Check out these before and afters of our building! God has been so faithful—have you heard the story of how Hope for Kids came to have our very own building?
The Lion's Den, a ministry formerly based out of Indian Orchard in Springfield, contacted Pastor Matt in late February 2018 and asked for a meeting. This seemed completely out of the blue, but God had a plan! The Lion's Den had a presence in the Springfield area for almost twenty years, accomplishing a mission similar to ours as they reached children with the Gospel and built relationships with the kids who were a part of their programs. Many of their kids "aged out" of the Lion's Den's target age group and a lot of their volunteers moved on. They were ready to pass on their mission, building, supporters, and community connections to a ministry that could pick up where they left off: and they called Hope for Kids.
God opened this door in His perfect timing. This new building in the Indian Orchard area brings many new opportunities for our ministry. As a way to honor the Lion's Den and continue the connection for many community members who already know this building as "the Den", we began calling our new Outreach Center the Hope for Kids Den. In 2020 as God made our community mission more clear, the building’s name changed to the Front Street Mission.
Owning our own building has opened so many doors into this community: our monthly Club Hope programs are currently hosted at the Mission, and it’s also been home to many community dinners, Christmas gift ministry days and Family Church Sundays. Impact Hope team members use this as a place to meet and regroup before and after Impact Clubs during the summer. This space God has given us is truly a house of prayer, completely dedicated to His work. Being physically present within the Springfield community and having a home address for our growing ministry has given us public visibility and credibility, and even better, a chance to minister to those who come in off the street looking for someone to talk to about God.
We are so thankful for all the progress that has already been made in renovating this space to make it even more effective and welcoming to our families—and we are still a work in progress! If you or your church would like more information on how you can get involved in ongoing building needs and work projects, leave a comment on this post and we’ll be in touch.