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OUR STORY
About The Maker's Clubhouse
A place rooted in Homewood, built on relationships, and committed to opening doors for children.
The Maker's Clubhouse is part of a much bigger story.
At Bible Center Church, we believe God's vision is for earth to become more like heaven - "earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). We call that vision #HereLikeThere.
Through The Oasis Project, Bible Center puts that faith into action by working alongside our neighbors to create opportunities for children and families, strengthen community, and help people flourish.
The Maker's Clubhouse is the educational expression of that mission.
01
WHERE WE STARTED
It started with showing up
More than fifteen years ago, a group of young adults connected to Bible Center Church were living in the
church's Ministry House in Homewood. They weren't trying to launch a new program. They were trying to be good neighbors.
They began showing up at Pittsburgh Faison to play soccer with neighborhood children a couple of afternoons
each week. Relationships grew. Soccer became reading tutoring and homework help. Two afternoons became
five. One school became two.
What eventually became The Maker's Clubhouse grew from something deeply embedded in Bible Center's
DNA: show up, build relationships, listen to our neighbors, and respond to what our community needs.
More than fifteen years later, that same spirit of showing up continues to shape everything we do.
02
WHAT WE BECAME
More ways to learn. More doors to open.
Today, The Maker's Clubhouse provides five-day-a-week after-school programming at Pittsburgh Faison and Pittsburgh Lincoln, serving approximately 150 children every day during the school year. Our seven-week summer program extends our reach even further, welcoming elementary and middle school students from schools across the Pittsburgh region.
Students receive homework help and targeted academic support, but they also code, build, design, garden, explore robotics, learn about entrepreneurship, take field trips, and discover places and possibilities beyond their own neighborhoods. Strong community partnerships introduce young people to experiences ranging from the arts and environmental education to technology, career exploration, and outdoor adventure.
What began as one way for Bible Center Church to show up for neighborhood children has grown into a year-
round educational ministry serving hundreds of children and families - and opening doors to experiences,
relationships, and possibilities that can last a lifetime.
And the program remains what it has always been: no cost to families.
03
WHO ARE WE HERE FOR
Homewood is at the heart of the work
The Maker's Clubhouse was created in Homewood, and this community remains at the heart of who we are. We serve children and families who live, learn, work, play, and worship in Homewood and the surrounding communities.
We know that for many working families, quality after-school care is not affordable. We know that some children would otherwise go home to empty houses during those critical after-school hours. We know that parents carry that weight every day.
Our goal has always been simple: remove barriers for families and open doors for children.
That means high-quality programming at no cost. It means meals and transportation. It means homework help and academic support alongside attention to a child's social and emotional well-being. And it means working alongside schools, families, and community partners so that every adult surrounding a child is working toward the same goal.
We don't expect families to do this alone. We want them to know that Bible Center is here.
And "being here" means more than operating a program. It means walking alongside children and families,
building relationships, connecting people with resources and opportunities, and being part of the life of this
community.
Sometimes the next thing a family needs is academic support. Sometimes it's mental-health support, healthy food, a place to gather, an opportunity to serve, or simply people who care.
Through Bible Center Church and The Oasis Project, we're building a community where families can find all of those things - and more.
04
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Making Earth More Like Heaven
#HereLikeThere
Jesus taught his followers to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
(Matthew 6:10).
At Bible Center Church, we believe that prayer calls us not only to hope for a better world, but to help build one.
We call that vision #HereLikeThere.
For children, #HereLikeThere looks like safe places to learn, adults who believe in them, opportunities to
discover their gifts, experiences beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood, and doors opening to futures
they may not yet have imagined.
The Maker's Clubhouse is one way Bible Center Church puts that vision into action.
One of the milestones we value most is much harder to measure. Children keep coming back. Many spend several years with us. And some of the young people who once came through our doors as children are now returning to work here, creating for another generation the experience that helped shape them.
Our faith is why we serve, but you don't have to share our faith to belong here. We welcome and serve every person, regardless of faith or background.
“Our goal has always been simple: remove barriers for families and open doors for children.”
Cynthia M. Wallace, EdD
Executive Pastor, Bible Center Church
Executive Director, The Oasis Project
LEADERSHIP
Meet the people behind the work
India Harris
Director of The Maker's Clubhouse
Nika Hines
Program Administrator
Tyjuan Patterson
Assistant Director
CAREERS
Bring your creativity. Make a difference.
We are always looking for passionate, creative people who love kids and want to make a real difference in their community. Our Crew Leader and Afterschool Facilitator roles are part-time positions running Monday through Friday, 2:45 PM to 6:15 PM during the school year, serving students at Faison and Lincoln Elementary Schools. Positions pay $15 to $18 per hour based on qualifications and experience. If you are studying education or have experience working with elementary-aged children, we would love to hear from you.
When you join The Makers Clubhouse, you're joining more than an after-school, summer, or early-learning program.
You're becoming part of Bible Center Church's larger #HereLikeThere mission to invest in people, strengthen community, and help our neighbors flourish.
FUNDERS & PARTNERS
Better together
Our Funding Partners
Allegheny County Department of Human Services
PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)
Richard King Mellon Foundation
McElhattan Foundation
Grable Foundation
United Way of Southwestern PA
Pitcairn-Crabbe Foundation
Jack Buncher Foundation
Eden Hall Foundation
Our Community Partners
Pittsburgh Public Schools
University of Pittsburgh
Literacy Pittsburgh
Magpie Literacy
Reading Is Fundamental
All About Youth Community Center
STEM Coding Lab
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy -- The Frick Environmental Center
The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens
Afro-American Music Institute
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh -- Homewood Branch
Homewood Children's Village
Homewood/Brushton YMCA
Operation Better Block
Assemble
APOST (Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time)
ALCOSAN NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects)
Own Our Own
Oasis Farm
The Maker's Clubhouse is a ministry of Bible Center Church.
For more than fifteen years, the generosity, leadership, relationships, facilities, volunteers, and commitment of Bible Center and its congregation have helped make this work possible.
We are grateful for the foundations, government agencies, corporations, schools, nonprofits, and community organizations that invest alongside us in children and families.
Interested in partnering with The Maker's Clubhouse?
We are always looking to grow our network of organizations that share our commitment to childrenand community. Reach out to us at clubhouse@bcpgh.org to start the conversation.
PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER
One Mission.
Many Expressions.
The Maker's Clubhouse is one expression of Bible Center Church's #HereLikeThere mission.
Through The Oasis Project - Bible Center's community and economic development ministry - we work alongside our neighbors across education, health and wellness, food, agriculture, economic opportunity,
entrepreneurship, and community development.
Whether you meet us through The Maker's Clubhouse, Everyday Cafe, CHAPEL, Oasis Farm, Own Our Own, Oasis Community Kitchen, or Bible Center Church, you've encountered another expression of the same
mission: making earth more like heaven.
Different doors. Different needs. One community. One mission.
#HereLikeThere