It all began as a vision for the community
The buildings needed a little love, paint and a new roof initially.
The year was 2015
Before
Sometime in the early 1980’s the Kismet Grotto bought the park then known as Hummel’s Grove. Hummel’s Grove and Grotto Park was well known for hosting many community picnics and cooking large amounts of chicken. The Kismet Grotto sold the park to ARC of Crawford County in 2013 who then sold it to what would be known as Common Grounds in May 2016
A Community desire
A few years prior to 2016 a group from the community came together to discuss the need for an activity center with a coffee house feel for the teens. A few locations were looked at but ultimately nothing worked out at that time.
The Vision this group of people had was put on hold for a few years….until the perfect place became available. God led us here!
We needed more space.
In 2004 a group of teens began meeting at the home of Ed and Denette Adams on Erie St. outside of Saegertown. The group was sponsored by Greater Erie Youth for Christ (YFC) The group grew throughout the years to the point that Ed and Denette began praying and looking for a larger space to meet. In August 2015 they made a phone call about renting the building at Grotto Park.
Vision.
It started with a phone call asking about renting a building, into ARC who owned the property, communicated they wanted to sell the property. The whole idea of the teen center / coffee house came back to mind. A Vision Casting party was held in November 2015 with over 90 people coming and the response was very positive. From November 2015 to May 2016 the community provided the funds to purchase the property which would come to be known as Common Grounds.
Grand Opening.
The grand opening was held in September 2016 with a chicken BBQ for the community to come and see the transformation of the Park to the Grounds. The first YFC teen group began meeting in October 2016 with a fun 5th Quarter Bonfire after the SHS Homecoming game.
Youth for Christ was the conduit for creating a new independent non-profit. A board of directors was formed by a group of local people who loved the vision and committed to carrying out the vision.
Teens and Young Adults.
The teen outreach was the original vision, however the goal from the beginning was to offer something for young adults as well. In mid 2018 the ministry to young adults began.
The Vision that began a decade ago continues to expand. The Young adult ministry assists with providing volunteer staff for the teen program.
An explanation of the various weekly activities can be read about on other pages of this website.
The original look!
