by Amy Jo Johnson | The Bay City Times
Saturday April 04, 2009, 7:06 AM

The new inhabitants of Bay City’s former Created for Caring building hope to breathe new life into the aging structure and create a day-care center to serve working families.

The church building at McKinley Street and Madison Avenue – which was just two weeks from demolition – was given last fall to Cornerstone Connection Congregation, a Messianic Jewish group whose members believe in the restoration of the Kingdom of God through the redemption found in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ).

"Hopefully we’re going to be able to restore it to its pristine beauty," said Rabbi Daniel Akans, a task-at-hand kind of guy who was standing on a ladder changing a light bulb as he spoke.

Akans said a local matriarch, who was married to a Jewish man, bestowed the building to his care.

Akans said he felt moved when he first looked over the structure, which had fallen into disrepair after its former occupant, the nonprofit Created for Caring, ceased operations in June of 2006.

"I love the building. ... There’s so much history here it’s amazing," said Akans, who served a similar-size congregation of 30-40 families in Sanford prior to coming to Bay City.

The Messianic Jewish faith is growing quickly across the United States, he said.

"In the last 10 years, we kind of came out of the woodwork," Akans said. Ten years ago, the rabbi said, some 200 such congregations existed; today, there are upwards of 2,000.

"We’re the only one in this area," he said.

Sarah Zeien of Clare has been a follower of Messianic Judaism for about two years. She used to attend a nondenominational church.

She said she likes her newfound faith because it’s helped her put her faith into practice in everyday life.

"Now I’m able to connect more on what things mean," she said.

Akans, who serves as president of the Messianic Bureau International, says he hopes to create a shul – meaning synagogue or school – for both Christians and Jews.

"What we want to do is educate people. Education is very important for us," he said. "We’d like for people to come here and just experience this."

Everyone is welcome, the rabbi said.

"There is no distinction here between Jew and Gentile," he said.

Services are held at 5:30 p.m. Saturdays. Those who attend services are encouraged to ask questions.

"I teach rabbinically, which means while teaching here it’s always open for discussion," he said.

The congregation follows "The Complete Jewish Bible," which Akans says is similar to the King James Bible, although much of its teachings are in Hebrew. The congregation honors traditional Jewish holidays.

Akans is using his own elbow grease and his own money to restore the building. He says he’s spent thousands to fix the furnace, paid almost $5,000 in water bills and brought old property taxes back into the black. But Akans says he believes in his work.

"We’re committed to this," he said.

Akans, who holds a Ph.D., plans to offer counseling services. There are also plans to offer a day-care center. If all goes well, the plan is to have the day-care open by mid-April.

LEARN MORE

To find out more about Cornerstone Connection Congregation, log on to www.messianic.com. For more information on the day care, call (989) 891-9389. To learn more about counseling, call (989) 891-9414.