|
|
|
Blue Springs, MO —
Brian Hetzel had a dream.
Nearly 10 years later, he’s standing in the middle of it – looking like a little kid in a candy shop.
He rubs his hands with glee and sports an ear-to-ear grin that remains on his face throughout a tour of his new Pointe of Hope church, that has turned the abandoned 84 Lumber site at 1215 N. Missouri 7 into what he calls “the coolest new location in Blue Springs. I can’t wait for it be finished so everyone can experience it.”
Hetzel is the pastor at Pointe of Hope, which might be called the little church that could.
Pointe of Hope is a church that best suited what Hetzel likes to call “misfit toys.”
More than 91⁄2 years ago, he was an associate pastor at Timothy Lutheran Church in Blue Springs, but he felt a calling. He saw a need for a satellite church that wasn’t quite as big, quite as formal, as his new church home.
So he opened Pointe of Hope in what could be called less than spectacular fashion.
Pointe of Hope – which, like Timothy, is Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – started in a meeting room at Timothy. Hetzel then rented office space off U.S. 40 and launched Sunday worship at Sunny Pointe Elementary School.
“We were asked to move out of the school, so we met at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Blue Springs,” Hetzel said as he joked with and encouraged workers at the Pointe of Hope site. “It wasn’t that bad – we only had about 12 members of the church and we were flexible.”
That number soon grew to 40, then 100 and Pointe of Hope found a more permanent home in a storefront at 3719 U.S. 40 in Blue Springs.
That was the church home for the next nine years, and during that time, Hetzel dreamed some big dreams. Sometimes, they were so big he imagined they might be unobtainable.
“We had looked into buying some land, but that was Plan B. Plan A was buying the property at the 84 Lumber site,” he said. “I just thought that would be the perfect site for a new church – right in the heart of Blue Springs where thousands of people would drive by it on 7 Highway every day.”
In what Hetzel calls “a God thing,” the church was ready to purchase another tract of land and begin the designs for the church when the individuals who owned 84 Lumber called to say they had accepted Pointe of Hope’s offer.
Brian Hetzel had a dream.
Nearly 10 years later, he’s standing in the middle of it – looking like a little kid in a candy shop.
He rubs his hands with glee and sports an ear-to-ear grin that remains on his face throughout a tour of his new Pointe of Hope church, that has turned the abandoned 84 Lumber site at 1215 N. Missouri 7 into what he calls “the coolest new location in Blue Springs. I can’t wait for it be finished so everyone can experience it.”
Hetzel is the pastor at Pointe of Hope, which might be called the little church that could.
Pointe of Hope is a church that best suited what Hetzel likes to call “misfit toys.”
More than 91⁄2 years ago, he was an associate pastor at Timothy Lutheran Church in Blue Springs, but he felt a calling. He saw a need for a satellite church that wasn’t quite as big, quite as formal, as his new church home.
So he opened Pointe of Hope in what could be called less than spectacular fashion.
Pointe of Hope – which, like Timothy, is Lutheran Church Missouri Synod – started in a meeting room at Timothy. Hetzel then rented office space off U.S. 40 and launched Sunday worship at Sunny Pointe Elementary School.
“We were asked to move out of the school, so we met at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Blue Springs,” Hetzel said as he joked with and encouraged workers at the Pointe of Hope site. “It wasn’t that bad – we only had about 12 members of the church and we were flexible.”
That number soon grew to 40, then 100 and Pointe of Hope found a more permanent home in a storefront at 3719 U.S. 40 in Blue Springs.
That was the church home for the next nine years, and during that time, Hetzel dreamed some big dreams. Sometimes, they were so big he imagined they might be unobtainable.
“We had looked into buying some land, but that was Plan B. Plan A was buying the property at the 84 Lumber site,” he said. “I just thought that would be the perfect site for a new church – right in the heart of Blue Springs where thousands of people would drive by it on 7 Highway every day.”
In what Hetzel calls “a God thing,” the church was ready to purchase another tract of land and begin the designs for the church when the individuals who owned 84 Lumber called to say they had accepted Pointe of Hope’s offer.
“I was really shocked,” Hetzel said. “It just came out of the blue – and right when we were about to buy land at another site. God was behind all of this.”
And now, Hetzel is giving a tour and talking about his new church in much the same fashion a new father talks about his first child. He loves the wild and imaginative color scheme in the Kids’ Pointe Room that will serve as the home for young church members.
He showcases the Junior High Room, which he says, “When I walk in here I just feel jazzed.”
There is a nursery and a balcony area that has Hetzel stoked.
“We could do so many wonderful things up here,” he said. “I love the warehouse feel of the balcony. It could serve as office space, a workout area, a banquet area – I just love to come up here and look over the coffee house and over to the sanctuary.”
The coffee house will serve both free coffee during Sunday morning services and more traditional coffee drinks that will cost a nominal fee. Much of the proceeds of the coffee house will go to mission projects, including one that provides clean water to Third World countries.
The sanctuary will seat more than 250, and it is state of the art. There are two huge video screens sitting on the stage. They will be mounted on walls adjacent to the pulpit. The sanctuary will offer LED lighting and a sound system that will do justice to music minister John Nigro’s unique Sunday offerings.
The outside of the church will be lit at night and serve as a beacon for parishioners.
“We want people to see the light of Jesus, and I’m so excited about what the architect came up with to light the church at night,” Hetzel said. “I’ve asked myself why this all took so long.
“Why did it take nine and a half years? And now I realize that it all happened for a reason. We’re running on the right fuel and we’re going to have something special.”
While the church will occupy nearly 16,000 square feet of the site, it will also offer more than 14,000 square feet for retail.
“We’d love to have a day care, or a sandwich shop or – who knows? – there are just endless possibilities,” he said as he points out the three doors located on the east side of the building.
“We’re thinking ahead. We could have three, maybe four businesses in here. It has everything, including a great location.”
Soon, Hetzel excuses himself, saying, “Time to go write my sermon. I kind of put it off to the last minute this week because I’ve been spending so much time up here.”
He makes sure to say goodbye to operations manager Mike Yancik and again, he compliments each worker. It’s easy to see that he doesn’t want to leave his new baby.
“We are creating something special here,” he said. “We wanted to create a church that doesn’t look like a church. We wanted to create a new destination in Blue Springs and Eastern Jackson County. We wanted to create something warm and inviting and I think we’re doing that.”
