My name is Angela Arrington. My family and I are members at Cornerstone Alliance Church in Roanoke Indiana. God has placed on our hearts to help our community by opening a Christian Childcare Center within the church called Peaceful Waters. Our mission is to “Lead them to the Living Water,” and equip them with the love and strength that the Lord provides.
My husband Merrell and I have been married for 31 years, gifted with three girls and a boy. Merrell is a Marine veteran. He is currently a Lieutenant in the Fort Wayne Fire Department. I am currently finishing my degree in Early Childcare & Education Administration. I have served in children's ministry for over 30 years. We have always had a heart for teaching children and young adults to do everything out of unconditional kindness and love.
Our home was the house that all the kids came to, especially when there were fear and heartache in their homes. It was such an honor to be a part of that lighthouse in the darkness for those in need. Now that our children and their friends have started their own families it has become even more important to have that same safe place to go.
Our hearts are broken by all the young families in our community that have no one to trust with their needs. Recently a parent posted on Craigs list, “Please help! I need someone, anyone to come watch my son so I do not lose my job!” The desperation in this message is heartbreaking. It is our mission to create a safe and loving environment for those who are struggling. Not only for the children, but for the family as well.
We will be offering low-cost Christian childcare for ages 6 weeks to 5 years. This will include two meals, two snacks, diapers, and extended hours. The class sizes will be on the smaller side with extra support staff to ensure adequate attention and safety. We will be offering chapel, gym, music, art, cooking, sewing, STEM, camping, fishing, community service, and missions projects.
Free parental classes and seminars on the following will be available as well. Prayer & praise, personal growth & reflection, family growth, single parent, postpartum depression, child abuse & neglect, safe sleep practices, anger management, lose and bereavement. It is important not only to love and educate the children we serve, but to encourage the parents' growth as well.
Cornerstone Alliance Church currently has the classrooms needed for the childcare however, there are certain requirements for each age group when opening a licensed center. This will result in many renovations. These costs have become a bit overwhelming.
Unfortunately, we have been hitting one roadblock after another on this journey. We have the unique situation of being in a shared space, for-profit childcare center within our non-profit church building. It has been challenging getting funding from grants or lenders due to new presidential changes and procedures being implemented, our hands have been tied.
We cannot become discouraged by these doors closing. It is Gods timing, not our own that will lead to this ministry's success.
There are currently over three hundred kids without care in our area. With these structural changes and updates to Cornerstone, Peaceful Waters will be host to fifty-eight children. It is our intention to get open, get started, and roll monthly profits back into our community by growing our business over the next two years.
We are making plans to add a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, eight more classrooms, and a playground. Our goal is to eventually host twice as many children. We will be able to utilize the gym as a community outreach center, host mission conferences, school aged summer camps, homeschool athletic events, and much more.
The Lord willing, in five years it will become a possibility to open a second facility that will be dedicated to overnights. We are surrounded by factories in need of care during all three shifts. So many opportunities for our community to come together and grow with us.
Thank you so much for taking the time to hear from our hearts. Please, take a moment and prayerfully consider helping us, “Lead them to the Living Water.”
We are just asking for a chance. Someone ready to take a leap of faith. A willingness to trust us to pay it forward. A means to give, and an opportunity to be part of something bigger than us all.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Merrell & Angela Arrington
Peaceful Waters Christian Childcare LLC
Director & Owners
“Train up a child in the way he should go: even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
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