Gathering spot at The Greene set up to serve those who help others

Lisa Powell/Staff photo Cathy and Ken Becker's Groundz4Living is a meeting space at The Greene which caters to retail workers.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Multiple cases of teacher misconduct a wakeup call for Northmont
11:00 a.m.
Ferguson attempts suicide after being found guilty on all 32 counts
10:05 a.m.
Seasonal flu shots to resume Monday
9:55 a.m.
Neighbors still trying  to recover from fatal fire
11/20/09
Churches want end to ‘shooting and killing’
11/20/09
> More headlines

By Diana Blowers, Contributing Writer Updated 7:22 PM Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ken Becker is at The Greene to serve. But his target is not the mall’s shoppers. Instead, he’s focused on The Greene’s employees.

He and his wife, Cathy, are the founders of Groundz4Living, a nonprofit, faith-based public charity dedicated to meeting the needs of those who work in the “marketplace.”

“We exist to simply love and bless those we come in contact with,” he said, noting that the Groundz4Living office, on the second-floor of the Allen Building, is open to the public.

Groundz4Living, which includes a cafe-style lobby with free coffee, is in the building housing Books and Co. It is accessed through a door located across from Panera Bread on Chestnut Street.

“We provide counseling, spiritual care, training of all sorts for business and personal issues and help in finding answers to needs that our ministry cannot provide itself. Our main goal is to bring a hope and a future to the marketplace,” he said.

The group’s most public contribution is the annual live nativity.

“We have live animals and a team of eight people each evening,” Becker said. “We have volunteers from churches, businesses, networking groups, neighbors and families, as well as individuals.”

He said they are always looking for volunteers for the nativity scene and to sing carols.

The nativity will be presented through Christmas Eve with presentations from 7 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 to 6 p.m. Sundays. It is presented every night during the seven days before Christmas.

Becker graduated from Kettering Fairmont East High School in 1974 and was a double major in Bible and psychology at Evangel College in Springfield, Mo., before entering the ministry.

He was a full-time minister from 1977 until 2006, when they started Groundz4Living. He has worked as a youth pastor, outreach pastor and senior pastor in Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio, most recently serving as co-pastor of Christ’s Church in Bellbrook.

He and his wife of 32 years have three grown children and three grandchildren. She’s worked in the local retail industry for more than 30 years.

While their office is their “base of operations,” most of Ken’s time is spent walking and talking with those in the retail businesses, checking up on the well being of the managers and their staffs.

Their office, staffed by volunteers, is opened from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. But when volunteers are not available, it may be closed while Becker walks around The Greene. He said calls to his cell phone will have him making “a bee-line back to the office to meet you there.”

Anyone interested in volunteering can call Becker at (937) 458-3000, or e-mail groundz4living@earthlink.net.

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

This is great news. Now that the Greene is opening their doors to social services, we can encourage some of the other charity organizations to move there as well.

Is there a bus line? I'm sure there are people in that area who could use a food pantry, mental health counseling, or an ex-offender re-entry program as well. Now they can have one closer to home.

That's what Jesus would do, right?

Skeptic
9:08 PM, 11/12/2009

REPORT ABUSE

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.