A local group is repurposing downtown Butler office space to help less fortunate members of our community with a variety of needs.
Valerie Checkeye, Director of Community Partnerships at North Main Street Church of God, told our newsroom, “There was a storefront- which is owned by Cunningham Shanor- that had a sign in it that it was for lease. So, we approached the owners and asked if they would be willing to sit down and talk with us and we just boldly asked if they would let us use that space for free to do ministry out of and they didn’t even hesitate. Within five minutes they both agreed that they absolutely would.”
Checkeye is one of the organizers of 3:12, which is located at 312 North Main Street. A grand opening event for the center will be held this Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
One of the organizations that will be contributing to the center is Western PA Adult and Teen Challenge, which takes a different approach to addiction recovery through inspiring strategies of hope and encouragement. Checkeye hopes other faith-based programs will also take advantage of the space.
“We’re open to any faith-based ministry that doesn’t have a presence in downtown,” she said. “If they would like to use it to do some type of outreach or bible study or group meetings, we would welcome them coming in and doing that. We definitely want to use it as a hub, almost like a Christian Center for Community Resources, to be able to fill people’s needs from a faith-based aspect.”
The 3:12 Center will be staffed at least a couple days a week. Some funding for programming and improvements has been donated but money is still needed to pay for utilities, maintenance and security equipment.
Written By: Ryan Saeler for the Butler Radio Network
