GORDONVILLE CHURCH PLANS TO BUILD CHILDREN'S HOME

GORDONVILLE -- As part of its phased building program, Abundant Life Church soon will begin construction of a new children's home. A ground-breaking ceremony and reception will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The project has been in the making for some time.

The new multipurpose building's primary emphasis will be the Shepherd's Cove Children's Home, said the Rev. David Butler, pastor of the non-denominational church. It will be available for both long- and short-term care for children living in abusive situations.

In their outreach and visitation ministry, church members discovered that area families are in need of temporary shelter, Butler said.

"We have found situations where families are in need of everything from temporary shelter because their electricity has been turned of, to a place to stay because mom and dad are in a tiff and the family is in turmoil, to abusive cases," he said.

Church members often provided shelter or other help, said Butler.

"We decided that the area was in need of such a facility on a full-time basis to handle crisis times."

The church owns 10 acres of land at the intersection of Route K and Highway 25 in Gordonville. The present auditorium will later be converted into an educational building and a new auditorium will be built, Butler said.

The church hopes to start a school and day-care center in the future, as well. The educational building is phase three of its construction project.