FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – Inside the historic walls of Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Fort Wayne\u2019s southeast side, you\u2019ll find rich history and hope for a new future.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod\u2019s not done with this place by any means, and it\u2019s just discovering what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pastor Ben Ahlersmeyer has led Bethlehem Lutheran\u2019s congregation since 2020. <\/p>\n
He says this grant from the Indiana Landmakers Sacred Places fund is about much more than repairs, it\u2019s about revival.<\/p>\n
\u201cA neighbor can look at this place and say, even if I don\u2019t attend worship here, I know that building is for me, and I know I can go there whenever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The church began as a school in 1930; they closed that part of the building in 2009.<\/p>\n
Ahlersmeyer says the church plans to open its doors even wider, given the ample space available; he says it could be used for anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know times change and neighborhoods change and all of those things, and since that 08-09 school year when things moved. We\u2019ve wandered a little bit, what do we do with all this space… we had so many kids in here, but what do we do now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right now, they have a gymnasium space, cafeteria, and multiple classrooms. Ahlersmeyer says the goal is to make the space safe and ready to be used.<\/p>\n
” The people at Indiana Sacred Places have been wonderful; it\u2019s not just them writing a check to you, it\u2019s them walking alongside you.”<\/p>\n
Bethlehem Lutheran hopes this grant will do more than fix a roof, but rather restore hope and bring history for generations to come.<\/p>\n
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