Open Arms Early Childhood Development Center in Ozark, Missouri is an early childhood center of the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, Missouri District. In 2014 Pastor Dave Benson was called, through Faith Lutheran Church in Springfield, Missouri, to partner with the LCMS- Missouri District in developing a new mission in Ozark, Missouri. After much prayer and searching, a suitable location was found for an early childhood center to begin its operation and gather a congregation. Since its founding in February of 2015, the Open Arms Center has leased the lower level of Ozark Christian Church for its operation and ministry. From the beginning, Mrs. Kim Overstreet has served as Open Arms’ ECDC Director.

Since its start in 2015, the Open Arms Center has grown in enrollment to a peak of over 50 children, infants through pre-kindergarten. The center also added “before and after school” care and a summer program for elementary school age children.

In 2019, the congregational development aspect of the mission was entrusted to a new church planting pastor, Pastor Jim Bartok. Pastor Bartok has since raised up a growing congregation renamed “My Church- Ozark.” The administrative board for the Open Arms Early Childhood Development Center is again part of the administrative structure of Faith Lutheran Church in Springfield.

Please keep Open Arms- Ozark in your prayers that God would literally open doors for them to continue to reach out to young families in the Ozark area, providing them with high quality, Christ-centered childcare and resource parents to nurture their children’s faith and trust in Jesus.