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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
February 2007 |
Church hopes to transform old bank into Mulberry youth center
By Joe Larson
The goal is to host a function at Abba's Place every school night to keep kids focused and out of trouble. |
MULBERRY, Ind. - The vault of an old bank might not be the first place most parents would choose to send their kids, but Mulberry United Methodist Church hopes it soon will be.
In November, the Indiana Youth Institute awarded monetary and technical assistance to Abba's Place, a church-run youth center located inside the former Farmers Bank building, 112 E. Jackson St.
Mulberry UMC, 10 miles SE of Lafayette, hopes to use these resources to transform the center into the pre-eminent youth hangout spot for the town of around 1,400.
"We need more kids," said sixth-grader Freida Weber. "All the kids from my grade think they're too cool to go."
The grant provides Abba's Place and 21 other winners across Indiana with between $20,000 and $25,000 for community outreach programs, as well as 120 hours of capacity-building assistance from experts in various fields.
The funding is part of the national Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program, one of President Bush's faith-based initiatives.
"This being a federal grant, it can't be a religious thing," said the Rev. Craig Overman, associate pastor at Mulberry UMC.
Federal regulations prohibit the money from being used for "inherently religious" activities.
To stay in compliance with the terms of the grant, Mulberry hopes to turn Abba's Place into a hangout spot for the entire community.
"We want to establish a drop-in center for one or two nights a week where teens can hang out," Overman said.
The church also hopes to initiate a "latch-key" program for elementary and junior high school students.
The goal is to host a function at Abba's Place every school night to keep kids focused and out of trouble.
Although the drop-in center and "latch-key" program have yet to start, students from around Mulberry seem to appreciate the center's efforts so far.
"We have concerts there every so often, and I'm a big music fan," said Laura Brassie, 16, who is not a member of the church.
The center has been successful at attracting kids from different backgrounds, but the majority of attendees are still drawn from the church's 155-member congregation.
When Mulberry UMC purchased the former Farmers Bank building in 2001, it wasn't sure how its youth center would be received by the community.
Thanks to the help of the Indiana Youth Institute, the congregation now expects to attract to its youth center more kids from around Mulberry than ever before.
"I see the center being someplace for the youth of our area, giving them needed skills to make appropriate decisions," said the Rev. Linda Dolby, senior pastor of Mulberry UMC.
Joe Larson serves as a reporter for the Journal & Courier of Lafayette, Ind. This story was used by permission. ©2006 Journal & Courier.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008