St. Andrew Lutheran Church
When our small congregation had to close our Christian day school a few years back, we faced a stewardship question that many other older congregations are dealing with. What do we do with the vacant facility?
Selling the property and relocating to a newer, fast-growing location in the Denver Metro Area was an option, of course. But the congregation had a rich history in Montbello. We wanted to maintain a vital witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ here, where we could address the spiritual as well the physical needs of the people around us. We wanted to find ways we could renew old connections and develop new ones. So we looked at the ways our community had changed over the years. We asked our neighbors about the needs they saw. We sought out the advice of developers, community leaders, and organizers. We prayed.
What we found was a shortage of quality affordable housing for lower-income seniors. And the ground-breaking vision of Open Arms was born. We decided to re-purpose the side of our building that had once housed the school into an Assisted Living facility. Where once the congregation had served the children and younger families around us, we would now provide a quality place to live to an under-served group in our community.
We developed a plan that included an inviting campus, comfortable living quarters, spacious common areas, innovative telehealth services, spaces for family gatherings and intergenerational activities—even an ice cream parlor! A number of these areas will be shared by both residents of Open Arms and members of the congregation--including the telehealth services.
We realized that our small congregation could never muster the resources to realize this vision on our own. But when we turned to our neighbors and shared this vision, we were amazed at the enthusiastic assistance we have received. With their support, we were able to pass the needed zoning change through the Denver City Council without a hitch. Since then, St. Andrew Lutheran Church has formed a number of partnerships with community organizations, city council members, and state-wide groups to move the project forward. Others have been instrumental in helping us obtain grants for things ranging from abestos abatement to telehealth equipment and more. All of these partners have made vigorous contributions to turning the vision into a reality.
Open Arms is a separate 501c(3) non-profit with its own Board of Directors. A majority of the members of the Board are members of St. Andrew. The Board has contracted with DRIVE Management Resources, Inc. to run Open Arms. Over 3.5 million dollars in financing has been raised for remodeling the school side of the building into the Assisted Living facility. The re-construction work began in December, 2019 and is moving forward briskly. Open Arms Assisted Living at St. Andrews Lutheran Church is slated to open in late summer of this year.
The congregation is committed to using this project to enhance its primary calling to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We know that Open Arms, by and in itself, won't do that for us. But we are already busy developing ways to connect with the people in our community that utilize the new resources the building project provides. We are asking you to partner with us in making this outreach effort as successful as possible.
Please check out our Go Fund Me Page.
The complete make-over of the school side of our building leaves the church side looking like Cinderella standing next to her half-sisters. As any other congregation does, we think it is essential for our congregation's outreach efforts to make the place where we offer Word and Sacrament ministry to our community as attractive as we can. We have established a Go Fund Me page where you can learn more about becoming a partner with us in advancing the mission we and Cordero de Dios are engaged in here in Montbello.
