Delphi News

DELPHI -- Members of the Delphi United Methodist Church are digging their new digs. The congregation of 550 people held their first services Oct. 16 in the new church building just south of Delphi High School near the Hoosier Heartland Highway. The church's previous building downtown was 14,000 square feet. The new building with the green metal roof is 27,000 square feet. 'We were in a beautiful facility, but it didn't meet our needs,' said farmer Brad Burton, 53, who grew up in the church. 'We called it ministry gymnastics at the other church. We now are on one level, have an improved children's ministry and can be more relational than before.' Burton was referring to the spacious rotunda, or entryway, at the new building. The stained glass scene depicting Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane was the only item brought from the previous church building. 'We want to connect the saints of the past to the saints of the future,' Senior Pastor Todd Ladd said of the congregation that traces its roots to 1826. In the rotunda, there is enough space for people to gather before and after worship. They chat, share their lives and strengthen the bonds as a church family. A spectacular 'Children's Treehouse' room features a tube slide, a mini-climbing wall, an air hockey table and other games. The treehouse room is visible from the highway. 'We wanted to make sure when children come here they weren't hanging on to mom's and dad's legs,' said Jennifer Hudson, director of the children's ministry. 'If we can the kids excited about coming here, maybe they'll keep coming back.' There also is a nursery room and a toddler's room. A colorful multipurpose room is used by children and adults. The emphasis on young people also is evident at a separate building just for teenagers. Included is a basketball court, a stage for music shows and a kitchen. The main church building also has a restaurant-quality kitchen. It was designed to serve large and small gatherings. The sanctuary can hold 350 people -- 70 more than the old church. There are special lights and sound equipment, along with room for a praise band. Planning for the new $2 million project began in 2006. Ladd said that figure is four and a half times the church's annual income. Pledges for three years have been made. 'That is remarkable because it (capital campaign) started in the midst of the recession,' Ladd said. 'The congregation embraced it as we laid out the vision.' Ladd insists that the heart of the congregation is still all about faith and following Christ's command to love their God and their fellow man. Longtime church member Ken Green, 84, said having the extra room has given him a chance to improve his relationship with God and his 'faith family.' 'The older generation regretted leaving the other church, but we had grown so fast,' Green said. Ladd said now that the church has been constructed, it's time to 'build the Church.' 'This all about being a church outside these walls,' he said. 'This is truly a God-driven thing.'

As an eighth-grader, Delphi wrestler Cody Alderman leaned over the railing at Berry Bowl in Logansport and watched his cousin, Donovan, win a regional championship. Donovan's run to a third-place finish at 119 pounds during the 2008 state meet helped inspire Cody's own wrestling career. 'I always thought, 'One day, that's going to be me,' ' said Cody Alderman, now a senior. Alderman took his latest step in his cousin's footsteps when he won the 132-pound championship at last Saturday's Logansport Regional. Now 40-4, Alderman will pursue a top-four finish at Saturday's Merrillville Semistate, which secures a trip to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the state finals. A total of 45 area wrestlers will compete at Merrillville, and 21 more will take the mat at the New Castle Semistate. Cody Alderman is still learning from his cousin, who has come back to help the next generation of Delphi wrestlers. 'I've got him on the lungs part, but he still kicks my butt pretty good,' Cody Alderman said. 'It ain't even a match.' Purdue recruit Tanner Lynde leads the Delphi contingent. A three-time state qualifier and last year's third-place finisher at 171, Lynde is 44-0. Of Harrison's six semistate qualifiers, three are freshmen or sophomores. One of them, sophomore Daniel Davis, said his first full varsity season had begun to take its toll. The Raiders' team regional loss a few days earlier didn't help. But Davis found a spark when he walked into Berry Bowl last Saturday and ran his record to 37-13 while winning the 106-pound championship. 'It was a pretty exciting day,' Davis said. 'I've got to tell you, I was ready for this season to be over Friday night. Dead tired. Said, you know what, I don't really want this to continue. But after you get there and you start getting back in the zone, it feels really good. I don't want it to end now.' Dalton Clark, a Raiders freshman, won the 145 title by defeating Benton Central's Aaron Madison in a rematch of their Lafayette Jeff Sectional championship match. Clark was the only freshman to win a regional title at Logansport. Nine of the 14 championships were won by seniors. 'I was kind of worried because I've never wrestled these kids from Twin Lakes or Rensselaer before,' said Clark, now 35-11. 'I just thought of them as regular wrestlers; just go out and wrestle my best and hardest and I'll come through.' Jack Roetker (40-12 at 132) is Harrison's other sophomore semistate qualifier. No area team is sending more competitors to Merrillville than Rensselaer, which has seven competitors. None of them comes in as a regional champion, though junior Jeffrey Martin was a runner-up at 138. Those wrestlers making their second semistate appearance say they're more prepared for the experience a year later. The Merrillville Semistate is considered by many to be the state's most competitive. 'I definitely feel more prepared and ready,' said Twin Lakes 120-pounder Blake Denton, who made it through Merrillville last season to qualify for state as a freshman. 'I know what's coming. Last year I wasn't sure and this year I know what's out there.' Benton Central junior Jacob Ricks advanced to semistate with a third-place finish at Logansport last season. Because he won a regional title last weekend, he won't have to face another regional champion until the semifinals at semistate. 'I've got to win my first two matches there to go to state, so this was really important,' said Ricks, who defeated Delphi's Justin Berumen in Hoosier Conference, sectional and regional championship matches. Frankfort junior Hugo Perez is the lone area regional champion competing at New Castle. Perez (28-7), who won the 132-pound championship at the North Montgomery Regional, won a 119 regional title last season. Southmont is sending a seven-wrestler contingent to New Castle.

Four people were injured - at least two of them, a Logansport man and teenager, seriously - in a two-vehicle crash this morning on Indiana 25 North at 'Boone's Curve,' about three miles northeast of Delphi.

At 11:23 p.m. Wednesday, Tippecanoe County sheriff officers along with emergency personnel responded to the 6300 block of State Road 25 North in response to a single vehicle accident.