This past week, I had the opportunity to visit with Byron Artis, who heads the new Hope Mission in Newton.
Artis is not a newcomer to our area. He runs the House of Hope in Union and also runs missions in Louisville and Meridian.
But the story of how Artis came to Newton is amazing. It starts with the building where the Hope Mission is located. It used to be Strebeck’s, but the building had been on the market for more than a year after Mike
Strebeck decided to retire and go “fishing” as his sign said on the door of his family-owned business.
Not too long ago, Artis felt God’s call to open another mission in Newton. If you’re not too familiar with his ministry, they usually have a store and chapel in every location.
They offer a location where local churches can come together, spread the gospel and serve the community. They offer the Transformation Program, which provides spiritual mentorship for people who are dealing with addiction or other harmful situations, and its Young Achievers Program, which promotes youth leadership.
So when they’re looking, they get in touch with Steve Dixon, who has purchased a number of buildings in downtown Newton and renovated them for new businesses.
The mission looked at one place of Dixon’s, but it just didn’t fit what they wanted to do. So they kept looking and saw the Strebeck’s building.
It turned out to be a near-perfect fit. So Dixon went back and asked if he bought the building, would the mission decide to lease the building.
They agreed to do it, and the rest is history.
It just shows you what you can do if our community can connect people who have a vision for the community with people who can help make it happen.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone. One person sells a building they need to part with. Another gets a tenant to pay rent. Another gets the perfect site for their business. And we all win because it will eventually lead to more activity in downtown Newton.
When we work together, everyone wins.
