Westmore Church of God is in the midst of a two-week grand opening celebration for its new youth facility, theELEMENT. The building is the former clubhouse of the Rolling Hills Golf Course located at 2100 Candies Lane.

Westmore purchased the 175-acre golf course in March 2006, but allowed the previous owners to operate the course for one last season on a lease basis. Westmore took possession of the property on November 1, 2006 and soon began to initiate plans to turn a portion of the acreage into a campus of ministries which will eventually include a new sanctuary and educational facility.

One year ago, Westmore sold its former youth facility, Oneighty, located on Old Freewill Road, as part of the plans to eventually locate all ministries on one campus.

“We didn’t intend to sell the Oneighty that quickly, but an offer was presented by The Church at Grace Point,” stated Pastor Kelvin Page. “They were aware of our situation and they were in need of a new facility. The opportunity was an open door for both congregations.”

The sale of the Oneighty became final last February and left Westmore in need of a place for their youth ministry. For several months, the program was conducted at the Jones Wrestling Center on the Cleveland High School campus.

For Westmore, which has been located at the corner of Wolfe Drive and 25^th Streets since 1968, extensive renovation of the former clubhouse became the first project earlier this year. First intentions for the clubhouse were to renovate it for use as a general purpose meeting facility, but it soon became apparent that the 6,000 square foot, two level building could serve as a dynamic youth gathering place. Earlier this summer finishing touches were applied and the youth program began meeting in the old clubhouse, which has been renamed “The Lodge.”

TheELEMENT is actually a program developed by Westmore Student Pastor Robert Green which incorporates a ministry philosophy around the “elements” of wood, water, wind, fire and earth.  Several months ago, Green announced a change in emphasis for the youth program at Westmore. Previously operating under the franchise of Oneighty, the youth program is now called theELEMENT.

“Within this new structure, more attention will be placed on discipleship,” Green said. “We will be changing the paradigm from big outreach events to more one-on-one relationship building. Through incorporating the five “soul environments” (wind, water, wood, fire and earth) we will be going to a deeper level of commitment to discipleship.” Green stated the new ministry philosophy naturally adapts to smaller groups, a necessary change in light of the reduced floor space of the Lodge compared to the Oneighty facility.

Officially starting September 5, the Westmore youth will utilize the Lodge which is equipped with the essentials for an effective youth program including an arcade with dozens of PS2 and Xbox electronic games, internet access via iMac computers, fully-equipped kitchen and café with booths equipped with ipods, offices and an over 200-seat worship area on the lower level. The grand opening will include free food, door prizes and concerts. On September 5, special guest was Scott England, followed by Rootberry on September 12. All youth of middle school and high school ages are invited to attend.

Several improvements to the exterior of the property surrounding the Lodge have taken place or are in the construction stage. Earlier this year the building that formerly housed golf carts for Rolling Hills was converted into an outdoor pavilion and adjacent restroom facilities were renovated. Later this month, the parking lot will be resurfaced and enlarged. In addition a multi-purpose outdoor recreational space will be developed which will include an outdoor basketball court which can double as a hockey surface for the community S.H.A.R.P. hockey program. Plans also call for a small football/soccer field that can also accommodate Frisbee golf, and a fenced skateboard park. 

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Westmore Church of God - www.westmorecog.org
2412 Wolfe Drive, P.O. Box 3442 - Cleveland, TN 37320 
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