Jesus Recreation and Learning Center

Pineland, Texas

Hello Everyone,

My name is Alisa Barnett and I have lived in East Texas all my life. Growing up in a small town I have had a dream to build a Christian Community Outreach Center since I was very young.   When I was only 14 years old my life took a devastating turn when I was a victim of violent shooting in front of a church.  My mother and I were both victims and the lives of our family and town were forever impacted! This shooting occurred because of a conflict between my family and a neighborhood young man that I grew up with in school. It was as I was laying in the hospital recovering from multiple surgeries that spanned several years that I began remembering my dream and it began to have even a stronger and deeper meaning for me.  I believe a Community Outreach Center could have been a helping hand to youth needing something to help steer their lives in the right direction.

After recovering over many years, I went on to pursue a higher education at World Evangelism Bible College and East Texas Baptist University as I ministered to youth.  Between missionary trips and inner city ministry outreaches, the dream of how a Community Outreach Center would operate in my hometown was always on my mind.  I have been able to use my experience to benefit my hometown where I have helped with many summer programs and with Child Evangelism to reach youth and children. Although my life has been filled with obstacles it has given me time to observe and dream.  After observing for a lifetime what our hometown was in need of, I was finally able to form a foundation (a non-profit 501©3 organization registered in East Texas in 2018) called Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center with a board of directors eager to answer our town’s cry for help.

The board of directors for Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center began meeting and focusing on ways to raise money to purchase a building to be the home of the Community Center. We obtained an old nursing home in the town of Pineland for $9,515. This old nursing home had sat vacant for a number of years, but was located on 3 acres right in the heart of our small town, between the Arthur Temple Library and Southside Bank. Our goal for this nursing home is to establish a Community Outreach Center in a rural area, and we began moving forward with volunteers to clean up around and inside the building. Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center will offer Christian-centered programs to help youth and individuals excel in life achievement goals; in education, counseling, recreation, music, renovation of neighborhoods, and human services. Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center programs will be character building for individuals seeking a helping hand as churches and community members unite to worship, mentor, and witness about living a successful and productive life serving the Lord. We intend to establish a scholarship to help youth further their education past high school (college, trade school, vocational training, etc.) We seek to be a refuge for those in need of healing and a little hope and educational or life skills. Our Community Center will address the recreational needs of our area for residents and visitors.  We will be working closely with the schools and Little League teams of the area that will help improve and support the recreation of our athletes. Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center will be a Community Center that is relevant to the whole family structure in our society.

      The building and land properly used has great potential for East Texas. These are some of the                                                                    programs and activities that we envision being a part of Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center:

•         Many areas of learning will be addressed with girls’ basketball camps, wellness programs, a game room, trampoline room, racquetball courts, weight room, etc.

•         An educational center with cosmetology training, greenhouses, and fish aquariums.

•         Crimes Victims’ Advocates groups teaching victims how to become victorious in life.

•         Music lessons, art classes and tutoring that will reach all ages in Sabine County.

•         Support groups that will give a helping hand to those choosing to free themselves from addictions.

This Community Outreach Center is a big goal with multiple phases of construction and implementation.  Although we have received a lot of help and support from the people and businesses in our small towns, we are now reaching out for more help.  The building we have purchased needs renovation and some sections will need to be torn down and re-constructed.   Our overall goal to complete the building for the Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center, after speaking to many companies and contractors, will cost approximately $200,000!  We pray this dream becomes a reality as we continue to move forward.  Please see the attached walk-through video of the inside and outside of the building, and please share our story!!

$200,000

Thank You!

Founder/President

Jesus Lives Recreation and Learning Center