Family Meeting Report – July 24
On Sunday, July 24, we held a Family Meeting after both church services. A summary of what we shared about The Bridge and progress on our construction projects follows.
The Bridge Vision
Our Vision for The Bridge is “The peace and prosperity of our city founded on economic, relational and spiritual flourishing.”
In Jeremiah 29:7, Jeremiah the prophet of God tells the Jews to “seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.” The Bridge is a manifestation of what Revive Church has been about for many years, which is to get outside of our own four walls to serve our community and live and love like Jesus right where we are.
What is “The Bridge?”
The Bridge is a purpose-driven platform (from a purely physical standpoint, this means the shopping center Revive owns and meets in) designed to
- Offer mission-driven organizations an affordable, attractive, collaborative location to deliver services to our community
- Provide our community with access to a variety of resources and services aimed at helping people flourish economically, relationally, and spiritually, all in a convenient, inviting, single complex
- Revive an aging mixed-use center, utilizing placemaking best practices to create outdoor/indoor spaces that people love and feel connected to
Which mission-driven organizations will we or do we already partner with?
Ministries started by Revive Church people:
Haven’s Hope (a mentoring program and more, serving primarily single moms)
Packs of Hope (providing essentials-filled backpacks for children moving to foster care)
Food Pantry (providing food for individuals and families in need)
LightBridge International (primarily serving people in Cambodia)
Every Life (primarily serving people in Kenya)
Partner-Tenants
CFCE (serving people, primarily children, with motor disabilities to achieve optimal physical, cognitive, and social independence)
Primary Purpose Club (help and support for 12-step addiction recovery programs)
Future Partner-Tenants
Lionheart Children’s Academy (223-student Christian early education center opening in January 2023)
CrossPurpose (abolishing relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development, opening in July 2023)
BeyondHome (a holistic and modern approach to helping families through training and education to graduate from affordable housing and to self-sufficiency for life; building affordable housing next to The Bridge)
Potential Future Partner-Tenants
We plan to complete a process of deep community listening to help us learn about the highest needs in our community so that we can bring additional partners into The Bridge who will have the highest positive impact. Potential future partners include an integrated health clinic, a “for-purpose” coffee shop, an alternative pregnancy center, and more.
Commercial Tenants
It’s important to note that our “purely commercial” (not necessarily mission-driven) tenants help us achieve our Vision by making The Bridge financially stable and self-sufficient. We understand that commercial tenants also provide employment and contribute to the peace and prosperity of our city. All Bridge tenants are partners, and we want them to flourish as well!
Reference Hub
Finally, we plan to have a “Reference Hub” when the Lord makes one financially possible for us.
The purpose of the reference hub will be to:
- Welcome and direct guests to appropriate services provided at The Bridge and through Trusted Partners outside the Bridge
- Collect data regarding guests’ most pressing needs as part of an ongoing community listening process
- Welcome and provide Bridge visitors (the general public, new potential partners, volunteers and donors) with accurate information about ways to be part of the Bridge
- Build and maintain an accurate database (for public use) of services provided by Bridge Partners, Trusted Partners, and local churches and area non-profits
Current Funders, Alliances and Supporters
Revive Church is and always will be the vision behind and the cornerstone of what we’re doing and planning to do through The Bridge. We are so grateful to everyone who has pledged and contributed to our “For Love’s Sake” capital campaign. The FLS campaign’s express goal was to raise $1.5 million by the end of 2023 and Revive Church members answered the call!
One of the exciting things about what your generosity has started is that as others learn about our Vision for The Bridge, they want to support our planned work as well and they are starting to jump on the bandwagon with us. For example:
The City of Arvada
The City of Arvada made a generous grant of $500,000 to BeyondHome toward the purchase of the 2-acre parcel of land adjacent to and east of Revive Church. Arvada knows about the great work BeyondHome has done for many years, and they understand the power of having a BeyondHome location adjacent to The Bridge.
Community First Foundation
The Community First Foundation provided us with a grant of $250,000 toward the cost of the construction necessary to transform the former warehouse space into a Lionheart Children’s Academy for 223 students.
City Unite
City Unite is an organization founded by a former Foothills/Revive Pastor, Dave Runyon. City Unite exists to help faith, government, and business leaders unite around common causes in the Denver Metro area. Several Arvada churches are part of CityUnite, including Revive, and several of these churches have indicated a desire to support The Bridge as opportunities arise to do so.
LeverLab
LeverLab is a family foundation based in Denver. They have graciously helped us think through a strategy to help The Bridge be sustainable from a guest, volunteer, and financial perspective, and we’re grateful for the experience and knowledge they are sharing with us.
Made to Flourish
Made to Flourish empowers pastors and their churches to integrate faith, work, and economic wisdom for the flourishing of their communities. They plan to publish an essay about Revive Church, The Bridge, and our partners in their publication called Common Good as a way of encouraging other churches to effectively utilize their facilities.
Epic
EPIC is a nonpartisan voice for early childhood care and education. They are supporting and learning from Lionheart’s example and experience as they start a childcare center at The Bridge and have introduced us to additional potential funders for Lionheart’s construction.
Arvada Chamber of Commerce
The Arvada Chamber of Commerce started an initiative called B.O.L.D. 2026 aimed at increasing talent (e.g., CrossPurpose’s work), increasing childcare (e.g., Lionheart), and increasing affordable housing (e.g., BeyondHome). We are clearly aligned in our view of what Arvada needs to flourish as The Bridge seeks the peace and prosperity of our city. We are exploring ways to partner with the Chamber to achieve our Vision.
Construction Update
We are now approximately three weeks behind our originally planned construction completion dates due primarily to permit delays. Staffing challenges among city planning departments throughout the Denver metro area along with extraordinarily high levels of construction activity in the area have unfortunately made permitting delays common.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we go through construction at Revive and The Bridge. It will be well worth the temporary mess and inconvenience, and we are grateful to you for your support to help make it happen!
Under One Roof
Consolidates Revive Church’s Next-Generation Ministries under one roof by bringing our early childhood, elementary, and students (junior and senior high) ministries into newly remodeled facilities right across the hall from the Worship Center.
Exterior Remodel
Significantly remodels the exterior of The Bridge to make it feel modern and inviting for guests. This work includes new landscaping, a new green space, and a new playground for the Lionheart Children’s Academy.
Deferred Maintenance
Replaces most of The Bridge’s rooftop HVAC units (now complete), replaces the roof over all Bridge buildings (now complete), and resurfaces the parking lot.
Lionheart Academy
Builds out the interior of the former Warehouse building to create a 223-student childcare facility.