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Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodist News |
April 2001 |
'Underground' surfaces in Kokomo
By Matthew Oates
Hoosier UM News Correspondent
KOKOMO, Ind. -- Main Street United Methodist Church is a stately building located near downtown Kokomo whose "booming" main entrance casts a positive shadow on its neighbors.
However, it is hard for a church program to cast a shadow from the hours of 9 p.m. to midnight. That's when the Main Street Underground provides light for the lives of youth.
The program, started by Scott Miller, director of youth and young adult ministries, is based out of two youth rooms in the church basement. There are Christmas lights around the ceiling and a huge sign in one corner saying, "Dying for us was the most he could do. Living for him is the least we can do." But there are noises and smells originating from these rooms that a majority of churches don't have: sounds of teens being teens.
There is a local Christian band -- Forever Young -- making a second appearance at the Underground, complete with three guitars, a keyboard, drums and some great vocals on a stage surrounded by beanbag chairs and couches. Once they started playing, youth came from other parts of the building to listen to the music and the testimonies.
There is the sound of billiards being played, of teens lined up at the "Pop-A-Shot" basketball game, younger teens attracted to video games, trying to be the next Al Unser on an Indy car simulator game -- Godspeed No. 3. There is the smell of cappuccino and other treats wafting through the next room. There is the sound of teens putting aside whatever worries they had for one three-hour period.
Between the two disco balls and various colored lights and the tube lighting that runs the length of the hallway, there are youth running around from room-to-room, enjoying life.
Parents and volunteers from Main Street UMC watch over the youth. The goal is to provide a place where youth can come and have something to do on Friday evenings and not get into trouble. So far, the average attendance -- minus the time a snowstorm went through and kept people at home -- has been about 60.
Meridian Street Christian Church in Greentown, about eight miles from Kokomo, operated one of the first programs like this in the area. The church members and leaders had a disagreement on the operation of the program. The members shut it down and the pastor resigned.
A few weeks later, Main Street opened their program, but according to Miller, the Underground had actually been in the works since last year. "It just happens they closed down when we were ready to start."
Unlike the Greentown church, Main Street members are behind the program. Almost $7,000 was donated by church members for equipment. "They've been really supportive," said Miller.
The Underground provides the right environment for kids from various backgrounds -- both from the church and the surrounding neighborhood -- to come into the church and build relationships. While there, volunteers do not evangelize; they just offer snacks, drinks and supervise. "The church needs to be there to reach out to other people," said Miller.
Barb Salveter, Main Street's minister of education, was the greeter on Feb. 16, watching teens enter and exit the gym where they were playing basketball. Salveter was stopped by a few kids who said "hi" or hugged her. "You hang out here enough and you get to know the kids," said Salveter. "They'll come up and tell you incredible stuff."
She went on to emphasize that a program like this is significant for the community, because the church is stepping out of normal boundaries and reaching out to its neighbors.
Greg McCoy, a thirteen-year-old member of Main Street UMC, comes to the Underground to meet friends from church and school. If it weren't for the Underground, Greg thinks that he would be at home playing video games. "It's fun to hang out with the other kids."
And whenever two or three are gathered in His name. …
Last updated January 14, 2004