The Grace Lutheran Church and its Community Life Center
afternoon/evening children’s activities program has expanded
steadily since it started in 2003.

With just 120 children participating in its first week, the
program has blossomed in the last three years, with thousands of
kids coming through its doors in just the past year alone,
according to program coordinator Selene Machuga.

The children’s activities program “was a vision of the church”
in 2000, Machuga said. The church opened its doors to the youth of
the community in 2003, and saw about 500 kids in the first six
months, she said. These days, however, she and her husband, Jim
Machuga, have more of a need for volunteers to spend time
orchestrating group activities.

The program runs year round, she said, including through the
summer months, and offers a wide variety of activities from arts
and crafts to woodworking to archery, sports and more. Between the
church itself, located on Mechanic Street, and its adjoined
Community Life Center, organizers have plenty of room and equipment
to accommodate an array of activities.

The only problem is that they need people to lead the groups,
she said.

Anyone 21 years old or older “with a love for God and a love for
kids” is welcome to lead a project, Machuga said. Those interested
in spending even just a couple of hours a month reading to
children, helping them with their homework, doing crafts, playing
board games or sports, or even giving a cooking lesson in the
church’s kitchen are asked to contact Machuga or write a small
proposal and submit it to her.

Most of what a volunteer would need is already right there on
the grounds, she added.

There are two part-time paid assistants to Machuga and her
husband, she said, and about six really dedicated volunteers, but
“more is better.”

“We need people who are willing to form relationships (with the
children),” Machuga said, adding there is a great deal of mentoring
involved in the program.

The activities are open to all children of the community ages 4
and older. Organizers recommend younger children be accompanied by
an adult. Arguably the best part of the whole deal, the activities
themselves, she said, are free.

The program is open to children 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday. With the involvement of more staff volunteers, Machuga
said, the center could open Mondays, too.

“If you have a hobby or passion to share,” she said, “we welcome
you.”

She said the aim was to provide a safe environment for community
children, so that they’re “not out on the streets.”

And in their corner of Bradford, the plan is working. Children
representing a wide range of age groups played dodgeball, board
games and computer games Tuesday at the center.

Funds to pay the two part-time assistants and operate the
programs comes exclusively from the church, Machuga went on to say,
adding those in the community who might be interested in donating
to the program monetarily can do so directly to the church or
through Machuga or her husband, she said.

They also take donations of board games, sporting equipment,
arts and crafts supplies, etc. Several area businesses have already
stepped up and donated items for the kids over the years, she said.
The community, generally speaking, has been “more than
generous.”

Currently, there are Bible studies on certain days, pizza on
Fridays and “band nights” on Thursdays, when bands from near and
far come to entertain some of the area teenagers with music
“concerts” there at the center.

She said Grace Lutheran and the Community Life Center have the
potential to do many more and different projects, including
golfing, tennis, roller blading, volleyball and street hockey, to
name a few. All they need is a little help from adult volunteers in
the community.

“We can really rock this place,” Machuga said.