Select meetinghouses will serve as community resource centers
Feb 20, 2024, 2:00 PM
The community centers are part of the MyHometown initiative. (Google Street View)
(Google Street View)
SALT LAKE CITY — Select meetinghouses for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have become community resource centers.
“The Brethren have looked at it and have said, ‘Look, we need to be more welcoming in our churches. Open up more. We need to be able to be a community center,” said Jerry Craven, communications director for MyHometown Utah.
MyHometown Utah is the initiative behind the community centers. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, cities, local community members and organizations all provide funding for the initiative.
According to MyHometown, the centers provide “opportunities for the neighborhood’s families to advance and prosper.”
What do the community resource centers offer?
As community resource centers, they host classes to help people gain life and career skills. Participants don’t need to be a member of the church. The classes are free of cost and open to anyone.
“This is a really non-denominational initiative to try and just help build and grow communities,” said Craven
Some of the classes include English, piano, sewing, home repair courses, ukulele lessons and fitness.
“It almost sounds too good to be true until you see one. I walked into a CRC [community resource center] and they had eight English as a second language classes going on,” said Craven.
A computer course is available and not only does it give people job skills, but participants get to keep the computer that was issued to them at the end of the program.
The classes offered vary by location since they are mostly taught by volunteers. The schedule also varies and depends on the current schedule of the wards that use the meetinghouse.
Participants must enroll online before starting a class.
Bonneville International Corporation, the company that owns KSL NewsRadio, is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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