Mercy Road Church didn’t set out to build a playground. They set out to solve a problem. Fortville, Indiana was drawing young families faster than the community could absorb them — and with almost no local childcare options, those families were arriving with nowhere to land. When the Mercy Road team walked through a Lionheart Children’s Academy in Ohio and saw a Soft Play structure in action, the decision was made on the spot. Soft Play built the Play Zone, and the Play Zone built the community.

What they’re saying

“In 47 days, we had 466 families come through those doors. No paid advertising. Just word of mouth — and a space that made people want to tell their friends.”

Ken Primeau, Mercy Road Church

vision

The vision for the Play Zone was rooted in something the church had observed but couldn’t yet quantify: Fortville was filling up with young families who had no place to connect. A closing church building became a new beginning — and the question shifted from “what do we build?” to “who do we build it for?”
The answer was clear. A free, open-to-the-community space where parents could breathe, kids could move, and neighbors who had never met could become friends. By partnering with Lionheart, a Christian non-profit specializing in church-based childcare, Mercy Road designed a space that would serve double duty: a weekday child enrichment environment and a Sunday kids ministry space. The Play Zone wouldn’t just be an amenity. It would be the front door to the community.

the challenge

Bringing the Play Zone to life inside an active, operational church building required more than good design — it required precision. Installation had to work around the rhythms of a congregation, with minimal disruption to the people and programs already using the space. Logistics were tight, communication had to be intentional, and every decision needed to account for a facility that never really goes quiet.

The design challenge was equally real. The Play Zone needed to serve everyone — curious toddlers taking their first steps onto a soft surface and school-age kids looking for a real climb. The space had to be safe enough for unsupervised parallel play while being engaging enough to hold a six-year-old’s attention for an hour. And it needed to work in two completely different modes: a high-energy weekday community drop-in and a Sunday morning ministry environment where energy levels are managed differently.

Features of Mercy Road

  • Multi-Level Configured Play Structure
    A contained, multi-story play unit featuring interconnected climbing panels, platforms, and bridges that reward kids who explore at every skill level. Designed to challenge school-age climbers without leaving toddlers behind — every zone has a way in for every age.
  • Dual Slides
    Two slides at different heights give kids choices and keep the energy moving. The anticipation of the climb, the moment at the top, the rush on the way down — repeated until the parent calls time.
  • Toddler-Accessible Entry Points
    Lower-deck platforms and gentler climbing paths built for the youngest visitors. Parents of toddlers don’t have to hover; the structure does the work.
  • Multi-Age Play Design
    The layout creates natural zones without hard barriers — older kids gravitate to the upper levels while toddlers find their footing below. Everyone plays together, everyone plays safely.
  • Safety Surfacing
    Cushioned safety surfacing throughout the play footprint, giving parents one less thing to worry about and kids one more reason to go all in.

the outcome

Since opening in September, the Play Zone has operated two days a week — free, always free — and averaged six new families every single week. Thirty to forty people fill the space each session: kids climbing, parents talking, connections forming between neighbors who had no reason to cross paths before. The church hasn’t spent a dollar on advertising. The Play Zone does the work.

What surprised the team most was what happened next. Families who came for the playground came back for the church. The Play Zone became a bridge — not just to each other, but to something larger. That’s the kind of outcome you can’t put on a spec sheet.

Photo Gallery