Village - Church of the City

At COTC, we desire the flourishing of our city and want to find ways to meet the tangible needs God has shown us. We believe He is opening doors for a ministry center called The Village. Located on our Franklin property, this facility will provide equipping and resourcing toward mental health, single parents, foster families, and those aging out of the foster care system. It will be the heart of The Village to meet the needs of our city in a profound way, serving those who are the most vulnerable among us.

Make a Pledge

Help us build The Village through a pledge (share what you plan to do) or gift today (give one time or setup a recurring gift).

Refer to “Frequently Asked Questions” section at the bottom of this page to learn about the best ways to fulfill your pledge.

Make a Pledge Today Give a Gift Today

Village Updates

Update | September

More than 50 COTC Wrap Around volunteers, and several of our foster and adoptive families, along with Pastor Darren and Brandy Whitehead attended Every Child TN to celebrate and honor the TN fostering community. On behalf of the COTC community, Pastor Darren and Brandy Whitehead received the Governor’s Excellence Award for outstanding efforts to care for children, youth, and families in our community.
Pictured as well: Lance Villio – Executive Director of The Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (far Left), Governor Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee, DCS Commissioner Margie Quin (Far Right)

Update | August

Continuing to clear the path for our church to be a source of hope and help for the hurting. Tons of dirt is being moved for parking and the foundations are being poured for each building. In addition, we are preparing to erect steel in October.

Update | August

On Friday, July 12, we proudly hosted 77 remarkable young adults who recently graduated from high school and are in foster care. The young adults explored various vendors offering information about colleges, universities, job prospects, and other valuable resources. We provided a delicious barbecue lunch and celebrated their achievements with a special ceremony where they received a certificate. We provided them with gifts and we also gave away five cars through the Cars Ministry. The feedback from the young adults, vendors, and participating agencies has been overwhelmingly positive. We are grateful for the opportunity to be a light to these young adults who have faced so much adversity.

Update | June

After tons and tons of literal dirt was moved over the last several weeks, we are preparing the space for the building foundations.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24

Update | May

The soil is being tilled in preparation for the spiritual harvest to come in Franklin while simultaneously being tilled for the nutritious harvest to come in the gardens.

Update | April

Bigger equipment has been arriving on site, preparing for all the dirt to be moved. You will also notice that we are removing interior trees to make way for all that is coming. In case you are wondering, every tree that is removed will be replaced with two trees!

Update | April

Before we go up, we must go down. Soon you will see trenches being dug to bury these pipes that will hold the new electrical and fiber being run.

The Village Update | April 2024

The Village Update | December 2023

The Village Update | November 2023

Video

The Village Groundbreaking

Video

The Village Update | September 2023

Video

The Village Update | Sermon 2022

Video

The Village Update | Intro Sermon 2021

The Village Initiatives

As issues of mental health continue to rise in our culture, it’s our hope that the Community Care Center will provide critical support and resources that help turn the tide for those who are most vulnerable in our city.

We are grateful to have a ministry where people can donate cars in order to bless struggling families with reliable transportation. After ensuring the cars are fully functioning and detailed, we are able to give them away, knowing the difference it can make for a family in being able to finally achieve financial stability and safety. It’s our hope to increase our ability to secure and gift cars to families, specifically single moms, through The Village.

When a child must be removed from their home, the process can be overwhelming and disorienting. The Village House is designed to act as a place of safety and respite for kids who are awaiting placement in foster care. It’s our prayer this will provide smoother transition in a difficult time.

The Wrap Around Center will provide resources, support, and services that ensure no foster family goes without the care they need when receiving a placement. With tangible needs met quickly, vulnerable children are able to immediately begin the process of settling into their homes.

As kids age out of the foster care system, we hope to provide opportunities for training and equipping as well as income generation. With the Village Food Court and Community Garden, eligible young adults will have a chance for employment to help bridge the gap toward a more secure future.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Five Issues

The Five Initiatives

The Best Ways to Fulfill your Pledge

Designating Your Gift:

If sending a check in mail, please include “The Village” in your memo line.
If you use the giving link on the app or website (cotc.com/give), choose drop downs:
- “Campus” select Franklin | “Fund” select The Village at COTC
If giving stock, bank wire or any non-traditional method, please notify us at [email protected]

Most efficient & cost effective ways to give:

check
bill pay
ACH
bank wire
stock

Other ways to give that may be beneficial for you:

Donor Advised Fund (contact ar@churchofthecity,com for tax number)
Qualified Charitable Distribution (IRA)

Credit Cards (Most Costly):

You can also give by credit card on the giving portal, but COTC incurs the highest service fee
with credit card transactions. This results in less of your donation coming to the church.

When will we break ground?

What happens if we do not meet or if we exceed the goal?

What are the on-going operational costs?

How can I get involved with staffing or volunteer opportunities?

We are not yet offering staff opportunities related to The Village but there are several volunteer opportunities available as many of these ministries are already up and running with needs for engagement immediately. If the vision of The Village has inspired you to invest your time into these causes, we are excited to offer you more information on foster care, CARS, mental health, and serving with our Missional Partners which you can access by following the links below.

- CARS Ministry
- Wrap Around
- TN Key Training (for those interested in becoming foster parents)
- Missional Partners

Will The Village be serving needs beyond the 5 specific issues?

I own or work for a company that is interested in contributing materials or supplies to The Village project.

Kids aging out of the foster care system is a broad issue with many implications. What are some of the other ways The Village will be helping these young adults?

As part of our commitment to address those five concerns in a holistic manner, we will continue our coordinated partnership with the Department of Children Services to ensure we are coming around this issue well. Employment at onsite food trucks is just one of many ideas intended to address employment, mentoring, education, entrepreneurship, tuition assistance and the other concerns greeting these young men and women as they transition out of the foster care system in Tennessee.