Space for Connection

Grace Fellowship from Princeton, IN cultivates space for emerging adults

In 2023, a group of emerging adults at Grace Fellowship Church in Princeton, Indiana, asked a simple question: what would it take for people here to feel less alone? Princeton, a town of about 8,000 built around manufacturing, is full of families whose lives are shaped by night-shift schedules. Many workers spend years on nights before gaining the seniority for day shifts, and in Grace Fellowship’s Southside neighborhood, more than half of the homes are led by single parents who carry the weight of raising kids and keeping steady jobs. Even in two-parent homes, conflicting schedules leave families stretched thin.

As they listened to their neighbors, the church realized that loneliness cut across nearly every age demographic. Their response was to get creative. In the span of a year, Grace Fellowship launched four new small groups, sent mentors into local schools, started a student ministry, and held their first Vacation Bible School in recent memory. For the young adults who came to faith in the midst of this, two needs rose to the surface: a longing for “third spaces,” places outside of home and work to gather for meaningful conversation, and a hunger for supportive relationships.

With a seed grant from the Imaginarium, the team partnered with local small businesses to host “extended hours” coffee nights. They brought board games, set aside time for prayer, and invited young adults from across the community. Those nights quickly became a favorite, drawing a steady crowd and forging partnerships with Princeton’s businesses, who described the gatherings as a “win-win.”

From there, the idea grew. The group founded Gra(y)ce Spaces, a young adult pop-up ministry named both for their church and for a signature gray couch that traveled with them. Wherever the couch showed up, at coffee shops, restaurants, or local venues, it signaled a place to sit, be heard, and belong.

The journey hasn’t been without disruption. A roof issue made their church building uninhabitable, and the senior pastor who had mentored the young adult leaders was called to teach at a seminary. But even in transition, God provided. Another church across town offered space that included a basement classroom, which the team converted into their own “third space.” They added meals around tables, a video game console and projector, and a prayer journal for anonymous or named requests.

 “We really didn’t know what would happen there for a while,” said Havyn Allara, one of the young adults who helped architect the project. “But God really brought us along.”

Their collaborations with local businesses have continued. Port Side Coffee, one of the first pop-up hosts, remains a partner. And so does the group’s original vision: creating space for young adults to be known, supported, and drawn deeper into faith.

“The grants from the Imaginarium have been a catalyst for more faith and optimism that we can do this,” said one member of the Grace Fellowship team. “At a recent public forum, someone asked about local churches, and a newspaper reporter said Grace Fellowship ‘has a young vibe.’ That’s true, and it’s because older generations here are willing to sacrifice their own preferences to journey alongside younger adults.”

For more stories of innovative ministry across the generations, visit imaginariumiwu.com.