The Community, Connections & Commerce Podcast, presented by OUE & St. Clairsville Chamber - Community, Connections, & Commerce Episode 13 with Chris Figaretti

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

Welcome back to Community Connections and Commerce. I'm Drake Watson along with my co-host as always Wendy Anderson. Good morning Wendy. Good morning Drake, how are you? I'm Drake Watson, along with my co-host, as always, Wendy Anderson. Good morning, Wendy. Good morning, Drake. How are you? I'm wonderful, and I'm pleased to be joined by Chris Figueredi, our special guest this morning. Chris, it's great to have you on. We appreciate you coming on this morning. It's great to be with you guys. Thank you for coming down. We really do appreciate it, because you were just here yesterday.

Yeah, absolutely. We had church here at the Capitol Theater yesterday. Yep. So you're already jumping into it. Tell us a little bit about kind of what you do, who you are, and all the things you have going on. All right. Well, my name, as you said, is Chris Figueredi. I'm the lead pastor of New Bridge Church. We have been in the Ohio Valley for 45 years as of September, mostly known as the Vineyard for most of that time. We just changed our name this year. We meet at the Capitol Theater on Sunday mornings at 1030, and we have a great time.

It's a great venue to do church. But then we're involved in the community the rest of the week doing all kinds of things. So, Drake, like I go to the Vineyard. I've been – It's New Bridge, Wendy. New Bridge. I go to the Vineyard. I've been. It's New Bridge, Wendy. New Bridge. I go to the New Bridge. I knew it.

I have it right here. The New Bridge. And for about, probably about 16 years now. Uh-huh. And I love it. When we were out at Wardens Run Road. And now we have moved to the Capitol Theater. So why did we move to the Capitol?

Yeah, so great question. We have a building that we built in 1996 on Warden Run Road. It's a lovely little building. We still own it and we have our offices there, but we outgrew that space. We've actually outgrown that over the years probably four or five times, but there are not a lot of places to go in Wheeling, West Virginia topography is not cooperative right and so finally we actually in 2015 we launched a satellite campus at the Highlands movie theater which was really fun and we did that for about three years and then we outgrew our space again yes and it was at that point in 2018 we were able to come to an agreement with Denny Magruder who was in charge of the Capitol at that point, and with the Capitol Theater folks. And we have been in the Capitol ever since with a small break for COVID.

We were online and meeting outside for a lot of that. Yeah. Well, you've got some new things coming along here, too. I'm hearing about a daycare facility that you're thinking about. Yeah. We've hearing about a daycare facility that you're thinking about. And yeah, we've talked about a cafe. Yep. There's a cafe on the main street side of that. So yeah. So coming out of COVID, we were able to purchase the old Children's Museum building right on the corner of 10th and Main Street. It's a beautiful, big building. And we purchased that because we needed some really viable child care and children's church space on Sunday mornings because the Capitol doesn't really offer that. And so that was something we had been looking to do for a while. We were able to purchase that

building and we moved the kids in there as we came back to the Capitol after COVID. And it was going really well. But we were asking the question, we've got this huge space, what is the best way we can serve our community with this space? And so we started talking to community leaders. We started doing, you know, just surveying people. And what came to the top, there are two huge issues in the Ohio Valley. One of them is addiction. the other is child care. There is a 20 to 30 month waiting list. In fact, I was speaking with the mayor not too long ago. He was saying his child is now at the 20 month mark awaiting. So if the mayor can't get a spot in child care, you know there's an issue. And so this is an economic issue for business in the Ohio Valley.

This is a, it's an economic issue for families because, you know, parents can't go back to work. Now they're financially behind. And really the kids aren't getting the educational foundation they need. And that's one of the things we're super committed to with our academy. We're calling it New Bridge Academy for Kids. It's going to open here in just a few weeks. We have done a basically an eight-month renovation top to bottom on that building at the gateway to downtown Wheeling. And it's amazing. It's a first-class environment designed just for kids. And then the team that we've put together and are continuing to assemble is going to make that just... The mission statement for the academy is building

bridges to the brightest future. And so really just committed to equipping these kids with the foundation they need to go as far as they possibly can in life. And so we have an environment that's going to be full of love and joy, as well as educationally focused. So really excited about that. I know my daughter went to visit because she actually got our grandson in there. So he's going to be starting here shortly when she goes back to work. But I know that is such a huge problem in the Ohio Valley is to find child care, good child care. And that's the thing. Well, any child care. I mean, it's just it's hard to come by.

So what we said is, OK, if this is the biggest need in the Ohio Valley and this is really affecting families and futures and really the economy of our community, the culture of our community, really. And we've got this resource, this amazing building with lots of space. Right. Let's solve the problem. And so we stepped out and took a big risk. The people of New Bridge Church pledged almost $3 million to make it happen. And it's costing way more than that. That's a huge space over there. It's 26,000 square feet. We're going to be able to accommodate almost 240 children. And so it's a big splash in the capacity of

Wheeling. I think it's about a 25%. It's 25% of the child care capacity in Wheeling. We're adding an additional 25%, which really should make a difference right out of the box. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's what it's all about, making a difference. And we always say there's no better investment than one can make than in its community's youth. Yeah, absolutely. If you could speak to that a little bit.

I mean, just the importance of investing in the youth, especially within the community. Yeah, well, and really it starts at that early age. It does. It's not just, you know, you get to high school and kids are kind of on their trajectory, right? Right. And so you have to build that foundation in as they're coming up. You do. You have to build that foundation in as they're coming up. And so, negative to positive, from pessimism to optimism, you know, is starting with the kids, you know. And so, yeah, we feel like something else that

we are doing in the community, the other big issue that we discovered was addiction. And so we've partnered with an organization called Hope Center to open recovery houses. These are faith-based residential recovery houses. So right now, up in Dallas Pike, we've got 31 men living there and going through a year-long recovery program, and we're getting ready to open a women's center as well. And so we're trying to solve practical needs in the community. Addiction's a big one, but we have to have something at that end of the spectrum, you know, remediation, rehabilitation, all of that. That has to happen. And that has been so good and so fun. And those guys are in church every weekend. They are. And it's fantastic. But if you want to solve the problem long term, you have to start when

they're kids. And so the child care is kind of that end of the solution for us. Okay. So you also have different things in New Bridge. You have the 180 ministry. So tell us about that and then the way. The way. Yeah, yeah. We have a variety of ministries for different age groups. So 180 is our middle school and high school program. They get together every week for, well, a lot of fun stuff because, you know, when you're in middle school and high school, there's got to be fun. And so they have a blast. It's hysterical, actually, some of the stuff they end up doing.

And so we've got a group of, I don't know, 70, 80 kids that show up every week. And, I mean, they went to camp this summer down in the mountains of West Virginia. But they're a community. They get together in small groups and grow and learn. And it's interesting because especially as they get into high school, they're not interested as much in the fun, goofy stuff as they are in, hey, what's real about life? And so it gives them those environments to have those conversations and build those friendships. And then we have a program called The Way, which is our 18 to 25 age bracket.

And there's about 100 of them that get together every week on Sunday. They get together on Wednesday evenings, actually. It was Wednesday evenings, and it's an amazing community. It's an amazing community of young adults, and it's been fun to watch this this crew i mean they've always got new people coming in but we're enough into this that the the first wave is you know they've been getting married over the last couple of years and having families they're starting to register their their children at the academy and um and it's just it's just been amazing and it really is one of the things I love about New Bridge is that it is multi-generational you know it's not just right not just young people now we've got people in their 90s who show up and

people in there you know their teens who show up on Sunday morning and really enjoy what we do here at the Capitol and the service that we have and everybody in between. So what's it like when you see some people's lives come full circle in that way that you just described? And then you can almost see your vision of changing the culture and changing the attitude kind of of the community. You can see it person by person. What's that like for you when you see that come together? No, it's incredibly encouraging and gratifying, and I think a picture of what could be and what can be. And,

you know, we are impacting our community for the good now. And I just see that growing as we move forward from here. Again, I want to impact so many people that it literally changes the culture of the community. And it's one of the blessings of being here at the capital is um we've got room you know we've got we've got space for more people though you know and uh and and more lives to be touched so you take care of them you're going to start taking care of them from cradle to school and then beyond because you also do um you have starting up this fall the alpha course yeah yeah the alpha course um why don't you talk about that that's my absolute i just i just get all goose bumpy when i talk about the alpha course it was funny because we went my husband and i went so many times that jen said okay you can't go anymore as just to go.

You have to do something else. So now we kind of teach class. But it is a way that for any person who does not have a clue about Christianity or their beliefs or their questioning, what is it for me? Where am I going to go with this? Or how can I give back to the community? Or how do I find my faith? This is the walk that you want to walk on. This is a walk that you want to do because it has absolutely changed my life 17 years ago. And so many people, yeah. So Alpha is a 10-week class. It's a practical

introduction to the Christian faith, but it is for anybody. You don't have to be a Christian to come explore that. And what we're finding is that our world is so goofy right now, coming out of COVID, and a lot of things don't make sense. And people, young people, old people, again, everybody in between are asking the deeper questions of life. Like this, this, this isn't working. Obviously culture is not working well for people right now. You look at suicide rates, depression rates, everything else. And so you begin to ask the deeper spiritual questions and there aren't many places that you can go to ask your questions and explore and find out, hey, what do these people think? And it doesn't feel like there are safe places to do

that. Well, Alpha is a safe place to do that. It meets once a week, like I said, for 10 weeks. And it's a safe place to explore and figure out what you believe. And it's a place where you can find like-minded people. So we have created some bonds with some couples out there. And we have an alpha group. And we still, we took it way back when. And we all still, every once in a while get together and we're talking from early or late 20s now to up to i think i'm the oldest one 63 and we still get together we still text make sure everybody's okay um especially during covid we had no place to go we had nothing we couldn't touch each other we couldn't see each other so that was that relation building um class was

that was what i took out of that yeah yeah community is so profound and i would say that about you know whether that's 180 and the in the in the youth yeah or the way and the young adults or you know the young married people or, you know, and again, even our older folks. It's that connection. And research has shown over and over again the power of connection and community. It's the difference between years of longevity and not. It is.

And, you know, faith and community are the two things that really make, they're the X factor. They really are. Tell me about your motivation for solving problems and changing lives. That's what I've kind of picked up on since you've been talking to us, is that's really what drives you. And I'm just curious as to, as to why you're wired that way, if that's kind of always been the way that you've thought as a young boy, if you've thought, a young Chris, was he sitting there saying, you know, I want to grow up and I want to make a difference in people's lives. That's incredible if that was the case. If not, you know, when did you realize that? Yeah, I mean, well, I, you know, I've grown up in the Christian faith, you know, and so the ethic of that, the teachings of Christ, are to build bridges between him and people.

And that's why we're called New Bridge. You know, we're building new bridges into this era. And we're across from the old bridge. You know, our building's across from the old suspension bridge. But we're New Bridge, but we're a new bridge and we're building bridges. And so built into the teachings of Jesus are help people. Help people find him, help people follow them, help them with the practical issues that they have. So that's always been a part of my ethos. I've always looked at the world through how can

we make a difference and how can we be the blessing wherever we are. Yeah. You know, over time, you've had to change your approach on your investment in the Valley. So you started when we were at the vineyard, the church, the new bridge, and Waddell's Run Road. The building on Waddell's Run Road that was changed to Warden Run Road. Oh my goodness. Yeah, there's a lot of change over the years.

But yes, we started out there. Yes, you've had to change your approach. So who helped you with that thought process? Do you have like a group of people around you that you guys talk about it? Do you, you said you talked to the city officials and just different people. How has that changed from the time we were out there to here? Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing that changed is the decisions that we've had to make along the way. You know, we've, we hit a point where we were, we couldn't, we couldn't fit

anybody else in the building on Sunday mornings. And so we had to make a decision. Are we here to care for the people that we have, which of course we are here to care for the people that we have, but our greater mission is helping people find and follow God. So if we're going to help people find and follow God, that's beyond just the people who are already in the seats. So we had a decision to make. Are we willing to leave this comfortable, wonderful environment that we have and go somewhere else that isn't even a church environment,

although I have to say the Capitol is an awesome place to do church. But are we willing to leave our comfort zone to continue in this mission that we've been given? And so that's where it started, you know. And so we moved downtown. And then, okay, so now we need kid space that's going to work for us. Okay, well, now we bought the building. Right. And now we need, you know, and now we need this.

And then all of a sudden, okay, well, addiction is a huge issue, which has been for a while. And we made, you know, we made this connection and this relationship, and all of a sudden we're introduced to Hope Center. And so we build a relationship with them, and we raise money to be able to launch these centers. So, yeah, it's just, you know, God brings things into your path, and then you have to make a decision as to whether or not you're going to pursue those things or not. And, you know, prayerfully, we try and listen and do what we feel like we're supposed to do. Have you had any challenges, naysayers that has tried to stop you? No.

That's good. I mean, there are always negative people. Yes. You know, Wheeling has, and the Ohio Valley in general, the Rust Belt I think in general, has had a 50-year history of decline. So believing that something can happen that's good and beautiful and better is hard for some people to get their heads around until they see it. And so now that this building's coming around, I mean, not only have we created a world-class child care facility and a cafe on the main street side,

the cafe will be opening in September at some point in September. We've restored a beautiful historic building. Yeah. I mean, on the corner of the gateway to downtown Wheeling. And so we're investing in the infrastructure of downtown and rehabilitating downtown Wheeling as well. So it's hard to argue with that. I mean, it's easier to argue with it on the front end

when you're like, yeah, they'll never do it or whatever. But, you know, we're nine months in on this project and it's done. And so I keep telling people, our contractor, it's Graycon Construction out of Steubenville, Ohio. They're wonderful. The project manager, Jack Boston, actually attends our church and I think took a personal interest in this. But it's come in on time and under budget. And everybody that I've talked to in construction has been like, that just doesn't happen. That doesn't happen. I have a friend who's in banking and he's like, we budget in 10 to 15 percent for overruns because that's where things are actually coming in. So, you know, to be able to pull that off in a town where the streetscape's taken five years

and look like Baghdad in the middle of a war, you know, it's kind of, they're making us look good, really. But it's hard to argue with that kind of progress. You mentioned earlier moving to a spot such as the Capitol where it's not a typical church environment. Right. If you walk into a different building, does that kind of speak to, you know, your thought process as to it doesn't matter what the building is, it doesn't matter what the setting is. As long as you can accomplish your goal and your mission and still reach people the way that you've always have, you know, then it's worth it. Absolutely, whatever it takes.

You know, the building, I think for a lot of people, people think church and they think building. It's a cathedral, it's a country church, it's a whatever. The word for church in the New Testament is ekklesia, which means gathering. Yeah, I was just about to say. And so it has nothing to do with a building. And so, you know, like I said, during COVID, we met down at the waterfront for six months. And that was huge. People loved that. But that's not a church facility. We met online and we did what we call church at home when the weather turned cold. And that went on for another six months. And phenomenal. But it was, you know, it's not about the building.

And I love that the Capitol kind of communicates that. The fact that we meet in a theater where whoever was in concert the night before and here we are. And the church is wherever the people of God gather together. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I think what you guys are doing is amazing, and I'm glad to be part of it. And I think the City of Wheeling is very fortunate to have you. And so are all the family members that you're going to take care of, all the babies you're going to take care of, and all the way up to the 90-year-olds that we have in church. So I thank you very much for doing what you do, and I love your vision, and I can't wait to see what's next. It's going to be fun.

I know. Yeah. I'd like to thank you for coming on this morning. It's been a pleasure talking to you. We really appreciate your time. If there's anything else you have to add or anything, we've got a couple more minutes here. Okay.

Well, I would just say to whoever's listening out there, come check us out. Come on out on a Sunday morning. It'll be the best hour of your week. And you're going to meet some really good people, the kind of people who are invested in making a difference in their community. And not just saying but actually doing actually doing so and um i i tell people uh wendy you asked the question who do i who do i talk to and where do these ideas come from a lot of it is our staff team uh but i have uh pastor friends from around the country that i talk to regularly and one of the things that i get to, or that I tell them, is I get to work with some of the best people on the planet. And I really mean that. I don't think I would be

a pastor if I weren't a pastor here. Like, I wouldn't look to move to another community or a bigger church or whatever. I love the people of New Bridge Church and the people of the Ohio Valley. And it's just a real privilege to get to do what we get to do. And we get to do some amazing things because of the people. So if you're looking for a church home, come check out New Bridge. If you're looking for a cup of coffee, check out the NB Cafe on Main Street. If you're looking for a child care, check out New Bridge Academy for Kids. If you're looking for a child care, check out New Bridge Academy for Kids. If you're looking for faith and trying to figure out what you believe about God, check out the Alpha Course. Absolutely. I will ask you one more thing.

What are you going to have at the cafe? Is it just coffee? It's going to be coffee and coffee shop type type food so pre-made sandwiches danishes cakes you know kind of what you would get in the starbucks and when will that open september that will open in september we don't have a hard launch yeah but by the time this airs it'll be september was a few months ago yeah it'll be december so yeah yep it will be open it'll be open and it'll be December. So, yeah. Yep, it will be open. It'll be open and it'll be so successful. Yeah, and we're going to try and be open some evenings just for youth and young adult gatherings. Oh, that's nice. That kind of stuff as well.

Well, we really appreciate your time. Thanks for coming on. For Chris Figueredi, Wendy Anderson, I'm Drake Watson. You can reach us at ouepodcast at ohio.edu. Once again, that is oueppodcast at Ohio.edu. Thanks for listening to Community Connections and Commerce.