New beginnings: MissionView Church's grand opening is Sunday

NORTH CANTON – For nearly 10 years, MissionView Church has rented space for worship services at Hoover High School while leasing offices on West Maple Street.

Both entities are now under one new roof.

MissionView will have a grand opening Sunday for its new, 26,000-square-foot edifice at 1320 W. Maple St.

More: MissionView Church has same vision, new home in North Canton

Kelly Hansen, MissionView's director of ministry, said the first service was April 3.

"We got the keys on April 1," she said. "We still have a few punch-list items. The body (members) came out and cleaned things up and built furniture."

The Rev. Matt Haupt, the church's lead pastor, happily noted that the church designed by SoL Harris/Day Architecture and built by Adkins Construction of Akron was completed under deadline and under the $3.2 million budget.

MissionView Church's 'Basecamp'

"I'm really shocked at the response from the community," Haupt said. "We've had a lot of people talking about it."

Asked what he preached on April 3, a smiling Haupt replied, "New beginnings."

"We called this project, 'The Basecamp,'" he said. "It's not an end, but the beginning of realizing and training people to fulfill their mission for Jesus."

Awash in natural light, the 24,000-square-foot building features first-floor meeting areas, a cafe, a private space for nursing mothers, space for youth and children's ministries and a two-story sanctuary that seats 446.

"It was a great project," said Todd LaPage, a church elder who served as the project manager.

LaPage recalled taking possession of the property, which formerly housed an office building and a for-profit college, in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic broke. The purchase price was $300,000.

MissionView is bucking the trend of dwindling church attendance. In the weeks since the new building opened, attendance at the non-denominational church has been at standing-room level, averaging 600 people each Sunday, Hansen said.

There are plans to add a second Sunday service in the fall, she said.

Serving young families

Children's Ministry Director Stephanie Walker and Assistant Director Colleen Spangler said they're thrilled with the result. They have 11 classrooms to accommodate 145 children whose families attend MissionView.

The children's ministry is assisted by 93 volunteers, who serve in rotating teams of about 30 every Sunday

"We feel so blessed to be able to have the whole second floor," Walker said. "We're a church of young families. Our faith leaders value families. They're so excited to come in here and have a space all their own."

The children's section has in-person security and a check-in system, which requires adults to have matching tickets in order to pick up their youngsters.

Near the welcome center is a plaque honoring MissionView's founding pastor, the late Rev. Steve Marshall, who died in 2018.

A native of Akron, Marshall started MissionView in 2013.

Prior to his death, Marshall gave a series of moving and inspiring sermons related to his illness and impending death.

"His wife and his mother and father still attend," Hansen said.

To learn more about MissionView, visit www.missionviewchurch.org.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: MissionView Church in North Canton celebrates its grand opening Sunday