New Horizon Church’s sports complex holds official ribbon cutting

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - ‘The Ark’ Sports Complex in South Jackson is now finished and ready for you and your children to come enjoy.

”This is a part of the rescue of the city of Jackson,” Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley said.

Years of hard work and prayer are finally paying off.

“This is an idea that was dreamed up 20 years ago. Twenty years ago when he and I were both in college, riding down Raymond Road, he said ‘Man, I’ve seen something. We’re going to do something and I saw kids this location from all over the place,” Executive Director of Ministries at New Horizon Church, Ronnie Crudup Jr. said.

Back in March, some of the facilities became available to the public for special events and only on certain days.

Wednesday, that dream became a reality when ‘The Ark’ Sports Complex officially opened to the public.

“I just love it here you know, like, there’s not really a lot of places like this,” 14-year-old Ethan Brown said.

Dozens of community members, law enforcement, lawmakers, and city leaders gathered inside ‘The Ark’ to show their support for not only the facility but for what the complex could do for Jackson’s youth.

“This is what we can do to make sure our children are safe. This is what we can do to give them energy. This is what we can do to ring in their energy and focus it, teach them leadership. This is critical,” Hartley said.

“Instead of them being out on the streets, they can come here and play basketball and stay out of trouble,” 15-year-old Jeff Flanagan explained.

“It’s amazing. When you’re watching it, when you’re in it it seems like it took a long time. But it’s a difference now in just a few months. And so it’s amazing. That’s my word for it. I thank God, I’m grateful for it and we’re gonna continue to grow,” Charles Louis, a trainer at ‘The Ark’ said.

Those growth plans include adding a volleyball court, a baseball and softball pitching a batting area, a golf bay, and more.

“There’s a lot of things we’re trying to do because we’re just trying to reach everyone. Trying to reach the youth,” Louis said.

It will be open to the public offering memberships starting at $10 per month - or $5 per day passes. A full list of membership prices and hours of operation can be found on ‘The Ark’ website.

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