About the Christian Community Center of HarlanLong, strong, and nostalgically, the Harlan Elementary School building stood for many years as a beacon that spoke 'community', 'connected-ness', and so many other good things for the little town of Harlan. The building even reached out to its neighbors and beckoned to ‘come and join us’! Built with tremendous quality and with character woven through its corridors, it served as a hall to provide quality education to all who gathered in its wings.
The residents around it gathered there for fundraisers to lift the hands of its community, whether in ministry or sickness, through fundraisers and family gatherings, or other functions. It served as a starting point for the famed Harlan Days Grand Parade. It sat, listened, and trembled to the roars of the trucks, tractors, and motorcycles of the festival. But it stood the test of time. Through some difficulties of the expanse of the East Allen County Schools region, they felt the need to close the doors and consolidate. For several years it sat alone, forlorn, and sad; beckoning a community to allow it to be an instrument used to connect itself together again. That day is here! On January 7, 2014, Sunrise Chapel Church (now 'The Ekklesia in Harlan) was awarded the winning bid at the EACS Board Meeting. On February 26, the deed was signed and the church was given the keys into the building, naming it the Christian Community Center of Harlan (CCCoH). The congregation has united with one heart and purpose with a vision to purchase the building to serve as a Christ-centered community center to give back to the community, to allow it to serve as a ministry center for continuing development of the spiritual, social, and economic success of Harlan and its surrounding areas. Many hours of elbow grease, sweat, and back testing labor were invested in cleaning, reshaping, and fixing what needed fixed in the building; all because they are convinced that Jesus truly is the answer for every need that the world encounters. Economically, the Christian Community Center of Harlan has an entire wing dedicated to rent out the classrooms to businesses at very reasonable rates, hoping to awaken a sleeping economy. It is stated that with State Road 37 carrying a tremendous amount of traffic from Ohio to Fort Wayne, why not have Harlan be a stopover before and after their visit there? Many plans and dreams include a Christian Daycare, a fitness center, coffee shop, and many other things that are in the works or planning stages. Socially, the gymnasium as a tremendous starting spot for every age group. Plans include the creation of leagues for basketball, volleyball, wiffleball, and relatively any sport that is applicable in a gym, in addition to expanding some softball fields outdoors and bringing those leagues back into the town again. The first class kitchen and dining/cafeteria area serves as a perfect location for family reunions, scrapbooking, meetings, etc. to come and congregate. Spiritually, we desire for the Community Center to be a ministry center not only for The Ekklesia in Harlan, but also any other Christian organization that desires to use it for outreach or encouragement. We hope to be able to hold Christian concerts and bring in some quality groups from out of town. The Community Center has already hosted events such as marriage retreats, and leadership conferences and have plans to partner with Leaders Alive International to be the home of their 'School of the Word' Bible Institute. So how does all this fit in with your plans, your vision, and your dreams? Whether it's a community event, using office space to grow your business, or utilizing the services of our tenants, we want you to feel at home when you visit the Christian Community Center of Harlan. It's your Community Center! |
Mission Statement"The Christian Community Center of Harlan exists
to contribute to the Spiritual, Social, and Economic Development of our Community." Board of DirectorsJames Graber
Nelson Herschberger Dave Myers StaffJames Graber
Executive Administrator [email protected] Rhonda Schwartz Executive Assistant [email protected] |
