Wednesday, May 21, 2008

New “Hope Center” campus in Plano to be home to 14 Christian Ministries in North Texas

By Pegasus News wire

PLANO — A $46 million development named the Hope Center will transform nine acres of North Texas prairie into a new home for multiple Christian ministries. Fourteen organizations including Hope For The Heart, Marketplace Ministries USA and e3 Partners will move into the Plano campus and begin working together to expand their respective ministries. A groundbreaking will be held for invited guests on June 30, 2008, and the campus is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009.

Photo not provided by the Hope Center, Texas Rangers

North Texas has a long, rich relationship with the concept of Hope

“The new Hope Center campus is designed to foster a relationship between independent Christian ministries so they can work together to share the love of Christ and better meet the needs of people,” said June Hunt, who is a chair of the Hope Center Foundation board. “Having multiple ministries under one roof will develop better synergy, greater stewardship and wider global outreach among these biblically based ministries.”

The Hope Center will be located on the northeast corner of Plano Parkway and Custer Road in Plano, just one block north of The President George Bush Turnpike. Designed by Good, Fulton & Farrell, the inviting campus will have a lodge style building nestled inside a prayer garden, walking paths and acres of lush landscaping. From materials to the layout, the campus is designed to minimize the environmental impact and blend with the area’s natural beauty.

From inception, the Hope Center committed itself to be an asset to the local community – to be a “good neighbor.” By working closely with the city of Plano, the design team met all zoning requirements and did not request any variances.

“We’ve been impressed with the positive attitude of the Hope Center leadership and their willingness to conform to the City’s codes,” said Robert Miller, president of the Dallas North Estates Home Owners’ Association. “They discussed their project with our board to avoid any issues and demonstrate how the neighborhood will benefit from the amenities that will be part of the campus.”

The 200,000 square foot retreat lodge and campus will include an atrium, Bible museum, cafe bookstore, broadcast studios, call center, short run print shop and postal center for the tenants. In addition, the conference rooms, integrated telephone system, fulfillment center and offices will be designed to minimize costs as well as maximize cooperation.

“The closest model for this campus is perhaps the Meadows Center in Dallas,” added Miss Hunt. “In fact, Curtis Meadows was very helpful in the early planning for the Hope Center. There are also a couple of smaller models in the Christian community, such as the Jericho Center in Colorado Springs. But to our knowledge, there is not a multi-tenant, non-profit center like this anywhere in the nation. We hope it will become a new model for other ministries to tailor to their needs.”

Hunt initially envisioned the Hope Center in 1992 but was focused on the mission of Hope for The Heart at the time. She formed a 501c3 non-profit organization named the Hope Center Foundation for the express purpose of owning and operating the Hope Center. The group began the search for either an existing property or a location upon which to build in late 2005. After an exhaustive search, they settled on the Plano location and began the process of land acquisition in mid-2007. The Hope Center Foundation closed on the property in January of 2008.

Source: Hope Center

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Comments

Scott Miller Verified

Wow, fourteen different ministries all located on the same grounds?

If they had tried that a couple hundred years ago it surely would have resulted in a bloodbath.

4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost Verified

Today it's called a worship-mall.

4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

I'd just like to offer kudos on the Canseco pitching pic - didn't he jack up his roided up elbow that game?

4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Pavel Lishin Verified

Pretty sure JC would rather have a whole crapload of souls in heaven who died of starvation than a whole bunch of souls in hell who are fat and sassy.

4 months, 3 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )