A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Sunday afternoon for a new community center on Youngstown's south side.

The ceremony was held at the K.L. Simon Community Center at New Bethel Baptist Church on Hillman Street in Youngstown.

New Bethel Baptist Church Senior Pastor Reverend Kenneth Simon tells 21 News the community center will occupy the building that once housed the church's old sanctuary.

The church's current sanctuary was completed in 2002. From there, work began on repurposing the old sanctuary building into a multi-purpose center.

A soft opening for the community center was held back in June of 2024. It was then that Reverend Simon told us he hopes the community center could be a blessing to the city.

Now, Reverend Simon tells 21 News the community center is already being utilized by some organizations and he hopes even more will utilize it in the near future.

"We already have groups in here. The Harambee group is already in here doing their practicing. ... And we plan on bringing more organizations and more agencies in here to bring help for our seniors, parents, our community [and] our neighbors," Simon said.

Simon went on to say the center can also be used for events like banquets and wedding receptions.

Those looking to book an event at the center can contact New Bethel Baptist Church and ask for the church's coordinator to make a reservation.