When the sun shines through the windows of La Iglesia Metodista Unida Getsemani, butterflies, frogs, and the hearts of neighborhood children come to life. The Rio Grande Conference church, which closed in 1998 because of dwindling membership, has been reborn as a community center.

“It has done wonders for the kids,” says Rebecca Diaz, whose two grandchildren participate in the center’s activities. “It’s great. I’d rather see something going on there than to see the church closed.”

The church, located in the San Jose area of Georgetown, Texas, found new life through the Getsemani Project, a collaborative initiative that crosses conference boundaries. The revitalization effort draws on the financial and ministerial resources of United Methodist churches in the Central Texas and Rio Grande Annual Conferences.

The idea of transforming the vacant church into a neighborhood center emerged when members from the United Methodist and Baptist churches, child welfare workers, police officers, and others – a coalition called the Georgetown Project – decided that the city’s youth needed safe places to congregate.

“Being proactive about the well-being of others is energizing and exciting,” says Pam Cline, Director of Lay Ministry at First United Methodist Church in Georgetown. “It definitely speaks to what God can do.”

The Getsemani Project received a financial boost in May 1999 when the Texas Methodist Foundation awarded a $67,486 grant to the Project. The money will help fund their ministries, which include a summer reading program, vacation Bible school, tutoring, senior adult activities, worship services, and Bible study.

Christina and Juanna Calixtrio are members of the center’s youth committee, and they also participate in the summer reading program and volleyball. The sisters live in the San Jose neighborhood and are excited about the ongoing activities at the center.

“I really like coming here,” Christina, 14, says. “I feel comfortable here. It feels like home.”

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