Bible Baptist Church Begins Work on Family Life Center

Families will soon have a new place to go to exercise and stay warm during the winter months as well as the option of attending various classes or activities. Pastor James Adcock of Bible Baptist Church in Knox said the church is working on building a “family life center,” which he said will offer a gymnasium, classes, office space, nursery area, and a warming kitchen.

Adcock said he was inspired to create the center to help people who are unable to travel to Plymouth for the Lifeplex, and he said he wanted to provide an area for people to walk in a warm environment in the colder months.

“We want people to be able to come in the winter months, when it’s cold, and they can’t get out and run or walk, to be able to come to the gym and walk or run around there, play basketball, play volleyball, and get the exercise that they need throughout those months as well. Plus, it will be an outreach for our church; when we outgrow our sanctuary, we can move into the gymnasium and meet there on Sunday mornings as well,” Adcock said.

The center will be located just behind the church at 3915 E. 400 S. in Knox, and Adcock explained there would be no cost to visit the center, but there may be a minimal cost for activities like basketball or volleyball. He said he’s looking to create different basketball and volleyball leagues, as well as a youth ministry similar to Youth of Integrity. The center would offer nights to allow people to come and work out, and he said he hopes the free activities offered by the center will bring a greater attendance to services on Sunday.

“We have a vision of being a personal touch in an impersonal world,” Adcock explained, “We just saw the need for families and people to have a place to go to that’s relatively free of cost and be able to use it for exercise, use it for different activities, and be able to just be an outlet in our community rather than having people travel out of our community to do different things.”

Adcock said the center has been in the works since 2008, and things didn’t start to get moving until November when the foundation was laid. Now, he said, they are erecting the steel and they’re hoping to have it ready to go by August.

There will be no cost associated with using the center for exercise, but activities may involve a small fee. Adcock said he hopes this new structure will help to develop a 24/7 ministry, and he’s hoping the facility will be used around the clock.