During its 100-year history, Eastern Star Church has been committed to serving the community, including those in Indianapolis, nationally and abroad. Spearheaded by Pastor Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr., the church’s ROCK (Renewing Our Community for the Kingdom) Initiative aims to continue this legacy of service by empowering and positively transforming the lives of individuals within the community. According to the ROCK Initiative’s website, the primary goals of the program are to:

1. Build a sense of community among the people who live and work in the 46218 area
2. Enhance the range of housing options available within a one-mile radius of Eastern Star Church
3. Grow the overall financial security of residents living in this neighborhood
4. Enhance both formal and informal educational opportunities available for neighborhood residence

The church estimates that the initiative will take a decade or longer to have a largescale, noticeable impact on the median value homes in the area, the reduction of those in living in poverty and an increase in resident income, among other positive impacts.

As part of the initiative’s second phase, the church constructed the ROCK Community Center for Children & Youth (RCYC) on the Eastern Star Church’s main campus at 5750 East 30th St. in the Arlington Woods neighborhood to provide the community with vital resources and opportunities.

“Arlington Woods is one of the most economically deprived communities, not just in Indiana, in the nation,” Pastor Johnson said. “And so we took it upon ourselves to come up with a plan to deal with affordable housing, to deal with education, financial literacy and some other areas that we’re working on. We’re enhancing that community so that they’ll have the same opportunities that everybody else has.”

The center provides a safe environment for youth enrichment, education and recreation. The RCYC programs are open to everyone, including non-church members and those who may live outside of the Arlington Woods neighborhood. Programs range from sports like basketball and karate, to vocational training and financial literacy programs.

“We’re not just trying to help people through a crisis…We’re trying to get them opportunities for education, opportunities for careers and jobs and put them on a route that’s going to get them to a destination that’s also going to be a blessing to their family members in the next generations coming,” Pastor Johnson said.

For more information, visit https://www.rockinitiative.org/, or you can call Eastern Star Church at (317) 591-5050. 

SPONSORED BY EASTERN STAR CHURCH