Westminster is planning to expand Open Door into a Community Service Center by collaborating with Dégagé, Mel Trotter, and at least six other area churches to make Westminster the primary day space for Heartside neighbors on weekdays this winter. Open Door has been steadily growing through this year, but the need for a warm place to be during this winter is expected to be significant. Westminster is expecting to be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., using spaces that are usually empty during the week, such as the dining room and adjacent conference rooms.
This project will continue to serve as a community space for those who need it, offering a warm and welcoming place to rest and “just be.” With the support of non-profits like Dégagé and Mel Trotter, Westminster will also function as a Service Center where our neighbors can be connected on the spot to resources such as housing programs to address their needs. We plan to have five staff from Mel Trotter and Dégagé here each day to offer their skills and knowledge to our neighbors for navigating resources and to manage the number of people we expect to accommodate. There will be a meal served at lunchtime as well, though this will be brought in from outside our building. Our initial commitment to this project is to host this project from November 17, 2025 to March 31, 2026, though we hope to continue collaborative efforts past that date based on what we learn.
Clearly, this is an audacious undertaking. Six churches are committing to providing support to this project, including financial support, volunteers, and in-kind donations, helping to make this possible. The City of Grand Rapids is offering financial support for this effort as well. We will continue to need volunteers from Westminster to offer the same Westminster Welcome and Matthew 25 commitment that has made Open Door successful so far. If you have any questions, please reach out to Brian Kamstra at briank@wpcgr.org.
Volunteer signups for the Community and Service Center launching on November 17 are available now at https://www.meltrotter.org/communitycenter/. Those interested will need to create an account on Mel Trotter’s website, then go to the link and signup as an individual or a group. The volunteer positions will be helping with snacks, serving lunch, welcoming guests and helping them navigate Westminster’s building, or doing games and activities with guests.