Hope Community Church

We "church dated" another new place this weekend - Hope Community Church. The Children's Director, Laura Lee, and I have been emailing back and forth for a month or more, but we just hadn't been able to get together. Even after we arrived early and looked all over for her, we kept missing her in the hallways. Everyone would say, "she was just through here, maybe she's in room [x]". We'd go there and they would say the same thing. After a while we gave up. I will definitely make sure I get together with her next time we go....I have a lot of things to ask and pick her brain. (Clay says I act like I still work at Seacoast! Oh well, it's in my blood.)

Here are some highlights & thoughts from our first experience:

• They had the "turn on your flashers if you are a first time guest" signs...and the parking team did a fantastic job communicating with each other. A guy at the front door even came out and greeted us at the car with an umbrella! He then walked us to the info desk.
  
• The ladies at the info desk were excited to see us. A woman named Jennifer was on standby to take us under her wing and show us to the kids' area. She stayed with us all through the check-in process, getting them to class, and then walked us to the auditorium! (Now, that's customer service!)
  
• On the way to KidCity, we saw the cafe area, which was huge. They serve hot breakfast & lunches there during the week. I also noticed that their cafe "proudly served Starbucks coffee"...everything looked very professional.
• Another thing that I noticed was the artwork throughout the building....it was by the same artist who did some for Seacoast Church. It made me feel like I was back there.
  
• Once at the kids area, the check-in process was great! They asked our names and the kids names & birthdays (and for allergies). When Abby's tag printed out, she had a birthday cake on it to show that she had a recent birthday (very nice!). Both Cody & Abby's tags had the same parent number....but you know, I didn't see one number go up throughout the whole service!
• The KidCity decor was fantastic...they did a great job theme-ing each area and keeping it simple, but good quality. It was like they took Seacoast's ideas and added NorthPoint's high quality. Loved everything about it!
• They had an indoor playground, called The FunZone, and it had a parent viewing area and rules posted very clearly. I liked that they limited to a height restriction (48"), opposed to age, but it seemed to work.
• The classrooms are closed until 15 minutes prior to service. We were one of the first ones allowed back to the rooms and there were volunteers ready to greet the kids and stations were already set up for them to play. No one looked rushed or understaffed.
  
• Outside of the classrooms, the small groups were listed on a cute display of sea animals. (Pictures below explain it better than I can.) On Cody & Abby's tags, it listed what small group they were assigned to for the day.
• They close the classrooms once they reach capacity (which is 40 kids in the 3 year old class). They offer a Family Chapel to go to if you need to bring your kid to service with you. It is located upstairs and its in a very nice theater-style room. I don't recall seeing any kids in the main auditorium now that I think about it. Hmmm...I wonder how they redirect folks from bringing the kids in?
• The "big church" service was great....great music, great message, and very comfy seats! The Pastor was wearing white pants, a turquoise button up shirt with sleeves rolled up and flip-flops. He looked like he should have been on the beach in Cozumel sipping a Corona! He was funny, engaging and overall, a really nice guy.
  
• During the message, the Pastor mentioned their class for parents & kids to attend so they can learn about salvation and baptism. He really pushed parents to get involved in their kids spiritual decision and talked about the importance of being parents partnering with the church. I started to cry!
  
• When we picked up the kids, Abby had a sticker that said "I was changed"...they said she accepted Christ as her personal Savior and was ready to be baptized. Just kidding. She had her diaper changed during service. For kids who go potty, they get a sticker that says " I used the potty today!" I thought that was a great idea for the kids who are being potty-trained. : )
• I forgot my camera, so these pictures were taken with my phone. I only went into Cody & Abby's classes, so I didn't get many pics of the Elementary area. What I did see was a cool diner-style hangout for the elementary kids, with booths and tables. I just love that look!
  

Overall, I LOVED IT! I can't wait to go back and see more and meet more folks. I really wish my team at Seacoast could come up for a visit. I think they could get a lot of great ideas. Plus, they would get to see me! : )