Envisioning a hub for the ages

It’s not about the politics of building expansion for Dave Rockness.

At least that’s not the impression he gives.

Rockness, 34, the minister of youth at St. Andrew’s Church in

Newport Beach, knows that he can only tout a vision for a new youth

and family center at the church. He can’t make it happen. He can

remind the 300 mostly 12- to 16-year olds he and his staff serve that

if the church’s proposed expansion -- at least 27,268 square feet

which includes a new gymnasium, classrooms and a youth center -- is

meant to be, it will happen.

After all the controversy surrounding the church’s growth, the

future is now left to city officials, negotiations among church

leaders and neighbors opposed to the expansion, and well, God.

At the core of the expansion -- which awaits Planning Commission

approval -- is the church’s youth and family center, and that’s where

Rockness and the youth he serves come in.

Rockness empathized with neighbors who are concerned the proposed

project will create more traffic and parking problems in the

neighborhood. Some have even wondered if the church, with its

congregation of about 4,000, has simply outgrown the neighborhood and

should leave.

But Rockness doesn’t seem to think so. In fact, he sees the

expansion as a benefit not only for children, but the area.

He envisions a new facility where soundproof walls will dampen the

din of loud music and a new space will beckon for new programs that

would cater to various ages of children. He also sees a new youth and

family center as a hub, where children who are vulnerable to getting

into trouble could go to find something healthy to do.

With a mission that includes nurturing, worshiping and serving,

Rockness estimates his youth ministry draws 30% of its youth from

church families. The rest are from the community, he said.

He needs only to look back to his own teenage years to find

motivation for trying to bolster the 50-year-old St. Andrew’s youth

ministry, which he came to in 1994 as a part-time youth intern.

“It was a [church] youth leader who took me under his wing my

sophomore year of high school when I was cut from the varsity

baseball team,” he said. “This person had more positive influence on

my life than he could ever have imagined.”

The Pilot’s Ryan Carter asked Rockness to answer some questions on

his ministry’s role in the expansion debate.

How specifically will the church’s growth plans affect your youth

ministry at the church? Put another way, how will it enhance your

ministry? Remind us briefly what the expansion will include that

pertains to your ministry.

The church’s proposal for a youth and family center will

significantly help our youth department in two ways. First, the type

of space would allow for a much more holistic approach to ministry. I

have shelves of books in my office that provide creative programming

ideas for youth groups. An interesting aspect is that over 80% of the

ideas in those books include the assumption that there is a field or

a gym to work with. Imagine doing relay races in history class or

battle ball in the band room. I’m sure it would be fun, yet fairly

destructive to the facility. The ability to play a game or do a group

building activity would greatly enhance the ability to work with 12

to 14 year olds.

High school students tend to do better in a “kick-back”-type of

atmosphere and would benefit from space designed as a coffee house or

a lounge. The ability to grab a milkshake or a Coke and chat in a

laid-back environment is much more conducive for

relationship-building than sitting in the cafeteria. Thus, the

addition of a gym and a lounge allows us to do current programming

much more effectively for the nature of the age groups we are

nurturing. Secondly, the addition of a gym and a lounge would provide

a very attractive base for doing after-school ministry.

One thing that I have found in Newport Beach is that many of our

families like to keep their kids busy. Sports, band and other

extracurricular activities are not only healthy character-building

outlets, but can keep young people out of trouble during a critical

period of the day. Studies show that the typical student who gets

into drugs develops this habit between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on school

days. What happens to the kid who gets cut from the sports team or

simply has no outlet after school? There are hundreds of unsupervised

kids out on the streets every afternoon. Our vision is to have a

place available for a student to drop in for a snack in the lounge,

play a game in the gym, use the computer lab, etc. Our proximity to

Newport Harbor High School and Ensign Junior High School makes this

opportunity even more accessible. If even a small portion of kids

respond to this, it could make a significant difference in their

lives.

What is the youth ministry’s facilities situation now? Are you

outgrowing your current facilities? If so, can you quantify that

growth in terms of membership or activities, budget?

Our current youth facility is a junior high room and a high school

room that is conducive for lectures, drama, table discussions, and

PowerPoint-type presentations. However, we are restricted in our

ability to use these facilities based upon other activities occurring

below us at the same time. Our current junior high room can

accommodate up to 120 students for lecture/music-type purposes and

currently attracts 50 to 90 kids on an average Wednesday and Sunday

program. Our current high school room can accommodate up to 150

students and averages about the same amount, 50 to 90.

In the six years I have been here, average numbers for programming

can fluctuate anywhere from 30 to 120 kids on a program night per

group and up to 150 kids for a specially programmed event.

So, in regards to a need for expansion, are we outgrowing our

current facility? Yes and no. Yes, for holistic ministry -- group

building, games, small groups, etc. No, if the expectation is to

limit our use to only lectures and quiet music. Again, it’s the type

and quality of the space that makes such a big difference.

The church’s plan, as you know, has been questioned by some

neighbors. How do you respond to some of their concerns about traffic

and other issues?

I empathize with the concern of the neighbors. Over the past

several years, I have developed friendships with many of the

families. Any perceived infringement should be taken seriously and

their opinions should be valued. At the same time, I feel many would

be surprised by the benefits they might receive through our church’s

proposed plan. For example, our current youth room is not in the

least bit soundproof. Often when there is a special event or guest

band, the noise has been known to carry into the community. It can be

loud. We do our best to close the windows and provide programming at

reasonable hours, yet I could imagine how it could irritate someone

who lives close by. Our proposed facility would be designed to absorb

sound and would strategically locate our youth away from the

neighborhood.

With regards to specifics on traffic, the city hired independent,

traffic experts to study traffic and parking. Their study and

recommendations are included in the city’s Environmental Impact

Report.

What do youth in your ministry think about the church’s expansion

plans? Have they discussed them? Have you discussed it, or even some

of the neighbors’ concerns with them?

The youth in our ministry are fairly low-key in their response to

the proposal. Most of them are still living day-to-day lives, looking

forward to Friday night, their next sporting event or working on next

week’s classroom project. Most are grateful for a church that is

looking out for their needs and are aware of the neighborhood

concerns, yet are more focused on the relationships being built

through our leadership team. They tend to trust that we have their

best interests in mind and are supportive of the tone we choose to

set; “respect the neighborhood, and if it’s meant to be, it will

happen.”

Have youth leaders or yourself had a role in developing expansion

plans? If so, how have you been involved?

I feel as though our youth leadership and I have had a significant

role in the development of our church’s proposal. Our building

committee has been faithful to listen to our vision and needs each

step of the way. I have been very impressed with their desire to sit

down with us and examine each aspect of our ministry and put together

a plan that could help us to do what we do now even better.

Some have suggested a new youth and family center will be good for

the entire community, not just the church. If so, how so?

I feel as though there are several ways our community could

benefit from this plan. From a ministry standpoint, the families in

our community would have access to some neat programs and services

that would only be enhanced by a new facility. Our desire would be

for them to take advantage of a place their young people can receive

nurturing through youth programs, counseling, special events, etc.

From a sensitivity standpoint, they may also discover that our desire

is to decrease the noise, strategically alleviate outdoor youth

activities, and provide parking to take additional traffic off the

streets.

Have you and church leaders wanted a new youth and family center

for a while? How long?

Our church leaders have been talking about a new youth and family

center for more than 10 years now. I have been eager to see something

develop from the day I arrived. Much of my background has been with

churches one fourth our size, yet with facilities much more conducive

for youth ministry. Our vision is not to see bricks and mortar go up

for the sake of being bigger or better, but to provide the type space

that allows youth and family ministry to be done in a holistic way.

What do you think about the chances for a compromise with

neighbors?

My prayer is that we come to common ground with the neighbors. I

trust and have confidence in the leadership of our church as they

move forward. Maybe I’m naive, but I have hope that in the end we

will all benefit.