REAL Life Community Services

We began R.E.A.L. Youth Ministry in 2010 as an outreach to at-risk youth in the Cocalico School District. Later, in 2015, we changed our name to REAL Life Community Services to better represent the resources we provide to the Cocalico region. Our Mission is to do everything possible to connect the community to hope through partnerships, collaborations, and building relationships. Our Vision is empowering people in the name of Christ to have hope and purpose in life by meeting basic human needs.
2008 – Rod Redcay started volunteering at different school events and activities.
2010 – Rod gathered a Board of Directors and started the process of forming the REAL Life Community Services formally known as R.E.A.L. Youth Ministries. R.E.A.L. was an acronym for “relational evangelism affecting lives”.
2014 – The Denver Bible Church dissolved and gifted their church building and parsonage to the ministry for $1. The building was renovated and became the Lighthouse Youth Center on October 15, 2014. The parsonage was quickly adapted to use as a home for women coming out of the Good Samaritan Women’s Shelter in Ephrata.
2015 – The Board of Directors saw that the ministry was doing more and more work with the families of the youth in the community and officially changed the name to REAL Life Community Services.
2016 – A decision was made to convert the closed Denver House into something of more value to the community, with 10 affordable apartments, 3 commercial/retail spaces on the street level, a satellite office for Welsh Mountain Health Services, and finally, official offices for the ministry; The Declaration House was officially opened in August, 2019. Since then an old warehouse was purchased, becoming “Warehouse916”; plans are being made to renovate an apartment building to add more apartments. Community funding and State Farm agent Matt Williams raised $25,000 to help pay for a Ford Transit van to transport food orders and people to large events, and a garage was added to Warehouse 916 to house that van and other ministry vehicles.

Here’s how your gift might help:

• $25 Early Learning Mentor Program – covers the cost of supplies to mentor a mom and her toddler for a semester
• $50 Back to School Backpacks – covers the cost of a full backpack for an area school student
• $100 Cocalico Client Choice – pays for milk for one week at our Warehouse 916
• $250 Youth Development – pays for curriculum for a year in our Momentum Program
• $500 Community Events – sponsors a community event held throughout the year (Discover Denver,
• Reamstown Days, Faithful Living Fair, Trunk or Treat at the Heatherwoods, etc)
• $1,000 Project Christmas Presents – pays for the annual Christmas party with Santa for 100+ attendees.