New Hope Methodist-Presbyterian Church
2371 Bradway Rd.
North Pole, AK 99705
What Is the purpose of a Child Development Center at New Hope Church?
New Hope Church began meeting in 1978 in the North Pole Grange. From its inception as a union Methodist/Presbyterian church, the focus was on being inclusive of differing points of view, rather than exclusive. The plan for this center is to continue to reach out to our community in an inclusive manner. Our community desperately needs additional space for local, state licensed childcare in an accepting, nurturing environment.
The mission of New Hope Open Arms includes:
• quality childcare to families of young children
• assistance to low-income families
• infant care
• preschool for 3-4 year olds
• afterschool programs for school age children
• respite care for students with disabilities
• a location for evening classes (i.e. parenting, marriage, blended families, scouting, literacy, interest classes, etc.)
• intergenerational care with grandparents and older adults
• youth meeting facility and family resource center
• community meeting place for service agencies
• a high-quality, energy efficient, and environmentally responsible facility
What is the organizational structure?
Under the national parent organization, The Open Arms® Institute, New Hope Open Arms will adhere to established policies and practices. The state licensed center will be a non-profit corporation separate from New Hope Church and managed by an autonomous board of directors. That board will select members from New Hope Church and the North Pole community based on their expertise in business, child development, etc. The board of directors will hire a center director, establish policies and practices, and assure that the center meets state guidelines and licensing requirements. The director will be responsible for implementing board policy and practices, following state requirements and federal guidelines, and hiring and training of staff. Staff will be hired from the local community based on their qualifications and experience.
What is our child development center plan?
New Hope Church plans to construct a 16,000 sq. ft. Christian Education wing off
the west side of the existing building at 2371 Bradway Road near North Pole.
Monday through Friday the facility will be the home of New Hope Open Arms Child
Development Center. On weekends and evenings, this same space will be used for the
church’s Sunday School, Logos, and Youth Group programs as well as community
activities. The planning and construction phase will be coordinated between a local
architect, the Open Arms Institute, and our local congregation. Estimated cost for
the new facility will be $3,150,000.
How will New Hope Open Arms serve
the local community?
Open Arms will provide full services to children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age in
a caring, Christian environment. The center will operate from 6 AM to 6 PM, 5
days a week. Additionally the center will provide before and/or after school care
for kindergartners and elementary age children, including students with
disabilities. The facility will accommodate up to 130 children.
The national Open Arms concept is based on years of research. There are a number
of Open Arms centers across the nation that share facilities with their local
church congregation. Because this proposed center will have a lease arrangement
with New Hope Church, the church intends to utilize the facility to benefit the
community through evening classes and a meeting place for service agencies.
What did the 2007 market survey show?
“…given the current market situation and considering the growth which will occur in
the market area, it is our opinion that the proposed North Pole facility represents
a good opportunity and the market can support a student base of 100. This opinion
is based on the assumption that the facility is a competitively priced, first-class
center which is effectively promoted within the market area.” **
**from Behavior Research Center, Inc.; Research in Public Policy & Consumer
Behavior; Phoenix, AZ, March 2007
What is the timeline?
Fall 2006 idea brought to council
committee formed
Spring2007 market survey completed
affiliate with Open Arms Institute
Summer 2007 congregation vote to raise funds
Fall 2007 planning phase
Spring 2008 fundraising campaign
Fall 2008 work with architect
Winter 2008-09 secure financing
Spring 2009 excavation / foundation
Summer 2009 construction
Fall 2009 Grand Opening
Who's involved?
New Hope Open Arms Committee
Chair: Dan File; Recorder, Nicole Pugh
Architecture/Design: Don Trometter, Brent Koenen, Don Bickmeier, Zac Weber
Budget/Finance/Grant Management: Mary Ann Walton, Lyman Benshoof, Diane Jewkes
Publicity/Advertising: Linda File, Marit Vick, Margene Abrams, Tim Bengs, Lori Elgin
Fundraising/Grant Application: Brenda Sadler, Ingrid Clauson, Darcey Sharp
Vision/Growth/Concept Development: Marji Illingworth, Karen Martin-Tichenor, Bill
Page
March 2009 Update
Our Letter Writing Campaign brought in $1,700 recently as friends, family, businesses and congregations joined in supporting our vision for a new Child Development Center! Letters and envelopes are available in the church foyer. Please consider sharing this vision with those who would like to help make this dream a reality in our community.
*Congregational Meeting Sunday, March 29th
To present Phase 1 plan for the new center.
Immediately following fellowship.
Building Fund Update:
Our Goal: $300,000 cash and bonds from local contributions
$700,000 in grants
Received to Date:
$140,932.68 cash and bonds
Building Fund Update: A Note from the Pastor
I write to you wanting to update you on the progress of the New Hope Open Arms Child Development Center, our latest outreaching ministry to our neighborhood. Monday night the Church Council voted to move forward on your recommendation and proposal made at the congregational meeting May 3, to delay building a brand new building and instead remodel the ATCO's (from now on referred to as the Education Wing). The CDC recommended spending up to $40,000 of building fund money for the remodel to start Open Arms CDC on a much smaller scale of about 40 students. We already have 20 preschoolers signed up to attend! Trustees concurred with the recommendation, and council has approved the proposal.
Please find attached the recommended design of the remodel. We the Trustees, CDC committee and Church Council have given considerable thought, discussion and input already in the short time since the congregation meeting in preparation for work teams coming June 4. We have tried to meld the plans for the new Open Arms with past and current uses for that space, given the physical confines of the exterior walls, the structural and mechanical limitations of the building, and Fire Marshall, DEC, and childcare ratios and licensing requirements of the newly designed space.
Now we are inviting you to join us in reviewing these plans. We will be receiving input through May 31, 2009. So take a look, be in prayer, and then let us know what you think. Some highlights from current suggestions are: a folding wall between rooms 1 and 2 (depending on budget); a pass-through window at the kitchen counter to act as the buffet for food service; connecting door between room 2 and 3; connecting door between small restroom and nursery; connecting door between nursery and room 1; keeping room 4 as the youth room in the new arrangement.
There has been some voiced concern about how the Education Wing will accommodate both our new ministry of the Open Arms CDC and the other ministries we have going throughout the week. Where it is true there will have to be some thoughtful scheduling of program and events, it will not be all that different from what has been. Remember that for this past year we have had the Badger Road Preschool already using our facility with minimal impact upon our ministries. The Quilting Circle has been thinking through a move into the Narthex area at the front of the church with supply storage being created in the island at the ramp to the Education Wing. Logos will go back to using more of the sanctuary and narthex areas for the majority of their time as it was a couple of years ago. We would still be using the
kitchen as before. Our dinners and fund raisers usually happen on Saturdays anyway so there is no conflict of space then. If we chose a Friday night, the sanctuary could be used for such things as it has before. Sunday School will still happen as it has in the Education Wing without a problem since Sundays are totally open. We will actually gain a class room with this design allowing us to grow. The nursery area will also be expanded so will enhance our ministry there too. Disciple Bible Study class has always chosen to meet in the Narthex so again no conflict.
So you can see that the impact upon our existing ministries by this remodel will overall be minimal and even enhance what we can do which is our hope: to empower us to expand our ministries as we anticipate and look forward to building a whole new building down the road when the funding has been secured. In all of this please hear that the CDC, Trustees and Church Council have been very thoughtful about how these changes will impact our ministries as we are used to them. We all agree that there will be some impact. That comes with any change. But it will not be to the degree that some fear.
If there is still a particular concern that you have that we have missed then please, contact us and talk with us about it. This is a
ministry of New Hope, not of one or two people. Your participation matters in the success of our work. You can contact any of the Trustees, Church Council or Child Development Center committee members to give your input. There will also be an opportunity May 30 at the Men's Breakfast where copies of the design will be available.
The congregation has time and again voted to move forward with this plan of ministry. We have said yes to two mission teams who are
committing themselves to this project and are arriving in a couple weeks. It is a fact that change is challenging to any family system. Our church is a family, and each of you is a valued member of our family. Christ is the head of the body and thus it is his Spirit that guides us through these challenging times. That is where we all meet up. That is where we all come to worship, in His Spirit and grace. Let us all remember to take all things to Christ first. For in him is our strength and in him all things are possible; ever changing to the glory of God's kingdom.
May we rise in faith and walk in courage into an unknown future that is full of promise with Christ.
Blessings,
Pastor Karen
