By Sam Sherman<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Muncie pastor started a new publication just months before the pandemic and a universal shut down. But even amidst COVID-19 restrictions, Adrian Leavell found a way to publish \u201cMuncie Community News,\u201d a monthly newspaper available in select locations across town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“My motto is \u2018Unity within diversity through creative news,\u2019\u201d Leavell explained. \u201cWhat it\u2019s saying is that we\u2019re all different but what makes us strong is our unifying points…[we] should look for unity and that should come through news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The newspaper has covered stories like COVID-19\u2019s effect on nursing homes, the appointing of Richard Ivy as Muncie\u2019s deputy mayor and health awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides newspaper publisher, Leavell also is a senior pastor at the Cathedral of Praise Christian Church<\/a> in Muncie. The church is familiar territory to the Evansville native. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “All my life I was raised in the church,\u201d Leavell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a boy, he recalled helping out around the church by doing small tasks such as cleaning up trash and maintaining the grounds. He also was involved in local theatre, the church choir and worship teams growing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It was good. It kept us out of trouble,\u201d Leavell said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2004, Leavell began a nonprofit organization designed to support local business\u2014REACH Community Development Corporation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “REACH stands for Restore, Educate, Affirm, Cultivate, and Help. It\u2019s all about awareness, development and community action,\u201d said Leavell. REACH has created community health initiatives and collaborated with agencies such as the Muncie Housing Authority for development projects, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was through his organization that Leavell created the \u201cMuncie Community News\u201d publication. “That\u2019s for everybody. That\u2019s for all our neighborhoods so that we can all live safely and with some harmony,\u201d Leavell said when speaking on the COVID-19 vaccine information that headlined the paper\u2019s March 2021 issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leavell has served on the board of Muncie Parks & Recreation and the board of the Muncie Housing Authority. In addition to his service at the Cathedral of Praise Christian Church, Leavell has also served as pastor at the Greater True Gospel Church <\/a>in Indianapolis and is a member of the Concerned Clergy of Muncie<\/a>. His pastoral work extends nationally as he is also the Indiana State Bishop for the Convention of Covenanting Churches<\/a>, a national church organization with headquarters in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Copies of \u201cMuncie Community News\u201d are available monthly at Shell gas stations across Muncie, and Facebook under the name \u201cMuncie Newspaper,\u201d<\/a> Leavell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources:<\/strong> Facebook<\/a>, Concerned Clergy of Muncie<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The newspaper\u2019s focal point is Muncie neighborhood-based stories, Leavell said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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