Grace Hall Groundbreaking Pictures
Grace Hall Construction Pictures
Ministry of the Table
The ministry of Jesus often centered around the meal table. Whether gathered with his disciples or dining with outcasts, feeding the 5000, or sharing the most sacred of meals, there was always room for more at the table.
The table is a central part of our ministry of hospitality at Heartland Center. Around the table, the children of God share meals, news of the day, stories of their lives, laughter and songs, sorrow and joy. As we gather around the table and break bread together we are the body of Christ bearing good news to the world.
Our Challenge
For 52 years, Heartland Center has made room at the table for God’s children to grow in body, heart, mind and spirit. With over 900 summer campers and 11,000 retreat guests annually, Heartland Center is one of the largest Presbyterian camp and conference centers in the country. Nearly every week of the year Heartland Center does not have enough meeting and dining space for our campers and guests. Our growing Day Camp program is also housed in the Dining Hall, adding to our space challenges. In just four years, participation has grown from 36 youth to 223 in 2010 and with additional space, could double within the next few years. In addition, the Dining Hall is not air conditioned, the bathrooms are inadequate, and the building is not fully accessible to all God’s children. It’s time for us to add a leaf to the table.
Our Opportunity
The Heartland Center Dining Hall is now 50 years old. Within the Dining Hall, we have served over one million meals, housed hundreds of camp registrations and closing programs, sheltered campers during storms, and nurtured countless people hungry and thirsty for the good news. A new dining hall will allow us to welcome hundreds of additional children and youth each summer and thousands of retreat guests throughout the year.
Our Time
Through the generous giving of individuals and churches over the past few years, we are now ready to begin construction on a new Heartland Center Dining Hall – Grace Hall. This new accessihle air conditioned facility will increase our diining and meeting capacity and more than double the program space for our growing day camp program. As we prepare to break ground, we are continuing to solicit funds to support the expansion, furnish the building and to complete several site improvement projects. We are contacting all of our friends, partners and supporters to share our plans with you personally, and to talk about how you can help us add a leaf to the table.
We give thanks for the arrival of this day, where financial support, prayer support, and volunteer support have all come together to help us respond to God’s love generously and joyfully through the ministries of Heartland Center. Click here for a list of contributors to date. Grace abounds!
