Kids 4 Christ leaders and children feel like they are wandering through the desert looking for an oasis to call home, similar to Abraham’s call to pack up and move, as told in Genesis 13, said K4C founder/Director Gail Marks.
The building the local nonprofit has been using was recently put up for sale. The K4C board of directors voted not to buy it, saying the building is too small and in need of too many repairs.
“We are getting really, really crowded in here,” Marks said. “Now the landlord decided to sell the building, so we are looking harder than before for another building.”
For the last decade, K4C has taught students biblical principles, assisted them with school work, fed them and allowed them to create artwork from its downtown LaFayette location. Marks hopes to find a nearby spot for the 12-year-old program. Though there is a number of empty buildings around downtown LaFayette, they are all too small, she said.
“We have to have a certain number of exits and a certain number of bathrooms,” said Marks. “We could go a little north or a little south of here, but we want to have the same bus routes.”
To accommodate the students who attend its daily after-school programs and Thursday night Bible studies, K4C needs a 20,000-square-foot facility with more bathrooms and 3 or 4 acres for a playground and parking. Marks said she would like to have extra room to continue to grow and reach more children.
Right now, 70 up to 140 children routinely attend K4C.
“We recently told high school students that they cannot come anymore unless they are a helper,” since space is limited at the current facility, Marks said. “After-school programs are only for elementary ages. The Bible program is for ages 3 through eighth grade.”
Until the building sells, there’s no need to leave, but a place needs to be ready when the time comes to move on, said Marks. The K4C staff and board are asking the community to join them in prayer regarding this situation.
“People can donate toward a building fund for Kids 4 Christ,” Marks said. “If people would like to donate land, then they could get a tax write-off. We solely exist on individual donations. We do not get government grants because it limits the [program’s] religious aspect.”