Finding Common Ground: The Legacy of The Church Commons Finding Common Ground: The Legacy of The Church Commons 

By Barbara Patten — 

Recently I have heard many community members ask, “What’s going on with the Church Commons?” I often asked myself the same question. My husband, Robert Henrich, was the founder of The Church Commons / Common Ground Community Center, located at 28 W. Main St., Owego. I have been an active board member/officer of The Church Commons since the beginning, when Robert first bought the property. 

Over the years people often asked me, “Exactly what is your husband doing there and why would he use his own finances to do it?” The task before me then was to talk about his vision: to join together with others to serve the needs of all of God’s people.  

Robert died in September. Since then, the biggest question I kept asking myself was, “Who gets the property now that Robert is gone?” The task before me and the other board members came to follow one of Robert’s last wishes – that ownership of The Church Commons, in keeping with the corporation papers, be transferred to a religious organization with a mission similar or related to that of The Church Commons. 

We reviewed several groups interested in acquiring the building and property and ultimately selected Renewal Ranch, Inc., an organization that will bring their vision of helping God’s people to 28 W. Main St. Renewal Ranch Board President Becky Hillman and Vice President Anna Denise Robinson plan to offer washers, dryers and showers to people without homes, and a donation-based café for everyone. Their vision is to bring the community and Christian churches together to help make connections with people in need and Jesus Christ. 

The property at 28 W. Main St. in Owego has a long history. In the 1800s, along with much of the surrounding area, it was a tract of land owned by the Pumpelly family. After numerous divisions of that tract of land in the late 1800s, the plot at the southwest corner of Main and Armstrong was set aside for a church organization.  

In 1946 the property was acquired by Zion Lutheran Church. The building erected on that corner was said to be from a Sears & Roebuck catalog kit; the story goes that it served as a military chapel in the southern states before its move to Owego. Zion Lutheran used the building and property until selling it to another church organization in the early 1960s.  

Between that time and 2011, various churches owned the property. After the floods of 2006 and 2011, the denomination of Crown and Covenant Church (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America) decided to sell the property. In 2012 Robert formed a nonprofit organization, The Church Commons, and named the building Common Ground Community Center.  

Robert, along with family, friends and a handful of volunteers, turned a flood-ravaged, mud-encrusted interior into a beautiful place to gather for worship, group meetings, benefit concerts for charities, Thanksgiving meals, kids’ summer camps, free breakfast and lunch (provided by OASCD), food giveaways during COVID, and much more. The modest building at 28 W. Main St. was reborn with a new purpose.

Robert’s original vision was to provide a center where different religious organizations could come together and act as one, helping the less fortunate in the area. His vision did not come together exactly as he had hoped, but his desire to help others only grew. He opened the building to the Girl Scouts, REACH (Recreational and Educational Activities for Children in Homeschooling), VMW (Veterans of Modern Warfare), and others. Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Red Cross offered presentations. 

Robert built raised garden beds, and the Master Gardeners taught children how to plant and grow vegetables. REACH continued the gardening effort. As scouting projects, one scout helped landscape the property and his sister built “The Share Table.” Both of these projects added to what Common Ground could offer the community: a place to sit under a shade tree, and to donate or pick up food at the share table, respectively.  

Since 2019, every summer (except during peak COVID), Common Ground Community Center has been the site for KFM (Kids’ Farmers Market). This market gave kids the opportunity to choose fresh fruits and vegetables donated by The Food Bank of the Southern Tier. What a fantastic sight, seeing the excitement in the kids’ faces, especially when watermelon was available! Each year, more children participated in the market. 

Robert attended every event at Common Ground, but I think he enjoyed KFM the most. Last summer, two wonderful volunteers took over running KFM while Robert was in the hospital. He regretted not being there. Also, last summer, KFM had the highest weekly numbers of all the years: one day saw 162 children and 124 parents attending the market.  

The KFM was a wonderful example of Robert’s vision coming to life: seeing community members volunteering together to help make our tiny part of the world a better place. Lunches were available, service groups were offering helpful information, and everyone benefited. Especially the children. 

Robert Henrich left us on Sept. 18, 2023. This kind, loving man, husband, father and poppa, ordained Catholic deacon, ordained minister, pilot, and former Naval officer, Drug Enforcement Agent and FAA investigator, left this world with the hope that somehow his vision for Common Ground would continue.