'Garage' helps turn men into fathers

DUNCAN - As it approaches its first anniversary, the Charis Garage continues to help men become supportive fathers and partners to the mothers of their children.

The building exudes a masculine feel. It is a place to meet, receive counsel, encouragement, life skills and connections with other men in the same situations they find themselves in.

The idea first started forming in the minds of Charis executive director Kimberla Treat and her husband David Treat four years ago.

“We started having men pray back in 2021,” said Kimberla. “David kind of started the group. They would just pray about it out here at the swing on Tuesdays and they still come and pray on Tuesday evenings.”

The groundbreaking for The Garage was in September 2023. It was opened in October 2024.

Charlie Nelson has been the director of The Garage since it first opened, a job opportunity that he wasn’t looking for, but a chance run-in with Kimerla Treat changed that.

“For a long time, my wife and I, would donate some of our stuff here to Charis,” Nelson said. “My wife and I lost a son in 2020 and some of the stuff we had for him came here because we couldn’t use it anymore. I had never met anyone up here, because I guess I was coming on days when no one was here.”

That changed one day when he ran into Treat.

“It was like God had a divine appointment for me. My wife and I had sifted through stuff we didn’t need and I brought it up here and started to unload it,” Nelson said. 

Treat happened to stop by that day and noticed Nelson unloading donations. She offered him a tour of the facility. 

“She showed me the facility and everything,” Nelson said. “And then we got to talking about what the plans were for the future of Charis. We started talking about God and having a relationship with the Lord. She asked me about my stance on pregnancy and birth and pro life versus abortion. We like to call it pro abundant life because we want to help transform lives.”

The conversation eventually came to Charis needing a men’s director for The Garage.

“She asked if I knew anybody who would be interested in something like that,” Nelson said. “And we continued to talk and she asked me if I might be interested.”

They continued to talk and pray about it over the next few months.

“Not only did we pray together, but we cried together and we came to the conclusion that God was telling me this is where I was supposed to be,” Nelson said. “I was supposed to be helping these young men step into the role of becoming a father.”

He has enjoyed the role ever since.

“I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with so many men,” Nelson said. “There is one client who has asked me to officiate his wedding. It’s a very rewarding thing with what we do here. And fathers are such a big part of that. When the father is involved in the pregnancy decision, they are the key element more than anybody on whether a young lady chooses abortion or life. If the man is for them, and the man says ‘I’m standing behind them. I’m standing behind my girlfriend, I’m standing behind my wife,’ then the chances of the young lady choosing life for her child skyrocket. It a very significant percentage.”

The Garage has what Nelson calls “Basic Manning 101,” courses.

“Our first class, we taught dads how to do CPR for infants and for their wives,” Nelson said. “We’ve taught financial budgeting. We’ve had some just silly game nights or played on the Nintendo Switch. We not only want them to learn but we also want them to play too.” 

Those types of encounters have led to a deeper level of communication.

“Throughout a lot of these conversations, there has been a lot of discipleship,” Nelson said. “It’s refreshing to see these young men come in here, whether they’ve had a father, not had a father, or they had a bad example for a father and how they’ve now managed to be the father that God wants them to be.”

The result has been that many of the clients are taking the responsibility of fatherhood more seriously.

“Now they’re getting up in the mornings,” he said. “They’ve got a job and they’re providing for their families. They are doing the things they need to do to take care of their families. It’s all to the glory of God, we just facilitate it.”

Clients take classes on preparing for childbirth and how to take care of children through toddler age.

“From the time of their first appointment until the baby turns 18 months old, we meet here with our dads,” Nelson said. “We have a list of father pertinent classes and responsibilities and things they can do to help during the pregnancy and afterward.”

And Nelson has seen the lightbulb moments for new dads.

“They tell me, ‘I didn’t know if I was going to be a good dad because of what I had or didn’t have,’” Nelson said. “And the joy I see these young men have when they are holding their children, when they come back through and visit us, is incredible. They may not get it right 100 percent of the time, but the love for their children is undeniable.”

Following the success of The Garage, Charis has purchased a house next door to the facility on Jones Street in Duncan that will be converted into a women’s space in the future.

For more information on Charis Center or The Garage, visit www.chariscenter.org. Charis is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 580-786-6000. They can also be found on Facebook.