"You don't have to play in the sewer to know that it smells bad". That was a statement made about the fact that The ROCK is open to all teens ... not just Christian teens in the Utica, Ohio area. Pastor Dave Graham's response was "No you don't, but if you're going to reach out a hand to someone who's in there, you'll smell it. The purpose of the ROCK, which stands for Reaching Our Community Kids, is to provide a safe and friendly environment where teens can enjoy quality entertainment, a friendly atmosphere and see Biblical values lived out.

It's important to know that this is a teen driven youth center. We're trying to listen to what the teens want, as long as what they want is in their best interest".

The ROCK had its grand opening on September 24, 2004 after two years of planning and work. Featuring pool tables, computers, a snack bar, movies, music and video games, this teen hangout offers something for everyone. Tutoring by students at Mount Vernon Nazarene College and programs on issues relevant to teens, including abstinence, ADD and drugs make it more than just a fun place to go. The programs about real life issues and coping skills always come before the fun. Pastor Graham says, "When you have a kid that says 'My mom's passed out on the couch with Valium and vodka every night' or 'How come I shouldn't be having sex when my mom's got a different guy home every night?' you can't ignore it. These are extreme examples, but we're trying to help and educate them because they're already living this stuff." Other issues that are discussed at the ROCK are ADHD and cutting.

"Kids are cutting themselves. They want to know 'Is this devil stuff that makes me do this? What causes me to do this?' " states Graham. At the ROCK the kids have obviously found a safe environment where they can ask these types of questions. The staff at the ROCK has realized that in the world that we live in, kids make bad choices at times. Rather than labeling any teen who has made a bad choice as a "bad kid" and writing them off, they give them alternatives to their behavior along with straight talk, solid explanations and Christian values being lived, not just talked about.

It looks like it's working wonders. The ROCK sees 300-500 kids per week and even more when they have a Christian music concert. Corey Edwards is only one of the success stories. Corey, a high school drop-out, was definitely a troubled youth when he became involved with the program. He started out by helping with the renovations before the center opened. Discussions with Graham and other volunteers grew into friendships with positive role-models. Corey has now gotten his GED and is taking college classes. He attends church services and is a different person from the kid of a couple of years ago.

The ages of the kids allowed in are divided on Friday and Saturday nights to give it more of a "peer to peer" feel. That does not completely segregate the kids though, since the ROCK uses teens as trained volunteers. By using youth, they not only doubled their volunteer pool, they also have older kids helping with the younger kids and the youngsters working around the older teens, bridging gaps that otherwise wouldn't be bridged. All volunteers go through police background checks as well as a four hour training session and there are, of course, adult volunteers as well, bridging another gap between youth and senior citizens. On Sunday's, the ages converge. Sadly, some people have questioned the ROCKs hours, wondering if their Sunday hours don't pull churched teens from their own church youth groups. Graham's response is "Let your light so shine before men" (Matthew 5:16). "The ROCK is giving the churched teens a chance to take what they've learned and 'vomit it back out' by working with the unchurched youth. It lets them share their light".