"And out of darkness came the hands that reach thro' nature, moulding men"

-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

To survey Franklin Avenue in Aliquippa on a given day is to get a firsthand look into the depth of American desperation.

Rusted cars, blighted buildings and vacant storefronts lend a foreboding air that would be appropriate for the setting of a Springsteen-esque post-industrial folk song. The lure of narcotics and prostitution beckon in open air in broad daylight.

But amid the shades of drab browns and despairing grays that seem to dominate the streetscape, a beacon of bright orange, green and purple draws the eye to the building at 380 Franklin Ave.

The building seems too bright to belong among the bleak facades of the business district. It is called Uncommon Grounds, and uncommon is exactly what it is in this terrain. It looks hopeful. Optimistic. Uplifting. Safe.

Out-of-towner John Stanley recalls what the locals forewarned: "People said nothing will save Aliquippa unless God makes a miracle."

So Mr. Stanley, a Christian missionary from Sydney, Australia, built a coffee shop.

From Kings Cross to Aliquippa

Wearing his long curly hair under a turquoise do-rag and donning a funky paisley shirt, Mr. Stanley, 40, looks as if he could be a backing musician for an '80s pop band. Before arriving in Aliquippa, Mr. Stanley and his wife, Alison, worked in ministries and shelters in the Kings Cross red light district of Sydney, where they gave ministry, counsel and humanitarian aid to a community of roughly 5,000 homeless people, addicts, male and female prostitutes, and petty criminals.

"They would change the way they acted simply because someone was there to listen to them," he said. "When it was time to move on from there, we thought, if it can work for a subculture there, what if we took on a whole region?"

If the ambition is great, then so, too, is the task at hand.

According to the 2000 census, the per capita income for Aliquippa is $13,718, and 21.7 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, including more than a third of those under the age of 18. Unemployment rates and population decline are both in double digits. Crime rates are above the national average in virtually every category.

Not exactly the kind of facts a real estate agent would rattle off to someone looking to relocate. Nevertheless, in February 2001, the Stanleys -- John, Alison and sons Luke, Ben and Zac -- made the 9,600-mile trip from Sydney to Pittsburgh through Church Army USA, a Christian organization based on the North Side.

'Listening space'

Finding the way out of the darkness required a singular vision and hands willing to sift through one ton of broken glass and a marsh of used toilet paper.

Mr. Stanley explains: "It became clear quickly that the only places for people to get together in Aliquippa was either in a bar or a church. So unless they wanted to get drunk or preached at, we had to find something else."

So he bought a building. Particularly one that was so decrepit it might give a sewer rat pause before entering. During more prosperous times, the structure was Staman's Dress Shop, but most recently it was a seedy strip bar.

It had been abandoned since 1996. Mr. Stanley said there was still an open bottle of Southern Comfort on the bar when they went in. Church Army paid $1,000 to Beaver County for the sizable two-story building.

Mr. Stanley said that there were 40 holes in nine layers of flooring, which had to be torn up and replaced. Pigeons nested in the rafters. One ton of broken glass in the basement had to be hauled away. The sewer system would routinely overflow into the basement and left behind a 25- by 100-foot marsh of used toilet paper.

"My challenge was to imagine what it would look like if the Kingdom of Heaven invaded Franklin Avenue. What would it look like? What would it feel like?" Colorful, to be sure.

Bright waves of blue, orange, red, yellow and purple stripe the walls, along with paintings made by patrons. The revamped kitchen is the focal point, serving coffee, fresh-made sandwiches and inexpensive breakfasts. But the cafe's true purpose is to serve as what Mr. Stanley described as a "listening space."

Visitors are encouraged to draw, write, paint, play music, garden or cook. "And through that," Mr. Stanley said, "they can find out what's going on in their own lives."

A Starry Dawn

Over a lunch of sandwiches and soda at the cafe, Stu Simpson, a board member of Church Army, conceded, "When John came forward with this idea, it took a lot of selling. But this is John's vision."

The structural aspects of the building -- plumbing, duct work, masonry and walls -- have been meticulously restored. Mr. Stanley said $160,000 had been spent on the renovation, mostly because of donations and a steady team of volunteer labor. The cost would have been exponentially higher if this were a commercial endeavor.

"We want to provide a space that is top quality, even when they are using the bathrooms. It lets people know that we care. If you went to a place like this in Sewickley, you'd expect it."

In the courtyard garden outside, a mural on the wall of the neighboring building depicts Franklin Avenue with a swirling sky influenced by Van Gogh's famous "Starry Night," but this has a twist.

"We figured Aliquippa had enough dark nights, so we added a dawn," Mr. Stanley explained. "People like their town being honored. It's a vision of what people think Aliquippa should be."

Molding men (and women)

On a recent Tuesday, Uncommon Grounds is a hive of activity.

Down in the cafe, bluesy gospel tunes play while the smoky smell of kielbasa fills the air. A man sits at a table and tinkers with an old bass guitar while others read and chat. Mrs. Stanley and a cook, Grover Harvey, prepare sandwiches, coffee and milkshakes for the lunch crowd.

Upstairs, a group of young men work with Mr. Stanley and other volunteer contractors to cut and hang drywall. The young men are not simply volunteers, they are recovering addicts, mostly minors, in Gateway Rehabilitation Center's inpatient treatment program in Aliquippa.

Clare Chiesa, an activities therapist at Gateway, grew up in the area and learned of Stanley's work through a family friend. Since March 2003, she's brought young people down to Uncommon Grounds who are in a 45- to 120-day program. She estimates that 150 to 200 kids have come through. At present, two groups of eight come on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"It's an opportunity for them to learn some trade skills, but mostly to get them reinvolved in the community in a positive manner," Mrs. Chiesa said. "This is a way to teach them about giving for the sake of giving, not because they are getting something in return."

The young men were not allowed to be identified, owing to patient confidentiality concerns, but each said the experience had been rewarding, both in a practical sense, learning job skills, and a spiritual one.

"It just feels good," one young man said simply, adding that he'd like to continue to volunteer there after his treatment ends.

Mrs. Chiesa relayed a story of a 14-year-old in the program who continued to get into trouble. Nothing worked for him until he came to Uncommon Grounds.

"Everything else in his treatment, he would just quit," she said. "But when he came down here, he helped build a fence in the courtyard and literally did not stop for anything, even to go to the bathroom, until it was done."

Mrs. Stanley runs a free women's training project which offers classes in basic computer skills, word processing, business writing and using the Internet to search for jobs. Child care is also available at the center for free.

On the menu

Uncommon Grounds has event nights such as free movies and an open stage for anyone to show off his talents, be it on harmonica or freestyle hip-hop. The shop is a meeting place for 12-step programs. A room is under construction for the meetings.

"Instead of just encouraging them to take the steps, we walk alongside with them," Mr. Stanley said, adding that his guiding ethos was one of inclusion, not condemnation.

"The place is a work in progress," he said. "And that's the idea. It's not about being 'fixed.' It's about being willing to work on it. The willingness to start working makes newness come."

In two years, the Stanley family's visas expire, and they'll have to leave Aliquippa and America. But not before Mr. Stanley can finish laying the foundation to solidify Uncommon Grounds as a community facet of Aliquippa for years to come.

He makes no secret that he needs more partners, volunteers and financing. He said they were getting by on only about one-third of what they need.

"This is an oasis in the middle of darkness," Mr. Simpson said. "Maybe it can be a spark."

For more information about Uncommon Grounds, visit its Web site at www.uncommongroundscafe.org or call 724-375-6141.