In December 2024, parents at the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA Child Development Center were notified that Sojourn Church was terminating the YMCA’s lease come April 2025. When the YMCA was notified of the lease termination in October, they met with church leadership to ask for a lease extension to allow them time to find another location and prevent a lapse in childcare services. This request was denied.

We’re asking members of our community to sign this petition to urge Sojourn Church leadership to work with the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA and grant them a lease extension. This would allow the YMCA the time it needs to secure another location and gain the licensing it needs to operate.

If the Sojourn church does not work with the YMCA to grant an extension to the lease, 55 children will lose childcare and the staff will have a disruption in employment. This not only has a negative impact on these individuals, but will have a greater negative impact on our community. The values of the church emphasizes the importance of serving the community. While they have longterm goals to update the space to better serve the community, displacing the YMCA CDC causes undue stress and hardship on many families that could be avoided if they delayed their plans. A 6 month notice is not enough time for the YMCA to secure another location and gain the required licensing. Finding childcare is a major challenge in our community. Waitlist are long and spots are limited. It’s unrealistic that all 55 children would be able to find a spot at another facility. The reality is many families will be left without childcare in April. 

Please sign this petition and let the Sojourn Church know that you encourage them to grant a lease extension for the YMCA so 55 children don’t lose the childcare services they need come April 2025. 

If you would like to personally write the church, their email office@sojourntraverse.com.