Why Brookside?
Listen to Pastor Mark answer 'Why Brookside?"
Historical Involvement
Over 10 years ago, a few members of the College Park Church family began a ministry to the kids of the Brookside neighborhood. Located on the property of Brookside Park, the Brookside Community Center became home to Kid's Church. John and Cindy Schmidler developed the initial team, for this Saturday outreach program which gave children of all ages a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Deepening Relationships
Today, the Kid's Church ministry is stronger than ever. Now housed at the BEACH house, this converted Nazerene church, will enable the ministry to grow well beyond Saturday mornings. Cory Johnson, a staff member of College Park, instructs the children in Bible lessons each Saturday morning. Kids not only hear about Jesus, they also see it lived out through the testimony of Cory and his staff of volunteers. With energetic music, game times, and a take-home lunch, the kids find that God's love is both a spiritual and physical meal.
Cory hosts Bible Studies at his home each week that give older kids the ability to dive deeper into what it means to be a radical follower of Jesus Christ in a world that is increasingly hostile to the idea of dying to one's self.
The roots of College Park in the Brookside neighborhood are deep and long-term. This initiative is ready to build upon the past with an eye toward increasing the ministries' breadth and depth.
City of Indianapolis Involvement
This area is currently being targeted by the organization Great Indy Neighborhoods which has established the Near East Side Community Organization (NECSO). Their quality of life improvement plan can be found in detail at indyeast.org
