The Liquid Church is giving Edison's Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center a free facelift this weekend.
EDISON -- The Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center will be getting a free facelift from the members of the Liquid Church, a Christian church based in Morristown that holds services in various locations around the state including Edison.
Officials said church volunteers will be coming to the center on Grove Avenue this weekend -- July 15 and 16, at which time they will repaint the interior, including the gymnasium, public areas and classrooms; replace broken or missing ceiling tiles; power wash the building's exterior, repair a swing-set and basketball court and weed, mulch and replant flower gardens.
"We are grateful to the Liquid Church for making our recreation center one of the beneficiaries of its summer outreach effort," said Mayor Thomas Lankey. "Minnie Veal is a widely-used venue for many of our youth programs and it is a popular community meeting place."
About 1,500 church volunteers and area residents will be performing summer outreach projects in Essex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties as well as in Middlesex, according to officials.
"It is gratifying for this Christian organization to take such a keen interest in our community and make such a generous investment of labor, time and materials," the mayor said.
Tim Lucas, the church's lead pastor, said in the press release issued by Edison, that "you'll often hear us at Liquid Church say that serving others is the heartbeat of our church."
"We're new members of the Edison community and we want to serve our neighbors well," Lucas said, pointing out that not only is the church providing the volunteers but all of the suppliers and tools as well.
The press release said the volunteer effort represents a $12,000 investment in the recreation center, part of a $95,000 donation that the church is making this weekend in the five outreach projects in total.
The church holds weekly Sunday services at the Sheraton on Raritan Center Parkway in Edison as well as locations on its campuses in Essex, Morris, Somerset and Union counties.
Meanwhile, Edison officials said the administration is examining options to rehabilitate the Stelton Community Center on Plainfield Avenue or relocate its recreation programs and services to another site. The building, located on Plainfield Avenue, is a former school built in the 1930s and was acquired by the town in the 1980s.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.