GREENFIELD — New Hope Church of the Nazarene plans to launch a second campus in September in downtown Greenfield to reach residents who might not otherwise attend church.
The church, east of Greenfield at U.S. 40 and County Road 500E (52 N. County Road 500E), plans to launch the new campus at The Landing, 18 W. South St., targeting people in recovery and those who might not be comfortable in a typical church setting.
Josh Robertson, pastor of New Hope, said services at the second campus will be on Sunday evenings. The messages will be different from Sunday morning and more interactive, and he probably won’t be the only one delivering them.
After attending a Dynamic Church International conference in October, in which participants were urged to consider launching more churches, Robertson mulled both the current size of the New Hope congregation, small for planting a new church and ways to reach out to people who aren’t part of a church.
Noting there are some uncomfortable with setting foot in a church, “We don’t want to be in a church building. … The Landing just has a coffee house atmosphere. That’s why we’re wanting to go with a different setup.”
Also, The Stirring, which gets its name from a passage in the Bible, will specifically reach out to people in recovery.
“Our denomination started in Los Angeles on Skid Row,” Robertson said. “I kind of felt a call for our church to get back to who we are as Nazarenes.”
Linda Ostewig, director of The Landing, said for years — even when the ministry to teens was meeting in a site off American Legion Place — she has thought it might be part starting a church for those recovering.
“I felt all along that the Lord would open the door for a church like that, a recovery church,” she said. “I had that sense that God would use that as an outreach church in the community.”
Ostewig said The Stirring will pay rent to The Landing for use of the space, which will help The Landing financially. More than that, though, she’s excited about how the ministries can complement each other. She can see how youths who walk to The Landing might be open to walking into The Stirring for a service. Maybe their parents would be, too, she said.
“We’re trying to reach the next generation, but now we can reach the generation of today,” she said.
Ron Blake, superintendent of the Indianapolis District of the Church of the Nazarene, said the new campus is part of a goal to plant 75 churches in the district’s 22 counties. In an email to the Daily Reporter, he wrote that some of those starts will be traditional.
New Hope will continue meeting at its site as it has for 100 years. Church leaders are forming a team to support the second campus. One member donated $10,000 to the effort, Robinson said, which will help purchase banners or signage to set out when The Stirring is meeting, any added music equipment needed and other expenses.
Tina Bailey, a New Hope member who works with children at the church, plans to attend church at The Stirring as well. She’s seen how some people will come to a home Bible study but not to church on Sunday morning, so she thinks The Landing will be a good setting. She also thinks the recovery emphasis is timely.
“I think it’s definitely something our community needs,” she said. “It hits every family …”
“Our goal is to show them that things can be different and people do care.”
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New Hope Church of the Nazarene is launching a new church that will meet at The Landing in Greenfield. The church will target community members who feel uncomfortable in the traditional church setting or those in recovery. An open house is set for Sept. 18 at The Landing, 18 W. South St., Greenfield.
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