Ministry Center Update
We are excited to share this update that represents a major step forward for Hope House in our capital development at 461 Glen Lily Road. This moment would not be possible without the steady partnership of many individuals, churches, and businesses over the past 17 years. What follows is a series of moments where the right people, timing, and God’s provision aligned in a powerful way to move our Ministry Center forward.
Bryan received a call on Thursday, April 9 from Ray Dilbeck with Constructors for Christ, a volunteer construction ministry that has been serving for over 50 years. Ray discovered our project through the Kentucky Baptist Convention and a mutual connection in the KBC. His team, typically 200–300 volunteers, had been planning to work on a project in Kentucky over a five-week period beginning June 21. When that project fell through, it unexpectedly opened the door for them to consider Hope House.
That initial conversation set a series of important steps into motion. The very next day, Ray reviewed our building plans and expressed immediate interest. We began praying and planning, knowing several key pieces would need to come together quickly for this opportunity to become reality.
Because our architectural drawings were more than six years old, we needed immediate updates. By 11:00 AM that Monday (April 13), our team had reworked the plans. That same day, we reached out to a key donor who had committed to give a $500,000 matching gift in 2025 toward the Ministry Center. We asked if they would consider honoring that match through in-kind contributions tied to the Constructors for Christ effort. The response was clear: “Show me a building permit, and I’ll do it.”
From there, the focus shifted to making that happen. We secured alignment from our development and construction partners, and they agreed to move forward. Next, we explored whether the City would allow us to reopen a previously issued permit from 2019 that we had been unable to act on due to funding limitations.
On Tuesday morning (April 14), we contacted the building division. The head of plan review was supportive and willing to help redline updated drawings, but did not have authority to reopen the permit. On Wednesday morning, we followed up with the building division manager, and by 3:30 PM that same day, April 15, we had an active building permit back in hand.
With a permit in place, Ray made the decision to drive up from Dalton, Georgia. We hosted Ray and his wife Paula, and on April 16 we spent time together from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM walking the site and discussing the project in detail.
Following that visit, Constructors for Christ officially committed to begin work on the Ministry Center the week of June 21, continuing through July 25. Ray and Paula will lead teams of 30–50 volunteers each week, helping move each phase of construction forward.
In parallel, we updated the donor once the permit was secured and Ray’s visit confirmed. After the site tour, they reaffirmed their commitment—honoring the $500,000+ gift toward the Ministry Center.
We are moving quickly! Site work is already underway. We’ve completed the building pad push-out and are digging and pouring footers this week, followed by block, plumbing rough-in, and final pad preparation in the next 3-4 weeks. This will position us well for the June 21 start date.
The Constructors for Christ in-kind labor, valued at more than $500,000, combined with the matching gift allows us to complete the building pad and secure initial materials. This brings us to approximately $4.5 million of our $5.5 million project fully funded. We are trusting the Lord to provide the remaining $1 million needed to complete the Ministry Center.
This has been an extraordinary sequence of events in a very short time. It’s hard not to recognize how each piece came together, step by step. We are also nearing completion of Phase 1, our 14-unit transitional housing apartments, and following the Ministry Center, we will begin Phase 3: 24 tiny homes.
Thank you for the role you have played in helping Hope House reach this point. We’re grateful to share this update with you and look forward to what’s ahead as we continue moving forward together. If you’d like to share this story and how people can help us reach the finish line you can share this link - www.hopehousebg.com/future.
