WARSAW — Fellowship Missions announced on Monday a fundraiser featuring a collection of voices from the classic rock era.

Tickets for Voices of Rock Radio go on sale Friday, and Executive Director Eric Lane says it’s a lineup packed with some of the most recognizable bands of the 1970s and 80s.

According to a video released on social media, performers include former members of Boston, Kansas, Journey, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

For a taste of what to expect, check out the promotional video.

Money from the event will be used to cover operations at its shelter on Winona Avenue.

The event is set for Feb. 7 at the Manahan Orthopedic Capital Center in Winona Lake.

Lanee said different pricing options will be available.

For tickets, go to itickets.com.

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WARSAW — A national 24-hour talkathon that includes participation with Fellowship Missions began at 4 p.m. and is expected to continue until Thursday afternoon.

Fellowship Missions is working with about a dozen other shelters to facilitate a 24-hour conversation on homelessness, mental health, substance abuse and other related topics.

Eric Lane, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fellowship Missions will be joined by guests in support of the local contribution.

“Conversations on a Bench,” a national event sponsored by Citygate Network, is taking place at The Gathering Place, 123 S. Buffalo St.

Fellowship Missions invites anyone with questions or wants to talk to Lane about the critical issues to stop by The Gathering Place or through the streaming service on the Fellowship Missions homepage.

You can watch it on Fellowship Missions' Facebook page.

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WARSAW — Do you ever wonder how many people take advantage of the local Warming Center during frigid conditions?

With this week’s arctic blast of sub-zero weather, warming shelters across the region open their doors to assist those in need.

One of those is Fellowship Missions on East Winona Avenue in Warsaw, which offers shelter during inclement weather during the winter months and promoted its services this week ahead of an arctic blast that sent wind chill readings down toward 20 below.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the temperature stood st -2 degrees with a wind chill of -15.

Executive director Eric Lane said the warming center service has become a good fallback in recent years for those in need.

On the other hand, the shelter doesn't normally see a stampede.

"We haven't had a ton of people come out," Lane said. "We might have averaged six people a night when we're open. I think the most we've had in one night might be nine."

While the numbers are not large, it's still important to those who need the service, Lane said.

The shelter, which often runs near full capacity, sets up cots for those wanting to escape the cold. Those who drop in for the night can also find other services.

"We try to give them exactly what we give our residents on a daily basis," Lane said.

He said seven people took advantage of the warning center on Monday night.

Wednesday's high was expected to reach 18 and highs over the next few days are expected to reach into the mid- to low 30s, the National Weather Service said.

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WARSAW — Fellowship Missions is hosting a national 24-hour event, "Conversations on a Bench," at The Gathering Place. 

Fellowship Missions co-founder & executive director Eric Lane will engage with city officials and residents to discuss the critical issues of homelessness, addiction, and mental health.

The event will also be live-streamed and is all about open, honest conversations to inspire change.

The event begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The Gathering Place is at 123 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw.

You can join the live stream and offer questions by going to the link here.

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WARSAW — As homelessness appears to be increasing across the United States — including Warsaw — Fellowship Missions is gearing up for expansion plans to serve a growing population of those in need.

Homelessness in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024, according to a new survey from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The annual report found "more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024," which is a level 18% higher than the same time last year.

Eric Lane, executive director of Fellowship Missions, said he's aware of the report and said they're seeing some of that trend locally over the last 12 to 18 months.

Even during the regular summer season from April to October, Lane said the facility has seen an increase but added that he would not call it "drastic."

"That need is increasing and we need to have different ways to be able to serve the individuals we're serving in need — especially families — we're seeing an increase in families," Lane said.

The US Department of Housing says increased migration by asylum-seekers, lapses in pandemic-era programs and steep housing costs all contributed to the increase in homelessness.

Lane said he thinks the end of funding for pandemic assistance programs, including housing has had an impact locally.

"We knew at some point there was going to be a snowball (effect) from that because you're living off of a false ceiling of hope with finances and when that's yanked from you, what do you do next," Lane said. "People get comfortable with that and then it's gone."

While some of it is connected to post-pandemic changes, he's quick to point out that it's more complicated than that.

Aside from increased need for housing, other issues are on the rise, he said.

"We're seeing an increase in all different things. Substance misuse and mental health, we're seeing those increase as well," he said.

Fellowship Missions is working on a longterm expansion plan that would entail the demolition of the old Jo Mac property to the east of the existing shelter on Winona Avenue. Demolition is being coordinated with support from Macog and the city of Warsaw.

Officials could learn within weeks if a grant proposal has come through which could lead to demolition later this year.

The next step would be a fundraising campaign.

"That could take a bit of time. We want to build something appropriate for the need but also be very frugal with our funds," Lane said.

They hope to construct a 50,000-square-foot facility that could provide about 100 beds.

The future design would include family pods, single-parent pods, rooms for individuals and space for recovery services.

The cost, he said would be upward of 14 to 18 million dollars.

"If we had 100 beds today, we would probably be at 90 percent capacity," he said.

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WARSAW — You’ve heard a lot about The Gathering Place recently, the new downtown facility opened by Fellowship Missions that will serve as a location for those in recovery or in need mental health assistance.

The building now houses offices for Allendale Treatment Fort Wayne and the CARES unit, a division of Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory.

But did you know there’s a maker space? It's in the renovated basement and is intended for anyone to put to use their creative talents.

"It's a beautiful space for art. We've got a lot of donated materials. Just think of art class and every type of art material is down there," said Eric Lane, executive director of Fellowship Missions. "It's just a neat area where people can get expressive and creative."

"It's for art therapy and music therapy, but also, the community can come in and if they just need some head space and get creative, they can," he added.

Lane talked with News Now Warsaw for In the Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media Radio stations.

Lane and his wife, Tammy, are co-founders of Fellowship Missions, which opened nearly 15 years ago as a homeless shelter. Tammy is the volunteer coordinator for Fellowship Missions and The Gathering Place.

Over the years, the shelter has increased its efforts to support clients, 70 percent of whom have alcohol or substance abuse issues.

Opening The Gathering Place has offered an opportunity to achieve the goals of further supporting recovery efforts.

In a way, the Gathering Place is breaking down barriers by hosting a facility that invites those in need alongside the general public.

"We wanna break down the stigmas. We want to normalize the conversation of recovery and mental health where a healthy community is helping all of the community," Lane said.

Lane also discussed the vast history of the home of The Gathering Place at the corner of Market and Buffalo streets, which Fellowship Missions acquired from Generous Coffee when the coffee production group moved to a new location in the downtown.

Fellowship Missions received about $300,000 in opioid settlement money from Kosciusko County to acquire the property and then raised a similar amount to help cover renovation costs. Much of the private funding came from foundations and churches, he said.

Lane came to Warsaw when he served as the construction manager more than two decades ago for Warsaw Community Church on the city's south side.

In The Know can be heard at the following times:

News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):

Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

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WARSAW — Fellowship Missions announced the grand opening of The Gathering Place, a space open to everyone in the community.

The ribbon-cutting and open house for The Gathering Place at 123 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, will be at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

This facility aims to make addiction recovery resources more accessible to the community, providing essential services such as substance use recovery resources, classes, support groups and one-on-one therapy.

In recent months, the building at the corner of Market and South Buffalo streets has undergone an extensive renovation on the first and second floor.

With construction complete, Fellowship Missions is eager to share this resource with the community.

“The Gathering Place will play a key role in breaking down the social stigma surrounding recovery,” said Eric Lane, executive director and co-founder of Fellowship Missions. “We invite community members, supporters and friends to use and enjoy the space. Whether you want a place to sit, read, access support or meet with friends, The Gathering Place is here for you.”

Fellowship Missions has been part of the Warsaw community for over a decade and you can learn more at fellowshipmissions.net.

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WARSAW — Fellowship Missions has acquired a property in downtown Warsaw for a future  recovery hub.

The project is being funded with $300,000 from a national opioid settlement with money appropriated  by the Kosciusko County opioid committee.

Fellowship Missions, which operates a homeless shelter on East Winona Avenue, will use the money to acquire the old Champs store at the corner of Market and Buffalo streets.

The announcement came during a Kosciusko County Council meeting Thursday in which council member Sue Ann Mitchell said they would use $300,000 from the opioid settlement for the purchase.

Executive Director Eric Lane told the council they intend to use a grant from the K21 Health Foundation to remodel the interior. 

He said the property will be used as a recovery hub and that they intend to work with the sheriff's office to help people with addiction and other issues.

The property is currently occupied by Generous Coffee.

The Times-Union reports Lane said they don't intend to use the future facility for housing.

Lane said they are expected to close on the property earlier this month.

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WARSAW -- If Kosciusko County is awarded a matching grant for opioid settlement money from the state, much of the money would be used to launch what is being termed a recovery hub for those suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues.

The hub is a proposal put forth by Fellowship Mission, the homeless shelter in Warsaw.

The county is seeking $400,000 and would direct $300,000 of that to Fellowship Mission.

Eric Lane, executive director at Fellowship Mission, said plans are underway to establish an off-site facility that would serve anyone in the community.

He declined to identify the property's location because the sale has not been finalized.

Fellowship Mission has been seeking to expand its assistance in addressing substance abuse because many of its clients have a history of drug and alcohol abuse but the new plan has more of a community-wide focus.

He envisions the building offering resources, education and a sense of community where people feel comfortable coming to.

Fellowship Mission already collaborates with Warsaw Wayne Fire Territory's CARES program, which began about two years ago and works to provide mental health assistance and has seen a growing emphasis on addressing opioid abuse.

The recovery hub could provide an atmosphere for those who are feeling traumatized.

"It's a place where they can come and kind of de-escalate a little bit," he said. "There's nothing like that around, really -- to have a place like that would be amazing."

He said the proposed money from the county would be a “blessing,” and would be used to acquire the land.

The project is much more than just assisting the homeless community, he said.

“We want to do things in a collaborative manner. There will be other agencies and resources inside that building,” Lane said.

Sue Ann Mitchell, the chairperson of the county opioid committee, said she is impressed with the fact that the proposed hub has a broad focus that would serve the community.

She also likes that it fits within the scheme of county finances.

"The biggest part of why that one was selected -- beyond what we know what Eric has done with Fellowship Missions -- is that it was a one-time thing that we could do that did not require further sustainability from the county," Mitchell said.

The county will likely know in about two months if it receives the grant money.

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