City on a Hill celebrates 20th anniversary of nurturing collaboration among Zeeland nonprofits

Most weekdays, the parking lot at City on a Hill Ministries is full.

Moms push strollers into the café. Volunteers sew quilts for children in Kenya. Counselors help people having a hard time. A free clinic helps people who do not have health insurance. Workers walk through halls that used to be part of a hospital.

Now, 48 nonprofit groups share the former Zeeland Community Hospital building. Leaders say the groups help each other rather than compete.

“This place is full of remarkable people who choose to give their best here,” President Ally Velderman says.

As nonprofits across the country deal with higher costs, less grant money, and more people needing help, City on a Hill offers an unusual model: shared space, shared resources, and a culture where groups support one another.

“City on Hill is the story of the many, not the single mighty,” Velderman says.

The organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The idea began when Zeeland Community Hospital moved to a new building. The old hospital building near downtown was still in good shape, and members of a nearby church began thinking about how to use it to help the community.

“They didn’t mean to, but somehow they prayed their way into starting a nonprofit,” Velderman says.

A new nonprofit group bought the building for about $1.1 million. People converted the hospital rooms into offices, meeting rooms, and community spaces. The nonprofit was not owned by a church, but local churches and volunteers still helped out.

Cultivating good works

Steve Dykstra, one of the founders of City on a Hill, said the group had a big dream from the beginning.

“The initial vision was to glorify God while helping organizations that serve people operate efficiently,” Dykstra says.

Over time, he says, the building became a place where people from churches and the broader community could use their skills in practical ways through volunteering, cooking, mentoring, painting, landscaping, maintaining the property, or otherwise supporting nonprofits with professional expertise.

“The incubator program provides free space to new organizations for a year,” Dykstra says. “Several amazing nonprofits started at COAH and have continued to grow and serve many people.”

Some organizations outgrew the building and moved into their own facilities, while others based at City on a Hill now serve thousands of people around the world.

“The website says it well,” Dykstra says. “‘We cultivate an affordable, inviting, and collaborative space where ministries and nonprofits can grow and impact our community and world.’”

One of those organizations is Harvest Stand Ministries, which moved into City on a Hill in 2006 and is preparing to relocate to a larger facility nearby after years of growth.

Executive Director Jordan Palladino, who has led Harvest Stand Ministries for five years, says the organization benefited from City on a Hill’s collaborative environment.

“City on a Hill has been very, very grace-filled and very hospitable and welcoming with us,” Palladino says.

Harvest Stand, founded in 1997 as a collaboration among 10 local churches, operates a food pantry, free clothing store, and resource assistance programs for families in need.

“There’s been times where things have been going well, we’ve needed more space, and City on a Hill has been willing to work with us,” Palladino says. “There are other times when Harvest Stand may be going through a downtime where they’ve been grace-filled and allowed us to still function.”

He says that support helped sustain the organization through difficult seasons.

“I firmly believe that the hospitality and the grace-filled approach to ministry from City on a Hill is one of the reasons why Harvest Stand is still here,” Palladino says.

Palladino says Harvest Stand’s upcoming move represents the kind of success City on a Hill was designed to encourage.

“I’ve been so grateful for the grace-filled leadership that City on a Hill has shown throughout its existence,” he says. “It’s supported so many smaller nonprofits as they’ve continued to fill their missions and roles.”

A place to start

By leasing low-cost office space to dozens of nonprofits ranging from startups to established organizations, City on a Hill. supports nonprofits  “who have a dream, but not yet the capital,” Velderman says.

That incubator approach has allowed emerging nonprofits to develop affordable operations before eventually moving into their own facilities.

Harvest Stand is one of the clearest examples of that model.

“As awesome as City on a Hill has been, as wonderful a ministry partner as they have been, the reality is this building used to be a hospital, and it just isn’t conducive for the type of numbers that we’re producing anymore,” Palladino says.

The nonprofit recently purchased an 18,000-square-foot building about a half-mile away and hopes to complete renovations and move into the new space next year.

Still, Palladino says, the organization will miss the daily collaboration that comes with sharing space alongside dozens of nonprofits. That proximity allows organizations to connect people with additional help immediately. Nonprofits focused on health care, housing, addiction recovery, food insecurity, and family support regularly refer clients to one another.

“When someone comes into Harvest Stand saying they have a health need and they don’t have insurance, we can walk them 30 feet to the health clinic,” Palladino says. “That’s a pretty big advantage.”

The on-site free clinic has expanded beyond physical care to include behavioral health services, creating what leaders describe as a rare integrated-care model for uninsured patients.

“It’s very also likely (those clients) could use the support to find housing and build a stable financial system,” Velderman says. “So the integration is huge.”

Worldwide impact

Communications and Development Coordinator Kelli Boetsma says the organization’s reach extends far beyond Zeeland because many of its nonprofits work nationally and internationally.

“You have ones that focus locally, you have ones that focus nationally, and then you have ones that focus globally,” Boetsma says.

Some organizations send missionaries overseas. Others provide local housing support, food distribution, or recovery services. Volunteers in the building sew clothing and quilts that are shipped to children in Kenya.

Estimating the total number of people served is difficult, leaders say. City on a Hill’s own programs reach nearly 1,000 people each month, not including the dozens of partner organizations sharing the building.

“That would be exponentially greater if you take into account 48 other ministries,” Boetsma says.

The collaborative structure also creates financial stability for nonprofits during uncertain periods, allowing programs to support one another when needed.

That interconnectedness extends beyond finances. Velderman compares the organization to a community potluck.

“In a potluck, I’m not setting the whole table,” she says. “We’ll have the best dinner in town just by everybody bringing what they love to bring.”

Dykstra says the collaborative spirit is one reason he has remained involved for two decades.

“There are so many talented people and organizations that serve in various ways on the campus,” he says. “They make an inspiring difference globally and in our local community.”

‘Leaps of faith’

Dykstra, who brought project management and business experience to the effort, says helping launch City on a Hill deepened his own faith.

“Helping the team start COAH 20 years ago was a way to use some of my past project management and business experience in a new way,” he says. “The many leaps of faith along the way stretched me and expanded my faith.”

He recalls critical moments throughout the organization’s early years.

“It was exciting to see God open doors and provide the right people and resources at the times they were needed,” Dykstra says.

City on a Hill is marking its 20th anniversary with community events this year, including a summer celebration on June 16 from 4-7 p.m. at Lawrence Street Park featuring food, games and family activities.

Boetsma says the goal is not simply fundraising, but helping more people understand what happens inside the former hospital building.

“We’re still doing amazing things 20 years later,” she says.

Despite two decades of growth, Velderman believes many residents still do not fully understand the organization’s reach.

“One thing that I heard in coming to this role was that this place is the best-kept secret,” she says. “We’re seeking to tell the story well, because it hasn’t gotten out to everyone yet.”

Photos by Shandra Martinez and courtesy of Steve Dykstra and Jordan Palladino.