About four years ago, Lisa Heller of Mount Cavalry Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia, took a trip (or rather, embarked on a journey) to the Grow Up Conference in Atlanta.  GrowUp was a conference put on by North Point Community Church. The focus of the conference was to present new and innovative ideas to youth pastors and leaders in an effort to encourage churches to continually strive to find relevant and exciting ways to reach children and families. 

Mount Calvary, a church that is best described by Lisa as "an old church steeped in tradition," was perfectly positioned to be challenged with new ideas. The four church members who attended the conference were floored by the possibilities. The thought of bringing children and parents together to grow and learn in church touched their hearts and became their passion and mission.

Heller went home to Mount Cavalry, and, eight months later, she did her first KidStuf program.  KidStuf was a program developed at North Point Community Church by their Families Ministry Team, headed by Reggie Joiner. It was a program designed specifically to be a family worship experience. It was not simply children's church or a place where parents dropped off their children, but rather a point of destination, strategically positioned after the main service and children's hour. It was to be a place where both parents and children experienced the message together. 

As Mount Cavalry's program continued, attendance was good, yet they were still not reaching all the children and families they hoped. A suggestion was made to combine KidStuf with an ongoing Wednesday night children's program in an attempt to reach more children with both programs. 

Mount Calvary was running a bus ministry to reach their children, primarily inner city children. These children were largely from broken homes, often with only one parent or adult as a caretaker, among a host of other difficult situations. Heller had high hopes that whatever parent or adult was a part of their life would come and participate. Sadly, the program became a drop-off, not a connection. 

In the spring of 2007, Heller attended the first reThink Orange Conference in Atlanta. reThink is a company started by Reggie Joiner, out of his work at North Point. Joiner felt that after his years of service at North Point, he would be able to reach more people and carry his message to more churches, by branching out with this new company, but continue to work alongside North Point.

While at the conference, Heller wondered, in an "a-ha" moment, what would happen if she just focused on KidStuf on Wednesday night, dropping the other children's program, and, in addition, fed the families dinner who came to participate.

Armed with renewed vision and excitement, she took her idea home and set out to make it happen. That first night, she sweated, stressed, and prayed, but when the curtains opened, they were all there: kids, parents, and grandparents. They may have come for the food, but they stayed and continued to come for the fellowship and the program. While everyone involved in the program felt blessed and humbled to minister to these children from such difficult backgrounds, the time involved and hard work was taking its toll on volunteers. Lisa prayed for something, anything, to help her church and for volunteers keep their passion. 

Heller attended her second Orange Conference in the spring of 2008. It was a wonderful opportunity to recharge, regroup, and hopefully revitalize her program. She was especially excited when she heard that Real-Fake Buildings, a design/build company out of Atlanta was giving away a portable set. Real-Fake Buildings builds stages, sets, and immersive environments for children, largely in churches. Established in 2001, and born out of a stage and hallway environment built at North Point Community Church, Real-Fake Buildings builds all over the country, www.realfakebuildings.com.

Every church at the conference was given the opportunity to submit a story explaining how this portable set would benefit their church and their children. eThink and Real-Fake Buildings would read and review the stories, and one church would be chosen to receive the portable set.  Heller never dreamed that her church's story would be chosen, but she hoped.

On the last night of the conference, Real-Fake Buildings set up the portable stage, and reThink used it for their family production showcase. At the conclusion of the program, one church would learn that they would take home this amazing set. Heller could not believe it when she heard Joiner actually say, "Mount Cavalry Baptist Church, in Charleston, West Virginia!"  Her church would be taking home the portable set. She hoped that would be just what she needed to breathe new life and energy into her volunteers and program. 

Back home in Charleston, Heller and the church members were ecstatic about the gift they had been given. Unfortunately, there was a catch.  The portable set was too big for their current stage. A little daunted, Heller regrouped and wondered what to do next, believing that they had come this far and God surely had a plan. 

A couple in the church, moved by the gift, and the excitement that it generated, made a most unbelievable offer. They offered a donation of $1 million to build a permanent home for their new portable set.  The church accepted, and, in July, the Real-Fake Buildings delivered the set. 

Paul Mergenhagen, owner and senior designer of Real-Fake Buildings, can only describe that gift as unbelievable.

"It is truly humbling to think that the small part we contributed could have prompted such an amazing gift.  It really is gratifying to be a part of something that is so much bigger than any of us could have imagined." he said.

Mount Cavalry Baptist Church has already broken ground for the new KidStuf Theater. Armed with a renewed vision, a new set, and a new building, Heller and her team look forward to what God has in store for Mount Cavalry and the lives of the families they touch.