Group holds groundbreaking ceremony for church

STAFFORD — Approximately 60 Living Hope Lutheran Church members and friends ceremonially broke ground the afternoon of July 12 at a building site in Stafford.

The congregation plans to build an Open Arms Child Development Center and Hope Center — a multi-purpose area to be used for worship and activities.

The centers will serve central Stafford County.

Living Hope Lutheran Church currently meets Sunday mornings at Winding Creek Elementary School for worship at 9:30 a.m. and education at 10:45 am.

The congregation designed its building in late 2006 and then began the “lengthy process” of obtaining Stafford County approvals and permits, according to a press release from Pastor Gary Reuter, of Living Hope Lutheran Church.

In late May prior to the groundbreaking, the timber removal phase took place at the site, located at 325 Courthouse Road in Stafford. 

— Tracy Bell from press release