New Beginnings church project proceeds through unique partnership

By RICHARD KOE and REBECCA TUITE

GRESHAM -- A unique partnership with business is allowing one of the area’s biggest church construction projects to proceed.

American Honda Motors has signed a $12 million deal with Opus Northwest, partners with New Beginnings Christian Center, to build a 200,000-square-foot, 17-acre facility at the church’s new site near N.E. Sandy Boulevard. and 181st Avenue.

Honda is the first major business enterprise to sign on for a part of the New Beginnings-Opus Northwest project, which will include distribution, training, and office support as a regional hub for the auto company. Honda has also committed to building and operating the facility according to the latest eco-friendly techniques.

New Beginnings Christian Center announced last March (see CNNW, June 2000) that it was partnering with Opus Northwest, a development company, to develop 30 acres of the 84-acre church property at the northeast corner for a business park.

The church owns the campus, but users would share parking, day care, and access roads. The businesses would use these benefits on weekdays and the church on evenings and weekends. Gresham city officials are pleased with the arrangement, calling it a vision that other communities will want to imitate for efficient use of land. New Beginnings has broken ground for a 3,200-seat worship center on the site (see Page 1 of October’s CNNW). Its congregation of almost 4,000 people is presently housed in cramped facilities at NE 78th and Glisan St. in Portland.

Development of the site is on a fast track, according to Opus Northwest. The church wants to build its facilities as fast as possible, and there are many businesses like Honda Motors looking for space.

“When this land came up, we realized that there was more than what we would need,” said Larry Huck, senior pastor at New Beginnings. “ Land prices are going to do nothing but go up, and so we bought by faith everything that was available and God just started to unravel it. We didn’t know what we were going to sell it for or what they would use it for. It just became a phenomenal deal.”

One of the obstacles, Huch said was “getting over religious tradition, that the church was not supposed to be in business.” “ I had to deal with a few of the leaders in the church that this is trusting God,” he said. “This is God bringing provision for us. It’s God blessing everything we put our hands to... “Now, everybody is excited about it.”

“We believe that this project will make a life-changing impact on the town and help the people of this community,” Huch said. “One of the things we’re going to do as a joint venture is include a huge day care, hoping to accommodate at first 500 to 600 kids, getting it to over 1,000 kids. It’s going to be a huge facility. Stage one is seven acres under roof.” He adds, “We’ll have top -quality day care for all of the business community in the Gresham-Portland area.”

Huch said another benefit will be a facility that will be open after school for teenagers. It will have a gymnasium, a weight room, a basketball court, etc. There also will be counselors if someone needs to talk about parental problems or drug problems. “We’ll also have some tutors in there to help those who need to learn English, like the Hispanic kids,” Huch said. “We’re going to have some folks in there that will help with studies and homework. And this will all be free to the community. The only thing is is that there can be no guns, gangs or drugs...It’s going to be a full-blown Jesus environment in a very positive way.”

From 10 members in 1990, New Beginnings Christian Center has grown to more than 4,000 today, making it, according to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, one of America’s fastest-growing congregations. The 84-acre development in Gresham is estimated at well over $100 million, making it perhaps the biggest East County real estate deal in years.

Huch and his wife and co-pastor, Tiz, have drawn together a multi-ethnic congregation and staff, making it one of the most racially diverse gatherings in the Portland area. Like most mega-churches, New Beginnings has cell groups. But unlike most churches, has cells that are exclusively for single moms, Hispanic, or former addicts, among others.

New Beginnings also differs from many other mega-churches with the Huchs’ belief in the prosperity gospel. Believers are instructed through the Bible that they are not only entitled to eternal life in heaven but also to physical, emotional and financial well-being on earth.

In addition to telling people God wants them to succeed, Huch and New Beginnings provide practical means for people to improve their situations. Currently the church provides English as a second language classes, a weekend youth center and a Montessori school available to the public.

From the top down, New Beginnings is infused with the message that anyone can start over. Three of the 20 pastors on staff were drug addicts and served time in a penitentiary before becoming involved in full-time ministry. New Beginnings also hosts Overcomers, a 12-step program, and a prison ministry.

Another ministry of NBCC is the annual World Leadership Conference. The Huchs started it is 1994 as a refuge for ministers who had experienced a difficult season in ministry, or had fallen and needed restoration to their lives and ministry.

This year, the church will host and sponsor 600 ministers from across the world and will cover all expenses, including food, lodging and travel for sponsored ministers.