By Bob Baysinger
Managing Editor
June 22, 2004
HARVESTER – First Baptist Church of Harvester has decided to invest in the burgeoning youth population of that area in a big way.
A study by the church revealed there are 30,000 adolescents living within a five-mile radius of the church located along Highway 94 South in western St. Louis County. The census data played a key role in the church’s decision to spend $2 million on a facility for young people.
The REALM is an impressive state-of-the-art building designed to reach out to middle school, high school and college students. The 20,000-square-foot structure has three levels with pool tables, gaming arcades, 15 television sets, internet access and a café.
“God is already using this building,” said David McAlpin, pastor of the Harvester church. “We put the building in the hands of our kids as a tool to invite their unchurched friends to events and to ministries. A number of those kids have been saved recently as a result of being invited by peers.”
The facility’s name, REALM, is an acronym based on the vision of the youth pastor, Jamie George, for the thousands of young people living in the First Baptist neighborhood.
“We have five core values for our youth ministry,” George said. “They are relationship building, evangelism, attachment, leadership development and ministry. Relationship building is the foundation and must occur before anything else can happen.”
The new building sits across the road from the back of the church but has little resemblance to the church. One publication described the new building as “funky.”
Writing about The REALM, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said the exterior “looks like a cross between a movie theater, café, new age game parlor or even a Halloween haunted house. Funky gears sit atop the marquee with ‘The REALM’ advertised in eye-catching red neon lights.”
The tri-level interior, the newspaper reported, looks a bit like a warehouse with an exposed truss-vaulted ceiling.
“It’s not simply an entertainment facility, and it’s not just a place to have Bible study,” George said. “It’s a little of both. My goal is to provide a place for the youth of our church and the entire community. We have approximately 30,000 adolescents living within a five-mile radius of the church.”
McAlpin stated St. Charles County has been one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri in recent years.
“We’re living in a day in which you can’t open the doors and expect people to come,” McAlpin said. “You actively have to take Christ to them. We’ve also reached a lot of moms and dads through the kids. Moms and dads start coming on Sunday just to find out what is happening at church. They end up getting converted.”
The purpose behind the youth center, George explained, is to win the youths to Christ and then get them attached to the body of believers at First Baptist.
“We only want the building to be seen as a tool,” he said. “Every fabric of our programming in the building is built upon our five core values. Our plan is to give them responsibilities after they have been reached and send them out to serve. We will then start the process all over again.”
To attract the youths, the new youth center has 15 classrooms on its lower level with internet access, DVDs, VCRs and television sets. The high-tech equipment, George said, allows teachers in the church’s youth program to create a learner friendly and relevant Christian education.
The REALM is open Tuesday nights for college students, Wednesday nights for high school age and Fridays for middle school students. Christian rock bands perform regularly in The REALM’s 500-seat auditorium.
George, a graduate of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University , has been on the First Baptist Harvester staff for seven years. George brought his idea for The REALM to Harvester and finally sold the idea to the church.
“We went through the process of trying to get the church on board,” George said. “There were times that it was tumultuous. It took a lot of time to explain the whys and hows.
“We went to great lengths to explain the strategy and the model for ministry. Every room in the building is designed with a specific program in mind.”
The church youth group had about 200 before The REALM was opened in early 2004. Attendance has jumped now to more than 500.
“I’m praying that God keeps sending them to us,” George said.
First Baptist Harvester is currently averaging about 1,700 each week in its worship services and almost 1,500 in Sunday School.