St. Armands Key Lutheran Church members provide oasis

Before the stores on St. Armands Circle open for business, the Key is already bustling with activity.

Runners, walkers and cyclists circle the sidewalks, sometimes before the sun is up.

To help the early risers, a few St. Armands Key Lutheran Church members have taken it upon themselves to be an oasis for the joggers.

In June 2016, Lynn and Steve Blackledge, along with Carol and Richard Elliott, started a program called Oasis. The Blackledges had been taking a class in Fort Myers about servant ministry and as the program was ending, they looked for a way to apply the class to real life.

So, Oasis was born.

Through the program, the church doors are open to walkers, runners and cyclists who need a place to take a break during their morning workout.

Along with a few occasional other volunteers, the Blackledges and Elliotts open the doors at 6 a.m. Until about 8:30 or 9 a.m. the quartet hangs out at the church greeting runners who might stop for water or to use the restroom.

In the beginning, only about six people would stop each Saturday. That number has grown to about 50, Lynn Blackledge said.

At first, people would just stop and wave, but now it’s a stopping point for runners and walkers.

“You get to know people’s stories,” Carol Elliott said. “It’s an uplifting experience for me.”

The Elliotts and Blackledges have learned a lot over the past year. They now know that most of the runners start at Southside Elementary School. They’ve met a group that did the New York Marathon together and use St. Armands as a training location. They’ve met a woman who is trying to run a marathon in every state. They ask about each other’s children.

“They have such nice attitudes,” Lynn Blackledge said. “It’s quite a community of people.”

Carol Elliott and Lynn Blackledge say it’s easy to sit at the church Saturday. Blackledge said she would be up anyway. Although they don’t know which direction Oasis will take in the future, the group plans to continue it as long as it’s wanted.

“It’s good for us if it’s good for them,” Blackledge said.