First Sarasota celebrates grand re-opening of Kids First center

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The renovation was entirely funded by church member donations and the total renovation took seven weeks. The idea for the renovation came almost a year ago and after community donations, the church was able to start planning the new design and layout.

“The old facility did a great job for a number of years but like any house, it got old and tired and needed refreshing,” said John Cross, the pastor of First Sarasota.

According to Cross, the church wanted to be multigenerational so planning for the renovation included upgrading technology. The new facility has televisions, and other electronic equipment, that will be used for interactive learning through videos. One big priority, making a safe and welcoming environment for learning said Cross.

“We wanted it to be a very safe environment because we know that is a very important factor for families and for kids,” said Cross.

The facility has separate rooms for each grade level and additional rooms to help foster education like the Shine Worship and Joy Club rooms. The celebration also included decorating a wall with paint hand prints from kids. The kids that got to put their hands on the wall were those baptized in the church. According to Cross, they made the decision to be lifelong followers of Jesus and their hands will be a reminder of that commitment.