BUILDING HOPE
The Mission of Hope Lutheran Church is “To Know Christ and to Make Christ Known." This short statement is at the heart of our ongoing expansion project. We desire to carry out Christ's Great Commission by reaching more people than ever and bringing them to faith in Christ.
In recent years, The Villages has seen incredible growth. This southward expansion has presented Hope with the opportunity to spread the Word of God and the message of Jesus Christ to new neighbors through the building of a third campus.
As we work toward our future Hope South Campus, we are engaging the southern community through worship at the Everglades Recreation Center, along with neighborhood groups and activities aimed at growing our presence in this new area.
In recent years, The Villages has seen incredible growth. This southward expansion has presented Hope with the opportunity to spread the Word of God and the message of Jesus Christ to new neighbors through the building of a third campus.
As we work toward our future Hope South Campus, we are engaging the southern community through worship at the Everglades Recreation Center, along with neighborhood groups and activities aimed at growing our presence in this new area.
Recent Updates
April 2, 2025
A Preliminary Revised Floor Plan for the Worship Center has been presented to the congregation. Click the button below to view the message and new plans.
A Preliminary Revised Floor Plan for the Worship Center has been presented to the congregation. Click the button below to view the message and new plans.
March 2025
Mark Cook Builders, Inc. of Leesburg was approved as the Contractor/Construction Manager for our new Hope South Campus Worship Center at the June 18 Council meeting. Mark Cook Builders has a devoted team known for delivering high quality buildings. The company has done extensive work in The Villages, including several churches, and has an outstanding reputation within the surrounding community.
As Contractor/Construction Manager, Mark Cook Builders will initially be working with our architect, Judd Dickerson, and his team of technical professionals to develop a detailed cost estimate, which is a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) within the constraints of our approved budget. Upon the Council’s approval of the GMP, Hope will enter into a binding agreement for both the guaranteed cost and construction schedule. The development of the GMP will take an estimated 60 to 90 days.
Mark Cook Builders, Inc. of Leesburg was approved as the Contractor/Construction Manager for our new Hope South Campus Worship Center at the June 18 Council meeting. Mark Cook Builders has a devoted team known for delivering high quality buildings. The company has done extensive work in The Villages, including several churches, and has an outstanding reputation within the surrounding community.
As Contractor/Construction Manager, Mark Cook Builders will initially be working with our architect, Judd Dickerson, and his team of technical professionals to develop a detailed cost estimate, which is a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) within the constraints of our approved budget. Upon the Council’s approval of the GMP, Hope will enter into a binding agreement for both the guaranteed cost and construction schedule. The development of the GMP will take an estimated 60 to 90 days.
February 2025: Hope South Campus Worship Center Update: Construction Bids
Thank you to the nearly 80 people who joined their Hope friends and neighbors on February 27 at River Bend Recreation Center to receive detailed information about the status of the Hope South Campus building project from project leaders Bob O'Dell and Dale Fiet.
The level of interest was extremely encouraging, and many thoughtful questions and suggestions were addressed. We will continue to update the congregation, and the pastors and council members are always available to answer questions.
Below is the information presented at the Congregation Information Meeting on February 27, 2025 at Riverbend Recreation Center
1. The Congregation approved the budget for the building of the Hope South Campus Worship Center in December 2023 in an amount not to exceed $8,000,000. $6,000,000 of that amount is allocated to the construction costs for the Worship Center of 18,372 sf ($4,300,000) and to the site development costs (grading, drainage, utilities, parking and access roads) associated with the Worship Center ( $1,700,000).
2. In June 2024, the Church Council approved Mark Cook Builders, Inc of Leesburg, Florida as the Contractor/Construction Manager for the new Hope South Campus Worship Center. This builder has done extensive work in The Villages, including work projects for North Lake Presbyterian Church and New Covenant United Methodist Church and the construction of the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church.
3. Under the construction contract, Mark Cook Builders is responsible for developing construction costs for Worship Center and the site development work in an amount not to exceed the budget of $6,000,000. If the actual costs from bids exceed this amount, Hope has the right to terminate the construction contract unless another amount is mutually agreed to.
4. In November 2024, the construction documents for the Worship Center were finalized by Hope’s architect Judd Dickerson and his consultants. These construction documents were sent to pre-qualified subcontractor bidders by Mark Cook Builders with the anticipation that the bids would be returned in January 2025.
5. Initial results of the bids received to date:
a. The subcontractors have been slow in returning bids and the numbers and types of subcontractors participating in the bid process have been lower than anticipated:
i. Initially bid requests were sent to over 75 contractors; approximately 1/3 of the subcontractors did not respond; for a few of the scopes of work, no responses were received; and
ii. For some of the major scopes of work (concrete, timber, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) , one bid has been returned although the drawings were sent to 2 to 3 subcontractors, creating a non-competitive bid scenario with bids much higher than expected.
b. Mark Cook Builders listed the construction drawings on PlanHub (a cloud-based bidding site that allows general contractors to share project files with subcontractors) to generate more interest and to solicit bids outside Mark Cook Builder’s subcontractor base. There are more than 10,000 registered recipients at this site. 245 recipients viewed the project, 132 of them downloaded the files and 11 submitted bids. Only one bid received was lower than other bids previously received.
c. Mark Cook Builders is continuing to solicit, review and evaluate bids but does not anticipate any significant developments that would have a major impact on the pricing for the project.
6. Projected construction costs for the project based on bids received to date:
a. After reducing costs through value engineering efforts ( changing building systems, equipment and materials without compromising functions and safety) and making other adjustments but maintaining the same square footage design, there will be a cost overage of more than $2,000,000.
b. Both Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson were highly surprised by these figures. Jay Veillette project manager indicated he has been doing these types of projects for a long time and did not believe the costs of construction would be this high.
c. Possible causes for these higher costs as discussed with contractors:
i. Subcontractors around The Villages are very busy and are selective in the projects for which they submit a bid;
ii. With the workload, subcontractors are experiencing shortages of available labor/skilled workers;
iii. Economics uncertainties such as inflation, effect of tariffs etc..; may affect the pricing; and
iv. There is Increased complexity in a church project as compared to other available projects.
7. Basis of Hope’s estimate for the construction costs of the Worship Center building based on a “per square foot” analysis:
a. Judd Dickerson’s review and analysis: $230 per square foot (range $230-$240).
b. Hope Lutheran, at the time of the selection of Mark Cook Builders (June 2024), also interviewed two other general contractors and all 3 general contractors interviewed stated that Hope’s budget for the Worship Center was reasonable.
8. Estimated present market construction costs for a church project based on the following discussions:
a. Mark Cook Builder’s received bids: $375 per square foot to $400 per square foot.
b. General contractor from the Orlando area: $350 per square foot. This contractor was just hired by a church in Orlando to redesign its building plans because its original bids were $1,500,000 over budget.
c. General contractor from Ocala: working on a church project whose original budget was $250-$300 per square foot but whose budget will be revised to $330-350 per square foot.
9. Options available to Hope based on information received to date:
a. Proceed with the present design and square footage, with the value engineering changes including roofing, framing, windows, HVAC etc., after raising the estimated additional funds needed in an amount of more than $2,000,000.
b. Revise the present plans to some extent so that the additional money needed for the project would be between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000.
c. Revise the present plan by reducing the total square footage to a number that will come near to the approved budget amount of $6,000,000 for the Worship Center and site improvements.( for example, reduce the square footage to 12,000 by eliminating the kitchen, multipurpose/choir room, administration area and reducing the seating capacity to approximately 350 -all of these areas could be added at a later date when funds become available. Site improvements and landscaping would be reduced to the extent consistent with the minimum requirements of The Villages)
d. Additional fund raising will be necessary under any of these options.
e. Revisions to the design and square footage of the Worship Center will involve revised and amended plans requiring new approvals from the City of Wildwood (site plan), Sumter County (building permit) and The Villages (Design and Review Committee). Obtaining these new approvals will extend the time period before construction can commence.
10. The Church Council will review all viable options and make recommendations to the congregation for final approval.
The level of interest was extremely encouraging, and many thoughtful questions and suggestions were addressed. We will continue to update the congregation, and the pastors and council members are always available to answer questions.
Below is the information presented at the Congregation Information Meeting on February 27, 2025 at Riverbend Recreation Center
1. The Congregation approved the budget for the building of the Hope South Campus Worship Center in December 2023 in an amount not to exceed $8,000,000. $6,000,000 of that amount is allocated to the construction costs for the Worship Center of 18,372 sf ($4,300,000) and to the site development costs (grading, drainage, utilities, parking and access roads) associated with the Worship Center ( $1,700,000).
2. In June 2024, the Church Council approved Mark Cook Builders, Inc of Leesburg, Florida as the Contractor/Construction Manager for the new Hope South Campus Worship Center. This builder has done extensive work in The Villages, including work projects for North Lake Presbyterian Church and New Covenant United Methodist Church and the construction of the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church.
3. Under the construction contract, Mark Cook Builders is responsible for developing construction costs for Worship Center and the site development work in an amount not to exceed the budget of $6,000,000. If the actual costs from bids exceed this amount, Hope has the right to terminate the construction contract unless another amount is mutually agreed to.
4. In November 2024, the construction documents for the Worship Center were finalized by Hope’s architect Judd Dickerson and his consultants. These construction documents were sent to pre-qualified subcontractor bidders by Mark Cook Builders with the anticipation that the bids would be returned in January 2025.
5. Initial results of the bids received to date:
a. The subcontractors have been slow in returning bids and the numbers and types of subcontractors participating in the bid process have been lower than anticipated:
i. Initially bid requests were sent to over 75 contractors; approximately 1/3 of the subcontractors did not respond; for a few of the scopes of work, no responses were received; and
ii. For some of the major scopes of work (concrete, timber, mechanical, electrical, plumbing) , one bid has been returned although the drawings were sent to 2 to 3 subcontractors, creating a non-competitive bid scenario with bids much higher than expected.
b. Mark Cook Builders listed the construction drawings on PlanHub (a cloud-based bidding site that allows general contractors to share project files with subcontractors) to generate more interest and to solicit bids outside Mark Cook Builder’s subcontractor base. There are more than 10,000 registered recipients at this site. 245 recipients viewed the project, 132 of them downloaded the files and 11 submitted bids. Only one bid received was lower than other bids previously received.
c. Mark Cook Builders is continuing to solicit, review and evaluate bids but does not anticipate any significant developments that would have a major impact on the pricing for the project.
6. Projected construction costs for the project based on bids received to date:
a. After reducing costs through value engineering efforts ( changing building systems, equipment and materials without compromising functions and safety) and making other adjustments but maintaining the same square footage design, there will be a cost overage of more than $2,000,000.
b. Both Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson were highly surprised by these figures. Jay Veillette project manager indicated he has been doing these types of projects for a long time and did not believe the costs of construction would be this high.
c. Possible causes for these higher costs as discussed with contractors:
i. Subcontractors around The Villages are very busy and are selective in the projects for which they submit a bid;
ii. With the workload, subcontractors are experiencing shortages of available labor/skilled workers;
iii. Economics uncertainties such as inflation, effect of tariffs etc..; may affect the pricing; and
iv. There is Increased complexity in a church project as compared to other available projects.
7. Basis of Hope’s estimate for the construction costs of the Worship Center building based on a “per square foot” analysis:
a. Judd Dickerson’s review and analysis: $230 per square foot (range $230-$240).
b. Hope Lutheran, at the time of the selection of Mark Cook Builders (June 2024), also interviewed two other general contractors and all 3 general contractors interviewed stated that Hope’s budget for the Worship Center was reasonable.
8. Estimated present market construction costs for a church project based on the following discussions:
a. Mark Cook Builder’s received bids: $375 per square foot to $400 per square foot.
b. General contractor from the Orlando area: $350 per square foot. This contractor was just hired by a church in Orlando to redesign its building plans because its original bids were $1,500,000 over budget.
c. General contractor from Ocala: working on a church project whose original budget was $250-$300 per square foot but whose budget will be revised to $330-350 per square foot.
9. Options available to Hope based on information received to date:
a. Proceed with the present design and square footage, with the value engineering changes including roofing, framing, windows, HVAC etc., after raising the estimated additional funds needed in an amount of more than $2,000,000.
b. Revise the present plans to some extent so that the additional money needed for the project would be between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000.
c. Revise the present plan by reducing the total square footage to a number that will come near to the approved budget amount of $6,000,000 for the Worship Center and site improvements.( for example, reduce the square footage to 12,000 by eliminating the kitchen, multipurpose/choir room, administration area and reducing the seating capacity to approximately 350 -all of these areas could be added at a later date when funds become available. Site improvements and landscaping would be reduced to the extent consistent with the minimum requirements of The Villages)
d. Additional fund raising will be necessary under any of these options.
e. Revisions to the design and square footage of the Worship Center will involve revised and amended plans requiring new approvals from the City of Wildwood (site plan), Sumter County (building permit) and The Villages (Design and Review Committee). Obtaining these new approvals will extend the time period before construction can commence.
10. The Church Council will review all viable options and make recommendations to the congregation for final approval.
February 2025: Annual Meeting Project Status Review: Hope South Campus
Hope South Campus Worship Center Review and Project Status - (As presented at the Annual Congregation Meeting on February 2, 2025)
1: At the end of 2023, the Congregation approved the funding and financing for the building of the Hope South Campus Worship Center of approximately 18,372 sf with an approved budget not to exceed $8,000,000.
2: Based on the approved budget, Judd Dickerson of Dickerson Architects of Leesburg was authorized by the Church Council to prepare design development drawings for the Worship Center based on the schematic design and renderings approved by the Congregation.
3: In June 2024, the City of Wildwood approved the final site plan for the Hope South Campus Worship Center.
4: In June 2024, the Church Council approved Mark Cook Builders, Inc of Leesburg, Florida as the Contractor/Construction Manager for the new Hope South Campus Worship Center. This builder has done extensive work in The Villages, including work projects for North Lake Presbyterian Church and New Covenant United Methodist Church and the construction of the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church.
5: Under the construction contract, Mark Cook Builders is responsible for developing construction costs related to the Hope South Campus Worship Center and the site development work associated with the Worship Center (grading, drainage, utilities, parking areas and access roads.) The budget for this entire work is $6,000,000. If the actual costs from bids exceed this amount, Hope has the right to terminate the construction contract unless another amount is mutually agreed to.
6: In July 2024, Judd Dickerson completed the revised design development drawings and was authorized to start the construction documents phase.
7: Hope Lutheran Church received conditional approval from the Villages Design Review Committee for the revised design development drawings at the end of September 2024.
8: In November 2024, the construction documents for the Worship Center were finalized by Judd Dickerson and his consultants. These construction documents were sent to pre-qualified subcontractor bidders by Mark Cook Builders with the anticipation that the bids would be returned in January 2025.
9: On January 27, 2025, Hope representatives met with representatives of Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson to review the status of the bidding process.
10: The present status of the bidding process is as follows:
a. All bids have not been received, and the subcontractors have been slow in returning bids. According to Mark Cook Builders, the reasons for the delay include (i) the holiday season; (ii) subcontractors in The Villages area are extremely busy; and (iii) with many work projects in The Villages area, subcontractors are very selective in their choices of projects.
b. Bid requests have been sent to over 75 subcontractors. Unfortunately, about 1/3 of these subcontractors have not yet responded and several indicated no interest in the project or were too busy to become involved. Finally, for several of the scopes of work, there have been no responses to date.
c. For some of the major scopes of work, one bid has been returned although the drawings were sent to 2 to 3 subcontractors in that work area. More responses are needed to have competitive bidding.
d. Preliminary observations about the bids received to date, which are in the process of being fully reviewed and analyzed, indicate (i) bids for major scopes of work (concrete, timber mechanical, electrical, plumbing) have come in much higher than expected, which has surprised Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson; and (ii) although our contractor and architect will work actively to identify costs savings, it is anticipated that the total final figures will be beyond the budget approved by the Congregation.
11: The Immediate plan of action, which has already been implemented from our meeting with the contractor and architect, includes the following:
a. Contact subcontractors who have not responded to ascertain level of interest or concern.
b. Seek bids from additional subcontractors.
c. Review the bids received to (i) determine scope compliance; (ii) identify “overages”, “inflated values” and “extras”; (iii) identify and eliminate “top of the line” expense items; and (iv) locate items that can be revised/eliminated.
d. Dialogue with the bidders to revise/streamline bids.
e. Engage in “value engineering” to look for potential cost savings (building systems, equipment, and materials) without compromising functions and quality.
12: We are allocating approximately a month to evaluate current bids, seek new bids and do cost savings evaluations. At that time, we hope the information from this bid process will be complete enough to allow us to make decisions as we move forward.
13: As this review and analysis of the bids continues, we will continue to move forward on other aspects of the project. Mark Cook Builders has applied for a building permit from Sumter County. Preliminary comments have been received from Sumter County and reviewed by Judd Dickerson. There are no major concerns with the comments received from Sumter County and this dialogue will continue until the building permit process is finalized.
1: At the end of 2023, the Congregation approved the funding and financing for the building of the Hope South Campus Worship Center of approximately 18,372 sf with an approved budget not to exceed $8,000,000.
2: Based on the approved budget, Judd Dickerson of Dickerson Architects of Leesburg was authorized by the Church Council to prepare design development drawings for the Worship Center based on the schematic design and renderings approved by the Congregation.
3: In June 2024, the City of Wildwood approved the final site plan for the Hope South Campus Worship Center.
4: In June 2024, the Church Council approved Mark Cook Builders, Inc of Leesburg, Florida as the Contractor/Construction Manager for the new Hope South Campus Worship Center. This builder has done extensive work in The Villages, including work projects for North Lake Presbyterian Church and New Covenant United Methodist Church and the construction of the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church.
5: Under the construction contract, Mark Cook Builders is responsible for developing construction costs related to the Hope South Campus Worship Center and the site development work associated with the Worship Center (grading, drainage, utilities, parking areas and access roads.) The budget for this entire work is $6,000,000. If the actual costs from bids exceed this amount, Hope has the right to terminate the construction contract unless another amount is mutually agreed to.
6: In July 2024, Judd Dickerson completed the revised design development drawings and was authorized to start the construction documents phase.
7: Hope Lutheran Church received conditional approval from the Villages Design Review Committee for the revised design development drawings at the end of September 2024.
8: In November 2024, the construction documents for the Worship Center were finalized by Judd Dickerson and his consultants. These construction documents were sent to pre-qualified subcontractor bidders by Mark Cook Builders with the anticipation that the bids would be returned in January 2025.
9: On January 27, 2025, Hope representatives met with representatives of Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson to review the status of the bidding process.
10: The present status of the bidding process is as follows:
a. All bids have not been received, and the subcontractors have been slow in returning bids. According to Mark Cook Builders, the reasons for the delay include (i) the holiday season; (ii) subcontractors in The Villages area are extremely busy; and (iii) with many work projects in The Villages area, subcontractors are very selective in their choices of projects.
b. Bid requests have been sent to over 75 subcontractors. Unfortunately, about 1/3 of these subcontractors have not yet responded and several indicated no interest in the project or were too busy to become involved. Finally, for several of the scopes of work, there have been no responses to date.
c. For some of the major scopes of work, one bid has been returned although the drawings were sent to 2 to 3 subcontractors in that work area. More responses are needed to have competitive bidding.
d. Preliminary observations about the bids received to date, which are in the process of being fully reviewed and analyzed, indicate (i) bids for major scopes of work (concrete, timber mechanical, electrical, plumbing) have come in much higher than expected, which has surprised Mark Cook Builders and Judd Dickerson; and (ii) although our contractor and architect will work actively to identify costs savings, it is anticipated that the total final figures will be beyond the budget approved by the Congregation.
11: The Immediate plan of action, which has already been implemented from our meeting with the contractor and architect, includes the following:
a. Contact subcontractors who have not responded to ascertain level of interest or concern.
b. Seek bids from additional subcontractors.
c. Review the bids received to (i) determine scope compliance; (ii) identify “overages”, “inflated values” and “extras”; (iii) identify and eliminate “top of the line” expense items; and (iv) locate items that can be revised/eliminated.
d. Dialogue with the bidders to revise/streamline bids.
e. Engage in “value engineering” to look for potential cost savings (building systems, equipment, and materials) without compromising functions and quality.
12: We are allocating approximately a month to evaluate current bids, seek new bids and do cost savings evaluations. At that time, we hope the information from this bid process will be complete enough to allow us to make decisions as we move forward.
13: As this review and analysis of the bids continues, we will continue to move forward on other aspects of the project. Mark Cook Builders has applied for a building permit from Sumter County. Preliminary comments have been received from Sumter County and reviewed by Judd Dickerson. There are no major concerns with the comments received from Sumter County and this dialogue will continue until the building permit process is finalized.
Master Plan Documents
Project History
- In January 2023 the Church Council approved the AIA Architectural Contract for the Main Building complex with Dickerson Architects, Inc. of Leesburg, Florida.
- In February 2023 the Application for Site Plan Approval (the master plan for all phases of the Hope South Campus) was filed with the City of Wildwood. This process also involves obtaining numerous permits, including water management, water main extension and environmental resource permits.
- In May 2023 the Church Council reassessed the Hope South Campus building timeline and voted to move forward with finalizing plans for the Worship Center and to prioritize the building of the Worship Center before the Activity Center.
- On June 3-4, 2023 the Church Council conducted 4 Congregation Information Meetings involving all 3 Hope campuses to present an update on the Hope South Campus Building Project, including the revision to the Hope South Campus building timeline as decided at the May 2023 Council meeting. The slideshow presentation (Our Plan Forward) from this meeting is available through the link on the Hope South Campus Website.
- On October 6, 2023, the Church Council conducted a Town Hall Meeting at Hope Central Campus where the following information was presented to the members of the congregation: (i) revised design plans for the Worship Center; (ii) the estimated costs of the Worship Center; and (iii) updated on the Matching Gift Challenge and the Capital Campaign.
- On November 15, 2023, the Church Council conducted a Town Hall Meeting at Hope Central Campus where the following information was presented to the members of the congregation: (i) Preliminary Budget Cost Estimates for the Worship Center; (ii) Worship Center Funding Sources and Loan Strategies; and (iii) Sample Ballot for the Special Congregation Meeting scheduled for December 17, 2023.
- On December 17, 2023 a Special Congregation Meeting was held at Hope Central Campus where the members of the congregation voted to approve the following: (i) Construction of the Worship Center and all related site development with a projected cost of $7,850,000, not to exceed $8,000,000; (ii) Construction loan of $4,700,000, not to exceed $4,900,000 from Mission Investment Fund; and (iii) Conversion of the construction loan to a permanent mortgage loan at the end of construction.
- At the June 18, 2024 Council Meeting, Mark Cook Builders, Inc. of Leesburg was approved as the Contractor/Construction Manager for our new Hope South Campus Worship Center.