LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Like a pastor is an anchor for the church, Great Galilee Church at Broadway and 40th Street in west Louisville is an anchor for the community.
Church leaders aim to create a safe place for the kids in the area, something Senior Pastor Dr. Eric A. Johnson takes great pride in.
"Our mission here is to bring help, hope and healing to uplift our community (and) be an asset in the community," he said Friday. "Not just sit on the corner but to impact the corner that we sit on."
Great Galilee Church held a summer academy this year for dozens of kids, complete with an educational curriculum.
The church held a summer academy this year for dozens of kids, complete with an educational curriculum. But it also simply allowed kids to be kids, giving them a sense o hope.
"They see lots of police," said April Ralston, initiatives program director at the church. "They see the crime scene tape. How are they processing this? It could be their aunties. It could be their uncles. Maybe it was their father or their mother who was murdered the night before."
Next, Ralston and Johnson want to transform the space across the street into a facility with resources.
"This year, we had over 55 kids who did not go hungry," Ralston said. "They ate three times a day. We had 55 kids who went back to JCPS prepared to go to the next grade. ... It meant that 55 kids were not killed. They were not shot at. They were not in homes all day doing nothing. They were productive."
What's now a gravel lot across from the church will soon be a covered basketball court that will also serve as a concert space and a farmers market, bringing fresh food to west Louisville.
"There are a lot of systems that have worked against west Louisville, the progress of west Louisville, and we just want to serve notice that we're on track to destroy those systems and bring people the good hope and great living they ought to have," Johnson said.
There will be a community block party outside of the church Sunday celebrating just that, with food, a DJ, bounce houses and resources available to help west Louisville residents.
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