I’ll never forget the day I got my first pair of Air Jordans.

They were the Jordan V’s with the soft and sturdy leather, shiny red logo, slick lace clip, and the silver reflector shoe tongue. And yes, my 5’7” frame was outside almost every night in front of my parents’ house pretending to be “like Mike.” Man, those were some cool shoes! For a little while at least…

While I was growing, the well-loved shoes weren’t. I squeezed into them until my feet hurt. One day, they were literally busting at the seams and I simply couldn’t put them on anymore. This was a brutal lesson for 14-year-old John to learn.

As it is in life, sometimes the old won’t fit the new. Sometimes you have to recognize: it’s time to size up.

This is exactly how things are looking here at Greenhouse Project — busting seams and all!

We’re thrilled — and perhaps a little terrified 😅 — to be entering into a season where the ministry growth has been so explosive that it’s time to step out and (literally) step into something bigger…

So, can I get a drum roll, please...

Greenhouse Project needs a NEW ministry home!

(I can almost hear the applause, the cheers, the shouts of joy rising up 😂)

Today, we’re asking you, our faithful partners, to join us in praying for a new building. God knows what we need, and we believe He will provide!

THE NEED

Again, we’re literally busting at the seams! In my five-year anniversary article, I shared how our little building is overflowing.

Each week, our current Headquarters fits:

40+ people for Sunday church (people sit in the aisles, kitchen, and on the stairs!)
80+ families coming by for Tuesday’s weekly food outreach
35+ people for the Monday night’s Freedom Meetings
10+ students for Homework Club
The NEW youth group ONE WAY for high school students
Plus, every square inch of our current building is being used for office space for meetings, sermon prep, and counseling!

God is moving and the need is real. We simply can’t fit in this space anymore. It’s time to size up!

THE CHALLENGES

Our main ministry headquarters at 44 East 23rd Street is actually a residential property. Last year we began the zoning process, only to discover how much effort it would take to change from a residentially zoned property to a commercially zoned property. So, not only have we outgrown the space, we’re pressed against real time limits.

In the end, our goal — what we believe God is calling us to — is to live and serve in our same community footprint.

THE DREAMS

Dreams keep us moving forward, adding fun to the everyday. We asked volunteers, employees, church members, and the discipleship group to D-R-E-A-M with us on a vision board, adding ideas for this new space with requests and prayers. Here’s a shot of the vision board… my personal favorite? The “trampoline room”!

Other submissions:

Rooms for babies and kids for Sunday church
Family room / moms room with ability to watch the service
A band and a choir
Rock climbing wall
A gym (with positive energy being pumped from your Word!)
Basketball court
Seats for 150-200 people
Cafe and bookstore
Generator

THE SOLUTION

We’ve prayed. We’ve sought counsel. We’ve hit the streets.

I’ve been walking every block in the neighborhood, praying, and calling nearly every owner of an empty space nearby. Our hearts are set on staying in this community we love, restoring broken-down buildings, and bringing life back to the neighborhood.

One of our partners has generously offered his real estate expertise as a donation and we’ve already visited numerous commercial spaces.

And now — after all this time — God seems to be leading us back to a building we visited in 2018 when we first launched Greenhouse Project. The timing feels impossible… but it’s happening!

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR GREENHOUSE

God is calling us to step into a new season! Now is the moment for our partners and team to pray — and to dream boldly of a bright future. I see our new headquarters as more than a building. This new space will be a community center for youth, a comfortable place for those in recovery, a sanctuary for our church to meet each Sunday, and much more.

The journey will be long and costly — we can’t ignore that. Since day one, we’ve been a debt-free ministry, trusting that where God guides, He provides. And He has faithfully provided every step of the way for over five years!

So today, we’re asking you — our faithful partners — to join us in prayer.

Pray for God’s provision and for favor with city officials, zoning boards, planning committees, and every step of this process. We know it won’t be easy.

The real work begins when we finalize the new location. Until then, I walk and pray almost every day around our potential headquarters, lifting up every heart and mind in the community. Within just a few blocks of 23rd and 24th Streets, there are 250–500 souls living in apartments… people we haven’t even reached yet! We want to be the hands and feet of Jesus in that unreached area… and beyond.

We are ready to lace up and continue the work in Chester.

The invitation here is to pray with us to clearly hear God’s voice as He leads the way!