WINONA LAKE — A plan first envisioned at the end of the COVID pandemic five years ago has led to the opening this past week of a spacious coffee shop and indoor playground in Winona Lake.

What makes it unique is that it’s owned and operated by Winona Lake Grace Church and intended to serve the community with public hours six days a week.

Combined, it's a massive outreach to the community and big improvement to the church.

[caption id="attachment_119335" align="alignright" width="440"] A view of the new cafe on its opening day. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The WL Cafe and the Play Space at WL are in a revamped western part of the church building facing the parking lot.

While much of the $5 million for the project came from parishioners, it also got a key boost from Grace College and its Catalyst Corridor grant money, as well as grant funding from K21 Health Foundation.

[caption id="attachment_119342" align="alignright" width="440"] The children's playspace has several areas to serve various ages, plus a specialized sensory area. News Now Warsaw photo Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The children’s Playspace at WL is an indoor area that features age-appropriate play areas, a climbing wall, and a dedicated sensory room for kids who benefit from a more specialized play environment.

The cafe has a large gathering area as well as numerous nooks and smaller meet-up areas for more personal meet-ups.

Executive Pastor Tim Wright said the plan began to surface at the tail end of the pandemic when people started to realize the separation and loneliness began to have an impact that has, for some, lingered.

He agrees that such a robust outreach effort by a church with financial support from outside the church is a bit different.

“It might be unique, but I think there are a lot of churches that are starting things like this, trying to think like this and thinking about their community,” Wright said. 

The church's location on Kings Highway is in the middle of a densely populated area with Jefferson Elementary, the Grace College campus a block away, and hundreds of homes and the Village at Winona within a few blocks.

Wright thinks the new options provide a lot of potential for interactions, and that was the case during the first week when the cafe and playspace opened on Monday.

Traffic was surprisingly good on Monday at the Playspace and Wright said it continued to improve each day.

"We saw some of the same families before school and after school, so we were very excited about that," Wright said.

He said he believes people are desperate to connect with others and that this opens the door for such opportunities.

“We love being in this community, in this neighborhood ... and we love opening these up when there’s so many good things going on in our community,” Wright said.

Jennifer Owens, who oversees the church's nursery as well as the new playspace, is especially excited about seeing the church expand its reach.

She said she thinks there is significant appeal for parents whose children have sensory issues.

“We hope to achieve a lot, really. We hope to achieve a relationship with our community and build relationships with people who specifically need those spaces.”

WL Café will be open Monday–Friday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The café will serve Madcap coffee along with blended drinks and a selection of food items.

The Playspace will be open Monday–Thursday from 8 a.m. to noon, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 4–7 p.m., and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon.

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