Kim Warner, who oversees City Gate's Ephrata location, clearly remembers a week in the spring before Daylight Saving Time ended. "It was dark, and two people in the same week came to the door (at separate times)," recalled Warner. "They both said, 'I saw the light on.'" The observance was important to Warner. "That's what we have prayed: that City Gate can be a light in the darkness of the town," said Warner. "That's what I want to hear."

City Gate is the mission of Kim Zimmerman and her husband, Brian, who first envisioned a place in Lancaster city in 2006. The pair was training in a prayer ministry, and they felt a call from God to use what they were learning outside the church walls. In 2007, the couple rented a basement room in a former Lancaster hotel. "We started meeting with the homeless community," said Zimmerman. "Every Friday night, we had three or four hours of just prayer and worship, and we were seeing amazing things happen," said Zimmerman. "We were connecting with the community."

The Zimmermans focused on prayer and service. Within the first year of starting the ministry, the building where they were renting was condemned, and Zimmerman said she felt God calling her to take a drive on Duke Street in Lancaster. She came across a new rental property that became the ministry's next downtown location. "That's what happens," said Zimmerman. "God provides buildings and finances every time we move to a new location."

In Ephrata, a landlord heard City Gate was looking for a building to expand its ministry and called Zimmerman. The building at 100 E. Main St., Ephrata, became the ministry's home in that part of the county in 2016. Warner, who was involved in women's ministry and vacation Bible school at her home church, saw a Facebook ad Zimmerman had placed. Warner originally hoped to form a recovery group at the site, but the gathering became a Bible study that welcomed anyone who wanted to attend. "I was there a lot," said Warner. "(Zimmerman) said, 'You might as well oversee it because you're there all the time.'"

Now, the Ephrata location offers a variety of activities, including prayer times, a men's recovery group, worship nights, conversation and coffee gatherings, and a weekly game event on Wednesday afternoons. "We try to be a place where people can come," said Warner, who added that the organization also provides a place for local churches to serve. "We have had a free lunch every Saturday since January," noted Warner, who explained that area churches take turns buying the food and serving.

"We are a place where the church can be (Christ's) hands and feet in the public square," said Zimmerman.

More information about City Gate - Ephrata may be found at https://citygatelancaster.com/ephrata. Readers who have specific questions may email info@citygatelancaster.com.