What is First Glance?
First Glance is a youth center that operates in the Kenmore neighborhood of Akron, Ohio. Our mission is to connect our students and this community to Christ and the church through real, loving and non-threatening avenues.
We do this by providing a safe and loving environment where our student's can come, hang out, and be loved the way they are - not the way we may want them to be. We have a skate park, basketball, computers, video games, and more. We also have several specific programs that are designed to provide our students with the opportunity to have fun with their friends and mentors in a safe, supervised environment.
First Glance serves as a bridge between the unchurched and the church. Through caring, loving, and genuine relationships, our goal is to show them the love of God and the hope that He offers.
The History
First Glance started in September, 2000 through The Chapel's Jr High department. The first night we started with 22 students and grew quickly. In the Spring of 2003 First Glance had outgrown the community center and started renting another facility on Kenmore Blvd. In 2004 First Glance outgrew The Chapel's youth department and became an independent non-profit organization. Currently First Glance owns two buildings, hosts 8 programs and has seen several thousand students. God has certainly blessed us over these years!
Church
Our goal is to be a bridge between the students and the church. We work closely with several local churches. It is through these relationships that we are able to connect students into the churches' student ministry program and then from there they are connected to the greater body of the Church.
Grace
First Glance operates under one main principle; we love people the way they are. We don't impose our Christian values on them if they are not followers of Christ. By showing grace, students who may not normally come to a church are able to approach us at First Glance without hesitation.
