Welcome to HUB 757, home of Believers Church on Bridgeway Drive in North Suffolk.
While it is not unusual for a church to rent out its social hall, it is unusual for a church to do what Believers did: Plan, erect and dedicate more than 28,000 square feet of space for all kinds of paying events.
“My message to the congregation has been that the church is not a building – we are the church. When services are over, we leave the building and the church spreads out into the community. That message reinforces the concept of HUB 757,” said Jamey Stuart, senior pastor at the church.
“Our primary purpose is to have our space become a hub of the community as it engages around events like meetings and receptions. We want to be engaging.”
By community, he means all of Hampton Roads and “anyone within driving distance.”
When the nondenominational church realized several years ago the congregation was going to outgrow its space on Portsmouth Boulevard in the Western Branch community of Chesapeake, money was raised and set aside “so that we could be prepared for the right opportunity,” Stuart said.
Once the seven acres in Harbour View area was purchased, Believers began working with an architectural firm – Building God’s Way, headquartered in Ogden, Utah. The architect suggested the idea of renting space as a business.
“He said that churches were the worst stewards of property,” Stuart said. “Why design and spend all that money on underutilized space?
“So we decided to brand the building as HUB 757. And we thought the concept would feel less offensive to nonreligious customers.”
“The church is a business, with a payroll, a mortgage and bills,” Stuart said.
It is a 501c3 and owns the building and property. It also owns HUB 757 and Oak & Lily Academy, both LLCs that operate under the church’s umbrella.
HUB 757 manages the space and rental fees pay for its staff, maintenance and business expenses.
Oak & Lily Academy is a Christian-based day care, preschool and kindergarten, and can be rented for children’s birthday parties during nonschool hours.
Believers has “dibs” on the building Wednesday nights and all day Sundays. But it has to plan ahead for other activities to be included on the event calendar.
Jamie Mitchell, HUB 757’s director of events, has been in the hospitality business for the last 19 years, working at convention bureaus in Chesapeake, Hampton and Virginia Beach.
The first event for the new venture was a wedding reception in October.
“Weddings have exploded,” Mitchell said.
An indoor amphitheater is suitable for weddings and theatrical presentations as well as church services. It seats nearly a thousand and 300 round banquet tables can fit on the amphitheater’s floor for receptions.
Weddings can also be hosted in the Commons, an almost 8,000-square-foot area that can hold 500 tables. Most of the furniture in the Commons can be removed or rearranged, with the exception of a permanent structure that has served as a registration desk, bridal check-in area and DJ booth.
A catering room and kitchen are nearby. Renters are not required to use caterers from an exclusive list. Alcohol is allowed; renters are responsible for obtaining the beverage license.
Meeting rooms with tiered seating can be set up theater or classroom style and have projection screens, speakers and sound booth.
Contact Mitchell at 757-800-1800 or jamie.mitchell@hub757.com.
