By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Life Action Ministries has a new home in Buchanan and will be showing it off this Saturday.
Life Action Ministries will be holding an open house at its new National Ministry Center at 2727 Niles-Buchanan Road, Saturday September 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The center is the first permanent facility for the organization, which had recently rented space on Morris Drive in Niles and at West Wind Apartments in Buchanan for the past 28 years.
Executive Director Byron Paulus said the building would not have been possible without the huge amount of donations that were made to the organization.
All the construction was done by volunteers or by companies donating their labor to the project.
The 65 person full-time staff at the center is also completely volunteer. "No one here, including myself, receive a salary or pay in any form," Paulus said.
The National Ministry Center sits on an 82-acre property that was anonymously donated to the organization. The donor approached Paulus and told him if the organization raised $2 million, half of the property's value, the donor would match it and give the land to the organization.
Also included on the property is The Lodge, Life Action Ministries retreat center for clergy which is located on the St. Joseph river.
The Lodge features eight guest suites, nature trails, tennis courts, and a European croquet court for guests to unwind while on retreat.
The Lodge does not have any televisions, but has phones in case of an emergency.
In addition to the 82 acre property, Life Action Ministries also own a 137-acre Retreat and Conference Center at 1696 East Clear Lake Road in Buchanan.
The non-profit organization was founded in 1971 by St. Petersburg, Fla. resident Del Fehsenfeld as a way to help those who had lost touch with God, Paulus said.
Since it's inception, the organization has worked with local churches nationwide with the goal of helping those churches reestablish the priority of their relationships with God, family, and each other.
In addition to work with local churches, Life Action Ministries fields several teams of singers, publishes a magazine titled "Spirit of Revival," and is co-sponsor of a nationally syndicated radio program called "Revive Our Hearts," featuring Christian author and speaker Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
The facility has a library of Christian literature, audio/video production suites, and much more is planned for the future. A studio is under construction that Paulus hopes will host the radio program they sponsor.
The facility is definitely wired for the internet. Over 90,000 ft. of internet cable runs through the facility, connecting to the facility computer servers in the basement.
Anyone interested in more information about Life Action Ministries can go to www.lifeaction.org.