Elkhart pastor hopes to build park to remember daughter

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - Amanda Blackburn, the victim of a violent home invasion in Indianapolis one year ago, may be gone.

But her father, Phil Byars, pastor at First Baptist Church in Elkhart, and other family members are doing all they can so that a part of her remains in Elkhart, at least in spirit.

"It's exciting to think about and dream about, when I think about how we might continue on in our community the things that were important to Amanda in her community," Byars said from his office at First Baptist Church, where he has served for 11 years.

The effort - a fund managed by the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, the Amanda Byars Blackburn Legacy fund - is a chance for Byars and his family to keep her memory alive. But it's also tempered by the first anniversary of her death.

Blackburn, 28 and pregnant, was shot on Nov. 10, 2015, during a home invasion - a case that generated headlines statewide - and she and her unborn child died the next day. Byars plans to raise the profile of the fund in coming weeks and hopes to use it to introduce Elkhart to the things that mattered most to his daughter, who is survived by her husband, Davey Blackburn, and their young son.

Among those things were the connections she made with other young mothers at a place called The Park, an indoor space at Trader's Point Christian Church northwest of Indianapolis. Spending time there with her sister, Amber, and their kids the day before her death is one of the last memories Amanda's family has of her.

A space like that, with everything it meant to her, is something Byars hopes to bring to Elkhart.

"It's a place people come to for connection, healing, counsel and community, which is what she was all about," Byars said.

He hopes to build it on 16 acres of property on the church grounds - close to C.R. 17 so it's visible - but doesn't intend for it to be too "churchy" of a place.

"It would be a place where ministry can happen - not necessarily will happen - in a safe and peaceful environment. Maybe an escape for moms, where they can connect with each other," Byars said. "That's what she loved about the place."

David Bailey, a longtime family friend who considered Amanda and Amber granddaughters, also hopes the space serves families with autistic children. It's a cause close to his heart because of his own 13-year-old granddaughter, and he believes it would mean a lot to Amanda as well.

"Amanda would be charged up about that if she were still here," he said. "That's the kind of vision she had and the person she was."

The idea for the indoor park is in the early stages but it has traction, said Jodi Spataro, chief advancement officer with the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. Between the acreage surrounding the church that might be available, the skill sets church members can contribute and the outpouring of support from the community, she said "it has all the moving parts to be a really special fund and legacy for Amanda."

Byars started the fund almost a year ago, encouraged by Bailey, who believed people will want a way to donate in memory of Amanda. But it's still little-known even among Byars' church family and he may introduce it to his congregation during a concert and album recording at the church set for Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. The concert will feature the worship team from Resonate Church in Indianapolis, which Amanda and her husband started after they moved there close to five years ago.

"They felt a calling to come to Indianapolis and start a church. They wanted to bring the entire city of Indy to Jesus, that was their vision," Byars said. "That's still the goal."

First Baptist Church took a chance on him when it promoted him two years ago to be the 32nd lead pastor in its 165-year history, Byars said. He credits his church family with helping his own family recover from Amanda's death.

"We wouldn't have made it without them," he said. "Having a family is good, having a support group who love you, who's there for you, to support you through the whole thing, that's a big deal. They held us up and they've been patient with us."

Bailey remembers when the Byars came to his church 22 years ago. He said he and his wife took an interest in the family pretty quickly.

He was shocked by Amanda's death, he said, but thinks God has caused some good to come out of it, with close to 100 people saved in their church over the past year.

"God has a reason for everything and a plan for everything," Bailey said. "Sometimes it's something that doesn't feel good to us at the time."

Byars is taking a chance of his own in making the fund public, saying it's very unfamiliar ground for him. Even being in the public eye is a little uncomfortable for a man who said he pretty much "hunkered down" and kept a low profile in the year since Amanda's death.

"If it really grows, we can do a lot of things for a long time. Every year we could pick a non-profit ministry to support," he said. "Till then, I don't know, but that's the vision we have. It's all so new to me."

Before now, Byars also remarked, he didn't know that many of the people he comes across every day have been affected by a loss like his, including members of his own congregation. Many people have shared similar experiences, and offered prayers and encouragement.

"It's certainly affected my preaching and our view on life. It's made us think more eternal than temporal," he said. "The Bible says death comes to everybody. We're not surprised by it. But it makes the living take to heart that we're supposed to think about what we're doing with life, our eternal stake."

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Source: The Elkhart Truth, http://bit.ly/2fG0SaV

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com