WINONA LAKE - Ninety-eight years ago, 53 people interested in international mission work for Grace Brethren Church met near a tree by the swan pond in Winona Lake to discuss the idea.

A plaque still adorns the tree, but after renting office space for nearly a century, Grace Brethren International Missions Center has a new home that should well outlive the tree.

On Sunday, the Winona Lake organization will host an open house at its new center for world operations.

The center is located behind the fire station in the former Light and Life building once owned by Free Methodist Publishing.

The $450,000 renovation is part of a massive project by Winona Restoration Co., which has spread across the town much like the mission has reached across the globe.

Sunday's open house, from 3 to 5 p.m., will include tours that highlight the building's design and various facets of the operation.

The interior was heavily renovated, but remnants of the past remain.

Pneumatic tubes used for sending messages to adjacent offices have been replaced by e-mail.

Interior walls were reconfigured to facilitate convenient interaction for its 20 employees who oversee a $5 million annual operation that involves an array of activities on four continents.

While working on spiritual conditions worldwide, the organization is finally accomplishing a local goal.

"That's one of the key points. We're owners of our own facilities for the first time in 98 years," said Stuart Hake, director of administration.

"It's working out really, really well," Hake said.

The old offices were undersized and the 8,500 square feet in the new location should allow for room to grow, Hake said.

The center includes a state-of-the-art video center for marketing and project reports. Years ago, they depended on slide presentations.

Work stations are available for visiting missionaries who used to set up tables in the lobby to do their work.

The facility also features a conference center that includes a projection screen donated by Da-Lite Screen.

"We're trying to stay on the cutting edge of what missions do globally. Our vision is to see a multiplication of true churches throughout the world," said Tom Julian, executive director.

One of the significant changes is the growing role of churches. While Grace Brethren has about 275 churches in the United States, it has three times as many abroad.

Missions work is also adopting a more diversified strategy. Instead of just the traditional career missionary workers, the center now includes more people involved in short-time projects.

"We're trying to team up with churches and help churches team up with each other to help them do together what they cannot do separately," Julian said.

Although the move from its longtime rented locale alongside Grace Brethren Home Missions down the street on Kings Highway cost $600,000, the organization is offsetting some of that cost by renting space to two organizations.

Grace College Printing Shop and Sands Office Equipment are renting space in the lower level of the building. Additional room on the ground floor is available for another organization, and officials say they're willing to renovate to accommodate future use.

But overall, the mission's mission remains constant.

"We don't change on the essentials. Our message is the same as it has been for 98 years, but our methods have changed considerably," Julian said.

A dedication service for the international missions center following the open house is slated for 6 p.m. Sunday at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church.

While the mission is another step in the town's huge facelift, one of several other facets is continuing to take shape next door at the old Free Methodist Publishing House.

Winona Restoration is in the midst of renovating the turn-of-the-century building for Grace College and will house several departments and student services, according to Winona Restoration partner Brent Wilcoxson.

The building should be ready for classes next fall, he said. [[In-content Ad]]