It's 'Grand Opening Sunday' at Urbandale New Hope Assembly of God

If you’re looking for a new place to attend church today, this one is truly new: Urbandale’s New Hope Assembly of God Church is holding its grand opening today with services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. and  6 p.m.

The sanctuary at the new church, located at 4425 70th St., seats 900 people and feature an orchestra pit and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, according to story on the church web site.

The 54,213-square-foot facility also includes a spacious foyer, a two-story education wing and ample parking.

The church was founded in 1990 by Pastor James Weaver and his wife, Susan, after the Iowa District of Assemblies of God asked them to start a church in Urbandale at the former site of the Bethesda Temple. Another 20,000 square feet were added to the 40-foot-by-80-foot building in a 1995 expansion.

The $1 million mortgage facilitating that expansion was satisfied in just five years.

Over the years, the congregation has grown to more than 2,000 members and nine pastors, the Des Moines Register reported.

“There is a ‘keep your feet on the ground’ factor here, because there is a lot of responsibility that comes with all of this, but we are so grateful for the building. We’ve been bulging for a number of years and this has released that pressure upon us. We were running at 110 percent capacity in our former facility,” James Weaver told the newspaper. “What’s nice is that our new building is right on the main road, whereas our former building was on a side road. Now we have lots of new visitors.”

Additional construction projects are planned in the future. The church bought additional acreage to accommodate future building needs.

“What we’re doing isn’t just for our congregation, but for the community,” Weaver said. “We’re very community minded and want to be able to bless the community with our facilities. That’s a big point of our existence — to not just have a church, but to bless others we serve.”

Worship Schedule

Sundays:

8 & 10:30 a.m.: Worship Service and Children's Church

9:15 a.m.: Sunday School

6 p.m.: Evening Worship Service

Wednesdays:

5:30 p.m.: Family Supper (during the school year)

6:30 p.m.: Family Night

Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

Adult Bible Classes

Infusion (9th – 12th grades)

Ignite (6th – 8th grades)

Foundations and Transition (5th grade)

Kids Club (Kindergarten – 4th grade)

Preschool Program

Nursery

Saturdays:

5 p.m.: The Avenue Casual & Contemporary Service

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