The Mount Vernon Municipal Planning Commission will be asked to recommend approval of a conditional use for a charitable club on property zoned for the office business district at 114 E. Gambier Street. The commission will meet at 4 p.m. on Oct. 10 in council chambers.
According to the municipal planning commission's agenda packet for Oct. 10, Stephenie Maggert requested a conditional use permit to open the Afterglow House, a life service and recovery network, in Mount Vernon. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) was formed by Stephenie and Dave Maggert in Ohio in 2020 as an outreach ministry to help people build positive relationships and community support during difficult times, including addiction recovery.
The certified Christian chaplains provide pastoral counseling and meet on Sunday afternoons for a "Sunday Dinner" followed by a Bible study/teaching led by Dave Maggert to bring scripture into real-life struggles such as depression, addiction, anxiety, loneliness, and grief, an attachment in the commission's agenda package reported. Social gatherings such as disc golf, bonfires at a seasonal campsite, attending Columbus Clippers games, touring the Dayton Air Force Museum, game nights, movie nights, and Christmas caroling are other activities. Afterglow serves as a support system in times of need such as illness or the loss of a loved one.
The agenda packet attachment said that classes are geared toward those aged 17 and older. A daily sign-in book will track the number of guests served for accurate information required for grant applications.
Knox Properties LLC owns the Gambier Street property and uses it as residential investment real estate with separate apartments on the first and second floors, according to the agenda packet attachment. If purchased by Maggert Enterprises, the second floor will continue to be rented out while the first floor will be leased to Afterglow Life Services and Recovery Network as commercial investment real estate. Afterglow will feature a hobby room/library, food availability, an information board of resources, classes on biblical decision-making, aiding women healing from or experiencing brokenness, and financial budgeting classes. Pastoral counseling opportunities will also be available for groups and individuals.
The commission does not have meetings scheduled yet for November or December according to Mount Vernon's website. The city council next meets on Oct. 14.
