Just as its biblical namesake did, Lazarus Tomb has come back to life.
Bob and Rosetta Lecocq of New Kensington founded the coffeehouse and outreach ministry nearly 37 years ago,
Next Friday and Saturday, Lecocqs will hold an open house to mark Lazarus Tomb's new, permanent location on Fifth Avenue in Arnold.
"We just want the public to come and see where we are at," said Rosetta Lecocq, adding that the coffeehouse has actually been in operation for about six weeks.
The location is the former Red Cross building which the Lecocqs bought. It is across the street from Sam's Pop Shop, .
They purchased it using an insurance settlement that resulted from heavy damage caused by flooding when waterlines at their old location burst.
"We bought the building for $30,000 and I think we have put at least another $30,000 in it," Lecocq said.
But the Lecocqs are happy that the coffeehouse no longer has a nomadic existence.
"We were in three places in 13 months after the flood," she said. "We kept the supplies in a cupboard and we would move it around on a dolly."
Buying the building was only part of the task in getting Lazarus Tomb back together. The Lecocqs next had to bring the building up to building codes. That required things like moving a wall one foot, building a new facade to accommodate the handicapped, putting in new wiring and installing exit and "please ring the bell" signs in English and braille.
They were forced to scrap plans to put a range in the kitchen because a certain ventilation system would have cost $6,000.
"We never anticipated that we wouldn't be allowed to have a stove," Lecocq said. "In the winter we like to make soup and stew for the children."
They'll have to haul in hot food for the children in winter.
But Lecocq remains upbeat and figures that things will work out. She notes how much unexpected help they received from friends and volunteers -- some of whom they didn't know.
She mentioned Ralph Baker of Lower Burrell, who as a teenager named the coffeehouse back in 1972. A cave explorer, Baker told Lecocq he had just come from the darkness of a cave into the light, just as Lazarus did in the Bible when he rose from the dead.
"He said, 'That's what you should name this place, Lazarus Tomb because you bring people from the dark into the light'," Lecocq recalled.
Baker, who recently started working in construction, contacted Lecocq to offer help.
"Out of the blue, Ralph came into the picture after 37 years," Rosetta said. "I would have never thought to call him."
She said he voluntarily worked on rebuilding the facade, under the direction of the general contractor the Lecocqs hired.
There also was a group of senior citizens from Butler who volunteered to paint the building interior. Lecocq said they, with other volunteers, painted the entire building on a Saturday.
In addition, some members of the Sons of God, a Christian biker group in the Valley, volunteered to install the kitchen.
"We have a nice meeting place, we have a nice kitchen, we have a nice meeting place for the children," Lecocq said, referring to the 30 to 40 children the coffeehouse serves.
She said the coffeehouse still needs things like a freezer, computers and office furniture, "but the basics are here for us to operate," she said. "We are rejoicing in the fact that we have a home, the children are here and we are continuing on in doing the Lord's work."
She said the children are the main reason she and her husband made the often difficult 13-month journey to reopen the coffeehouse.
"We couldn't turn our backs on them," Lecocq said.
She recalled one in particular, who demonstrated what Lazarus Tomb meant to him.
"After we had the flood, there was this little boy named Willie who always came to the Tomb, and his family is very poor," Lecocq said. "Willie handed me a dollar and he said, 'Miss Rose, take this, fix the Tomb.' I still have that dollar.
"I told him, 'your dollar helped rebuild the Tomb.' "
Additional Information:If you go
Who: Lazarus Tomb Coffeehouse
What: Open house to celebrate new location at 1821 Fifth Ave., Arnold.
When: Oct. 24, open house from noon to 8 p.m., concert at 8:30 p.m.; Oct. 25, open house from 3 to 8 p.m., concert at 8:30 p.m.
