Renovate and Revitalize
BRINGING NEW HOPE TO LEAGUE CITY
League City is a coastal city southeast of Houston in the Galveston Bay area, with a growing population of over 114,000 people as of 2020. New Hope Baptist Church found itself at an exciting yet challenging crossroads, transitioning from a small-town church into a growing congregation, drawing more people into a relationship with Christ. To best achieve this goal, Pastor Ben Hollan decided it was time to make some much-needed updates to the church. Having already partnered with the Foundation through its certificate investments, the church decided to use SBTF to finance the remodeling project. Recently, I spoke with Hollan and learned the “Why” behind this renovation.
We began by discussing how God is moving within New Hope, as they dealt with a change in culture and mission. “I believe God brought me here to revitalize this church,” said Hollan, who joined New Hope’s staff almost four years ago.
“I believe God brought me here to revitalize this church.”
His mission was a simple but challenging one: to change the small-town mindset of the church into one that promoted reaching the rapid expansion happening around them. Throughout this process, the church has been blessed with growth. “It’s been a big challenge to walk through…but in the last six months we have baptized five new church members,” said Hollan.
The main goals of the renovation were to expand the capacity of their sanctuary and fellowship foyer, secure and expand the children’s area, and create a cohesive interior design across the entire church. This came with some challenges in communicating the vision to the congregation. Hollan advised, “We are not trying to blow out walls, or trying to do a lot of work, but we want to maximize the space that we have. We were able to get another children’s Sunday school classroom, increase our sanctuary space, and create a foyer area. We were maximizing the space to help the people understand what it is we are doing and why we are doing it.” Later in the conversation, Hollan also emphasized the importance of holding multiple church town halls to help everyone understand the “Why” behind the project.
God was faithful during their remodel; when budget issues arose with the initial contractor’s bid, He provided them with a contractor who was a good fit. “The [new] contractor was able to bless us by doing quite a bit more than what we were originally looking at doing,” Hollan said. Throughout the project, there were some budgetary challenges, but ultimately, the results exceeded their expectations. “We were able to renovate the whole building, which allowed us to create a cohesive feel throughout the entire church. Everywhere you go, it feels like it was done on purpose,” said Hollan.
These changes have been exciting for New Hope members, as they are beginning to welcome new families from the community. While the upgrades are appreciated, the updated church is just a launchpad for the redeeming work of Jesus in League City and beyond. The recent growth has enabled New Hope to begin fulfilling the Great Commission in new and expanded ways. We pray the Lord continues to bless New Hope’s ministry in Texas and beyond!
- Written by Ruben Johnson
