Roseburg Christian Academy has made local news recently amidst their efforts to restore and improve a beloved community space; the school’s track.
Donated to the school decades ago by a member of the Glide Adventist Church, the Roseburg Christian Academy track has been a place of gathering, exercise, and connection for the nearby Hucrest community since it was first built. Joyce Ann Perham, who has been serving as head coordinator for the Roseburg Track Project, recently shared that members of the Glide, Winston, Roseburg, and Turning Point Adventist churches have been keeping up with the track and the school’s other maintenance needs through volunteer work bees, but that they are also hoping for a more extensive renovation in the near future. “If you visit the school,” she wrote in a recent fundraising letter, “you will see a rundown school ground, a track that is years past its glory days, pee wee soccer fields that have no green grass, and a basketball court with no asphalt just to name a few things.” But that isn’t all of the story. Part of the reason the grounds are in need of update, she wrote, is because they have been consistently used and shared with the surrounding community. “What many do not know is that Roseburg Christian Academy has shared most of its green space and outdoor area with the Hucrest community. If you visit with the locals, they will share that they have learned to skate, ride their bikes, walk, or run for their schools on our track. The track is still used to this day by young and old alike. Locals will share that they cannot remember when the track wasn’t there. They’ll tell you about softball games and family softball throws, soccer games, and more fun times that have brought so many fond memories. Many have shared that they appreciate how generous Roseburg Christian Academy has been to the community as our public schools have locked their facilities away from public access these days.” Generations of Roseburg residents have created lasting memories thanks to the use of RCA’s facilities.
In an interview with their local news station, RCA Principal Mary Korcek shared, “I see kids and family out here all the time. Other sports people use it, we’ve had Special Olympics use the track, softball teams, and soccer teams, so it is widely used. I don’t think a day goes by that somebody is not out there.”
Can a school track be a form of ministry? Joyce Ann Perham says it can be. “We’re encouraging people in this community to get outside and get healthy. There’s so much more we could do with an improved facility. What’s more important to me than anything is that we help the next generation and following generation to see Jesus when He comes, because we’re losing our young people. If we can get them to see the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how it all works together spiritually and physically when our minds are clear, then I think we’ve done our job.”
You can learn more about Roseburg Christian Academy’s project by visiting www.rcatrack.com!
