By India McCarty
Christian musician Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown has been keeping kids in Nashville off the streets and helping them find Jesus since 1994. Could this ministry be coming to a city near you soon?
“[I heard God say] ‘Build it and they’ll come,’” Smith, the organization’s founder, told CBN. “And I kept thinking, no, that’s the baseball movie, that’s Kevin Costner. And I just kept hearing it, ‘build it and they’ll come, build it and they’ll come.’”
Smith “did a bunch of research” and “had meetings” where people told him his plans for a youth ministry would “never work.”
“Three years later we opened up Rocketown in Franklin, Tennessee,” he said.
Rocketown opened its doors in 1994, hoping to “serve youth that might be disconnected or feel alienated from mainstream society or their communities through an all-ages concert venue,” per the ministry’s website.
“Today, that concert venue in downtown Nashville has grown into a massive rec center where teens can connect with each other and caring staff, complete with a café, skatepark, recording studio, e-sports arena, and more,” the website continued.
Rocketown has become “an anchor in the Nashville community,” per one social media comment. Its Instagram reposted the comment, writing, “Whether you’re stopping by for coffee, catching a show, or just looking for a space to belong, we can’t wait to welcome you!”
CEO Kenny Alonzo told CBN the rec center and other fun features are all part of getting kids to show up and spend time at Rocketown.
Related: Michael W. Smith Stresses Importance Of Family: ‘We Need Fathers’
“If it’s going to excite a kid and get ’em in the building, we’re going to do it,” he explained. “And so, once they’re here, we get to love them and care for them and provide for them. And we try to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I know that’s said a lot, but honestly, that’s what we do.”
Smith said many people “didn’t understand our philosophy” and were “upset” that Rocketown wasn’t “more direct about the gospel.”
“Sometimes, especially when you have a very troubled teen who has a lot of damage, they don’t trust anybody. And so, you have to earn their trust,” he said. “And that’s our methodology of just we’re going to love kids into the kingdom, but we’re going to love ’em first.”
Now, Smith is hoping to bring Rocketown to other major American cities.
“People started hearing about Rocketown and they would come and visit us and say, ‘Would you please come and build one in Seattle? Would you please come to Minneapolis? Would you please come to Dallas?’” he shared. “So, I think it was just the plea from so many people that said, ‘We want to replicate what you guys are doing in Nashville and bring it here. Can you help us do that?’”
Plans are already going ahead for a Rocketown in nearby Cheatham County. Comedian Shonda Pierce is partnering with the ministry to open a facility in her hometown of Ashland City.
In a statement given to The Tennessean, Smith said, “Opening a Rocketown in Cheatham County is deeply personal for me. We’ve seen the incredible impact Rocketown has had in Nashville, providing a safe haven for young people and giving them opportunities to grow, create, and find their path.”
“Cheatham County has been devastated by crime and not many fulfilling opportunities for the youth, and I believe, with God’s guidance, we can replicate the success we’ve had in Nashville by offering a positive, faith-filled environment where these kids can find hope and a future,” he concluded.
Smith’s efforts to bring Rocketown to cities in need across America will provide a place for thousands of kids in need to spend time, grow closer to God and start planning for a more hopeful future.
Read Next: Michael W. Smith Credits Parents’ Prayers For Overcoming Substance Abuse
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