A local church plans to put an older building into service.
The Rev. Yannik McKie of Grovetown’s Chosen Church said he’d been looking at property in downtown Augusta to have church services in, but he realized what he needed was a building he could use to provide services in.
Instead of a worship center, the 5,500 square foot warehouse at 1650 Olive Rd. is known as the Purpose Center. It will be the space for a multitude of services from an urban garden on its one-acre lot to job training to after school programs for children.
“The work I’m trying to do is needed and impactful,” said McKie. “It’s not just programs but people.”
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McKie said he’s got both the programs and the people.
One of the programs McKie’s church already has in place is the Men In Training program to mentor men and teach them job skills. The Purpose Center is partnering with businesses such as Universal Plumbing and Pebble Creek Landscaping to provide the training and find jobs for them.
Other plans include the urban garden.
McKie said the site is in a food desert. They’ve already met with Dan Scott of Studio Farmer to start cultivating the site.
A commercial kitchen is also being installed on site with plans to develop chefs. There’s space in the Purpose Center to hold events that could be catered. McKie said that’s another area they can provide job skills training.
One of the people working alongside McKie is Devron Mitchell, who located the Olive Road property.
Mitchell, originally from Minneapolis, was a rapper named Dezal da Messenger before coming to Augusta to help a friend in music ministry.
Mitchell has always had a heart for music.
“I’ve been doing music for more than 20 years,” he said. “When I was 12, I drove my mother’s van 30 miles to make music. I was serious about it.”
Inside the building is a state-of-the-art music studio where Mitchell plans to help young people record their dreams. He sees music as a tremendous outlet for young people.
The facility will also house a stage where kids can perform during open-mic events or concerts.
Mitchell said he believes in the power of music to heal hurting hearts as well and plans to put his background as a music minister into play in his work.
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The building is close to T.W. Josey High School, and McKie and Mitchell can see the site as a place for teens to hang out after school. There are video games and TVs inside the space.
They can see it meeting the needs of families with younger children as well. With a kitchen onsite, they could provide meals for children to give those single moms one less thing to worry about after they get home from work, McKie said.
Many of the plans are in the early stages, but McKie and Mitchell have high hopes for the Purpose Center.
“This is Black History month. This is what Martin Luther King and Malcolm X talked about setting aside our differences to do something bigger than ourselves,” McKie said. “We want to show young people and our elders that we can come together and make a difference.”
To learn more about Chosen Church, visit chosencsra.org.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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