year.

‘It’s all young people’

Pastor Ron has some devoted followers. One of them is Bill Fooks, who at the age of 84 is still in real estate. Fooks said there was a “falling out” at the church he had been attending and he looked for a church with music and a school.

He found more at Legacy.

“Look around you, what do you see?” he asked as people left the auditorium.

“We’re the oldest guys here. It’s all young people, and they’re not afraid to speak,” he said.

Pastor Ron said a Christian school has been talked about, but it’s not something Legacy plans to take on now.