It’s taken a few years of fundraising, planning and hard work, but on Sunday, September 8, Praise Assembly on N. Glenstone held a celebration and ribbon cutting to officially open its Northeast Community Park.
Vince Crunk, who’s helped secure $141,000 in grants for the project, said the church received a letter in February of 2019 from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. They asked if Praise Assembly would be willing to open some of its outdoor space to the community so area residents would have a place to get outside. They called the area a play desert.
At that time, the church had 40 acres that wasn't being used for anything.
Alan Beauchamp, Praise Assembly’s lead pastor, spoke to church members before the grand opening and told a story of how he was sitting in the parking lot one day looking over the unused land.
"And I was thinking, 'why are we growing grass? We've been growing grass for decades,' " he said. "And I thought, 'maybe this is something where God might use us to just be a blessing to our community.' "
Over $703,000 has been raised so far by church members to complete phases one and two. The park now has pickleball and basketball courts, sand volleyball, a pavilion and a paved walking trail that winds around the property. The park is open to the public from dawn to dusk.
Joe Sardo, the park's construction coordinator and church member, said it's taken many man hours, a lot of equipment, a dedicated team of volunteers and contractors willing to give extra time to get to this point. He said, "it's pretty amazing" to see so much completed.
Beauchamp said the next phase will be an accessible playground.
"It'll have a ground covering that's totally accessible," he said. "The equipment will be more than just ADA compliant, it will be designed with that in mind. And so creating something like that on the northeast side of Springfield will create a space for people to get together with their family."
The playground is expected to cost $250,000, and donations are being accepted.
Future Northeast Community Park phases call for a softball field and a community garden. Beauchamp envisions hosting a farmers market where neighbors can meet one another.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has contributed through a land partnership grant to help pay for the walking trail and cost share money for native plantings, said Ashley Schnake, an MDC urban wildlife biologist, who's helped Praise Assembly with the project.
Beauchamp said they wanted to do something for the community they love.
"We want to see the community thrive and grow," he said. "But as the community goes, so goes the church, right? So as this area becomes more and more a place of community, the church benefits from that."
